Contests are seen by many in the social sector as a way to engage audiences and generate new thinking about important issues, yet in generating all of these contributions from the crowd are we undermining the very aims of work in social innovation when the fruits of these ideas largely remain to rot on the […]
No Contest: The Cost of Crowd-based Social Innovation Read More »
In April 2013 the world was horrified to learn that more than one thousand people were killed in a Bangladeshi factory used to make largely low-priced clothes for Western fashion houses. As the stories of sadness, loss and survival emerged from that rubble so too did cries of indignation and disgust from human rights groups,
Fashionably Thinking About Systems and Consumption Read More »
For the last few years Censemaking has been a forum for exploring ideas around complexity, systems, design and social innovation. It has been a space for ideas and considering some of social and evaluative ramifications of complexity as it plays out in human systems. This long-form blog has allowed for in-depth reflection on the issues
A toolkit for toolsets, skillsets and a mindset Read More »
When journalist and book author Daniel Pink tweeted the above image the other day it provoked thinking about what real learning means and what it takes to achieve it. We produce enormous amounts of knowledge, yet struggle to put it into use, but we also teach much and learn little because the systems we’ve designed
How Serious Are We About Learning? Read More »
By paying attention — being mindful — of what you’re doing and how it is working, you can start to build a longer-term strategy or pattern of activity that moves you along to where you want to go. It also prevents you from the let down at having not achieved your goals, but setting yourself up for success rather than failure. These kinds of strategies address the complexity of human lives and provide a useful replacement for New Year’s Resolutions.
A Complex View of New Year’s Resolutions Read More »
New Year’s resolutions are problems because they often set us up for failure. Perhaps the one resolution that you will want to follow this year is to skip the resolution altogether and commit to doing something small often and enjoying yourself and those around you while you do it.
New Year’s Resolutions: If You Must… Read More »
Finding our way in a complex system is tricky. Social network maps can provide a way forward, but only if viewed as tools for complicated problems and not as true wayfinding solutions for complex ones.
Wayfinding in Complex Systems Read More »
Our ability to change can be tied to the degree of embeddedness we have within larger systems and how tight the fit between the layers or levels are. Barack Obama’s electoral success and governance frustrations are used to illustrate.
When Change Potential is Embedded in Bigger Systems Read More »
Seth Godin‘s recent book throws out the challenge to its readers to be indispensable in the jobs that they do. This is a tall order for most, but Godin points to ways of thinking, approaching problems and examples of how even the most mundane, mechanical jobs can be more when we bring the best of
Indispensibility and Organizational Change Read More »
In my last post I wrote about the problems facing scientific discovery and how our system of research funding and support is stifling opportunities for young innovators. I’d like to expand on that by focusing on the larger system that this research is couched in, particularly the way in which education is tied to
Innovation and (Higher) Education Read More »
