In the last couple of years in the US, we have witnessed many examples of white supremacy – how the patterns of power, domination, oppression, and separation play out. These patterns are hundreds of years old. What does it take to work and live from patterns and behaviors that embody mutual respect, dignity, equity, belonging,… Read more
Tag: Collaboration
The Fruits of Collaboration – Part 2
When doing collaborative work, a common challenge is that people want to move right to action, and they under-invest or shortcut the foundational work of building relationships, aligning work, and learning together. This framework illustrates the various dimensions of collaborative work. A focus on action alone misses all the other rich fruits that can come… Read more
The Fruits of Collaboration – Part 1
In any organization or initiative, we want people motivated to bring their best thinking and ideas to the work, fully participate, and take action. In a world where much work is done in cubicles interacting with screens, I believe there is an overlooked and often unrealized desire of people to contribute and gain the benefits… Read more
Working as an Ecosystem
While much of the focus at the national level in the U.S. is on hyper-partisanship and polarization, a less heralded story is the growing rise of collaborative networks that allow many people and organizations to work effectively on common goals. As Tom Atlee summarized here, these networks include multiple sectors (public, private, and civil society)… Read more
Designing Meetings that Do More
Here are some of the needs I often hear expressed by people in organizations and networks of those working on social change: Our work is too ‘siloed’ – people are not aware of what others are doing. Insights or lessons learned are not well communicated so others make the same mistakes or reinvent the wheel… Read more
Conditions to Catalyze a Network
My obsession of late is foraging wild mushrooms…something about the weather conditions in late summer have made this a spectacular year for mushrooms here in southern New Hampshire. The woods are full of mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. I only know one edible species – black trumpets. Every time I go for a walk… Read more
Resources for Small Groups in Turbulent Times
The last few weeks have left a lot of people feeling overwhelmed and concerned about proposals and policies addressing issues and values they hold dear. A request came through a list serve I’m on asking how to create small groups to help people deal with a sense of overwhelm and take action. I’m sharing here… Read more
Quotes That Lead in New Directions
True to the name of our business – New Directions – we seek out ideas, tools, and ways of working together that can enable us to create a thriving future distinct from the harmful ways of the past. The following is a compilation of quotes gathered along the way in 2016: How We See Our… Read more
The Joy, Necessity, and “How To” of Micro-Collaborations (Part 2)
In a time when social media and larger forces are creating more division, pulling us apart from those who are different and rewarding “every man for himself” world views, we need friendship, co-creation, and circles of support to embody and model that another way is possible. There are many ways to start this, from wherever… Read more
The Joy and Necessity of Micro-Collaborations (Part 1)
Many people are familiar with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Behind these legendary creative books and mythic worlds is a remarkable story of collaboration. These two writers met in the English department at Oxford University in the mid 1920’s, and discovered… Read more