“The story of the Boston Schoolyards Initiative is one that needs to be shared and spread!” This was my thought after hearing a keynote speech by Kristin Metz share her story at a conference. Kristin graciously accepted my invitation to interview her for this blog. I first wrote it in 2015 and am reposting it,… Read more
Category: Strategy
Renewing Our Collective Memory of How Things Change
One of the books on my summer reading list is Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities. She explores what it means to sustain hope amidst difficult times. Many of her themes are around how our minds and cultural ways of thinking and sharing information can constrain our sense of what is possible…. Read more
Navigating Change with Collective Sensemaking
In the news lately, I frequently hear commentators talking about how a particular event or action is unprecedented, such as three hurricanes so close together or the actions this Administration is taking to deregulate quickly. These times call for us to practice ‘collective sensemaking’ to more clearly see what is unfolding and avoid being caught in denial… Read more
Setting Strategy Via a Participatory Approach
While listening to the stories of friends working in a range of institutions, such as public schools, corporations, and non-profits, I hear increasing frustration with how strategy gets determined by a small group “at the top” and rolled down. The people who implement a strategy or new program often do not have a voice to… Read more
Building a Shared Understanding of How Systems Work
I’ve just returned from the kick-off gathering of a collective impact initiative with the United Way of Greater New Bedford. A series of three community gatherings for input (as described in this blog) and other meetings with stakeholders led us to focus of how can we help families thrive, with a focus in one neighborhood. We… Read more
Open Sourcing Social Change
Most philanthropic work for social change is focused on investing grants in organizations as the unit of getting work done. The challenge is that for many issues and places, multiple foundations and/or government are investing in organizations pursuing disconnected initiatives, leading to silos that don’t talk to each other and competing organizations working in the… Read more
Crafting a Value-Add Strategy for a Network or Collective Impact Initiative
Several clients recently have asked us to help with strategic planning. The more I have worked with networks and cross-sector initiatives, I have seen the limits of the traditional way of thinking about strategy. Typically, a strategy will be for one organization to look out at the world, assess “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats” and… Read more
Roles in the Transition from Old to New
We are pleased to share this guest blog post by Peggy Holman, which originally appeared as a guest blog on Jesse Lyn Stoner’s blog. Like a great wave, cultural stories carry us along, creating a coherent view of our world. For example, the phrase the “American Dream” evokes a story that has inspired generations to… Read more
Networks for Systems Change – Five Stories
The scale of complex systems we are working to change is much larger than one organization. Collaborative networks are emerging as a new way to organize work at a larger scale and create collective impact. We have found the best way to learn about these approaches is to explore stories of leading examples, as they… Read more
A Systemic, Strategic, and Networked Approach to Economic Development
Vermont is using an innovative approach and philosophy for creating economic development and growing local jobs through the food system. Building on consumer demand and interest in local foods and farming, in 2009, Vermont’s legislature passed a law directing the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) to develop a Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. The goals… Read more