We are only beginning to realize the implications and potential of the internet and information technology (IT) innovations. The sooner we can “see” it, the sooner we can experiment in using and combining these tools to realize their full potential in creating a more healthy, abundant future. Within the potential of these tools could be the seeds of a sustainable economy where 100% of us and the earth can thrive. Thomas Friedman’s recent column described “one country, two revolutions”  in contrasting the social protests on Wall Street and the IT revolution in Silicon Valley.

SOCIAL is an acronym to help see the implications of the IT revolution, Friedman quotes Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce.com:

Speed – “Everything is now happening faster.” For example, the Occupy Wall Street movement began with a Twitter post July 15th, which led to the first street protest on September 17th, and in just over a month, as of late October, protests have been started in over 1,700 cities with over 2.6 million tweets.

Open – Collaborative on-line technology is based in an ethic of openness and sharing content and contributions. Whether it is Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter or open-source software, the way people interact and work together on-line is creating a “rising tide of sharing, cooperation, collaboration, and collectivism” and transparency as Kevin Kelly of Wired Magazine points out. Kelly makes the point that if people get used to on-line environments full of peer-to-peer sharing, collaboration, and openness, it’s only a matter of time for them to expect the environment in their off-line world to have similar values, such as the workplace and the political process.

Collaboration – People can now self-organize within organizations, among organizations, or across the world with relatively little cost, enabling collaboration at greater scales. Businesses are inviting in help on their sustainability challenges, for example, Nike invested $6 million to create an Environmental Apparel Design Tool to help designers consider the environmental impacts of product designs and shared this publically to “accelerate collaboration between companies, fast-track sustainable innovation and decrease the use of natural resources like oil and water.” It also created the Green Exchange where companies can share intellectual property to advance sustainable innovations.

Individuals – One person can come up with an idea and launch it faster and easier than ever before. For example, on line tools connect individuals to enable resources to flow globally to support good ideas. Kiva.org uses the internet to connect people with money to loan (even very small amounts) to micro-finance institutions globally who can put it into the hands of local entrepreneurs for projects that allieviate poverty.

Alignment – “There has never been a more important time to have all your ships sailing in the same direction,” said Benioff. In the non-profit sector, new technologies are enabling many groups working on the same cause to connect and align their efforts more effectively, such as Prevent Obesity.net where the Robert Wood Johnson foundation has invested in connecting and expanding the impact of the many organizations working to prevent obesity.

Leadership – In an interconnected world, leadership is much more about inspiration, aligning around common purpose, and coordinating and enabling creativity and collaboration. Leadership in the midst of this revolution requires that we see the possibilities in the unfolding landscape. As Marcel Proust said, “The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

How is your organization positioned to capture power of these new tools and trends in its work?