Story, Innovation and Meaningful Change

Ceiling_glass

Ceiling Glass

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr

Bruce Waltuck, thought leader in Leadership and Change, talks about how he became interested in supporting groups of people making better decisions together. Bruce shares concepts and lessons for leaders in education, economic and workforce development.

Bruce Waltuck discusses the value of story infrastructure to meaningful change and the role of conversation, engagement and response in social and economic transformation.

Continue to learn more about complexity, change, leadership and dialogue by following Bruce's blog, Complexified.

Learn from the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:


    •    Facebook I-Open http://tiny.cc/odlg2
    •    Flickr  http://www.flickr.com/people/iopen/
    •    Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/iopen
    •    Livestream http://www.livestream.com/iopen/
    •    Posterous http://i-open.posterous.com/
    •    Scribd http://www.scribd.com/I-Open
    •    Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/IOpen2
    •    Twitter http://twitter.com/iopen2
    •    Vimeo http://tiny.cc/106p0
    •    You Tube http://tiny.cc/j5rse

 Images by Alice Merkel on Flickr

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

Leadership, Abundance and Complexity in Human Systems

Bundle_bud

Bundle Bud

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr

"In 1993 or 1994, a friend handed me Margaret Wheatley's book, Leadership and the New Science. Although I loved learning about quantum physics, I was at that time very into W. Edwards Deming and Total Quality Management (TQM). I handed back the book and said it seemed to have nothing to do with my work (oops!). In 1998 I was on a trip with my son to San Francisco. At the wonderful Exploratorium science museum, they had a featured exhibit on "turbulent landscapes." that included many hands-on displays about complex and chaotic forces in nature. Playing with a large pendulum with a magnet on its tip, and other magnets on the table below it (that could be set to attract or repel the pendulum) I had a literally life-changing moment. In the wild oscillations of the pendulum, I knew the laws of physics were still working. But I saw not just pendulums and magnets, but a physical model of how people interact with ideas and with each other. I was hooked. Applying ideas from complexity science to the work of dialogue, change, and leadership, has been my core focus for more than ten years. I am an avid associate of the Plexus Institute, which is where I met Valdis Krebs, CEO Orgnet.com and June Holley,  thought leader in Network Weaving."

 

Continue to learn more about complexity, change, leadership and dialogue by following Bruce's blog, Complexified.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:


    •    Facebook I-Open http://tiny.cc/odlg2
    •    Flickr http://tiny.cc/73y6e
    •    Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/iopen
    •    Livestream http://www.livestream.com/iopen/
    •    Posterous http://i-open.posterous.com/
    •    Scribd http://www.scribd.com/I-Open
    •    Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/IOpen2
    •    Twitter http://twitter.com/iopen2
    •    Vimeo http://tiny.cc/106p0
    •    You Tube http://tiny.cc/j5rse

Images by Alice Merkel on Flickr  

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

Making Change One Conversation At A Time

Star_composite

Star Composite

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr

Bruce Waltuck, thought leader in Leadership and Change, talks about how he became interested in supporting groups of people making better decisions together.

"I'm a child of the 1960s. I worked on peer councils after race riots in my high school following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. In college, I helped establish the first student-faculty governance committee at Syracuse University in 1970. Later, my first boss at the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) encouraged us to work "smarter not harder" (not a cliche back in 1980). I became a fan and advocate of Total Quality Management (TQM)  and of Dr. W. Edwards Deming by the late 1980s, and got the chance of a lifetime, to co-create and lead the USDOL's Employee Involvement and Quality Improvement system in 1989. This was a labor-management partnership whose collaborative governance structure later became the basis for articles and stuff I wrote for journals and books. In 1990-1991 I was a negotiator of the DOL's original interest-based collective bargaining agreement - the first of its kind in the U.S. Federal sector. And in 1995-2000, I created and led a new public-private partnership to help employees in the health care industry."

Bruce Waltuck earned an M.A. in Complexity, Chaos, and Creativity (yes, really); is an Associate at the Plexus Institute and a Member of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators.

   

Continue to learn more about complexity, change, leadership and dialogue by following Bruce's blog, Complexified.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:
    •    Facebook I-Open http://tiny.cc/odlg2
    •    Flickr http://tiny.cc/73y6e
    •    Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/iopen
    •    Livestream http://www.livestream.com/iopen/
    •    Posterous http://i-open.posterous.com/
    •    Scribd http://www.scribd.com/I-Open
    •    Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/IOpen2
    •    Twitter http://twitter.com/iopen2
    •    Vimeo http://tiny.cc/106p0
    •    You Tube http://tiny.cc/j5rse

Images by Alice Merkel on Flickr

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

A Guide for Entrepreneurs Engaging in Social Business

“Economic Development is in everything today.”

– Tom McCarthy, teacher, lawyer, Economic Development professional, and technology entrepreneur. New York, USA.

Social business requires an integration of all we know to advance our conversations and meaningfully connect to both traditional and non-traditional employment opportunities.

The creation of a social media knowledge portrait combines traditional work experiences, skills training, formal education, human passion and interest.

Contextual Transmedia Communication is a method of organizing human knowledge and intelligence in Open Source Economic Development to,

  • Build social business value by empowering others;
  • Connect investments to education, economic and workforce development;  
  • Construct strategic pathways for sharing and collaboration;  
  • Generate a unique knowledge base; and,
  • Inventory knowledge, expertise, skills and interest.
CTC is an appreciative process of integrating the creative passion and technical skills of an entrepreneur to curate knowledge for publishing.

This document also includes a Meaning Matrix, the first step to customize what you know, put valuable experiences to work, and leverage education and skills training to power integral knowledge for innovation.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities: 

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

I-Open Lexicon

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Hot Sauce Variety

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr

The I-Open Lexicon offers a starting point for new conversations in Open Source Economic Development.

Terms articulate concepts, expressions and words commonly used in building networks and collaborative communities. Other terms communicate evolving methodologies.

Add your suggestions and comments to generate version 3.0 below.

I-Open Lexicon

I-Open Process - Programs

Midtown_brews

Midtown Brews 2008

Image: Dennis Coughlin

I-Open programs are foundational components that build networks, collaborative community and transformative initiatives in Open Source Economic Development.

Programs are important gatherings that drive social experiences for knowledge creation.

This civic intelligence informs communications, contextual aspects of community culture.

I-Open process develops systems of locally based entrepreneurs and regional assets for higher levels of global connectivity.

Created by Betsey Merkel, I-Open 2011. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States - The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)


"Let's Talk!" - Broadcast Conversations In Economic Development

Watch live streaming video from womansenterprisenetwork at livestream.com

You are watching "Let's Talk!" – broadcast conversations hosted in partnership with I-Open, Judson Living and the Women’s Enterprise Network from 2008-2009.

"Let's Talk!" is an example of how to build open, guided conversations focused on topics related to economic development from a woman’s perspective.

The conversations were begun by of a group of women who wanted to strengthen and support dialogue focused on aspects of economic development from a woman’s perspective – areas of economic development not routinely considered.

Conversation themes generated by members - whose average age is ninety years old - include such topics as, “How Women Contribute to Building Quality, Connected Smart Cities,” and "Women, Careers and Lifestyle".

Other conversation topics debated political elections and opinion, explored the subject of women and wealth creation, or the role of love, compassion and self-esteem in collaborative leadership, and how women who may have been life-long caregivers, prepare for living out their inevitable late stages of longevity in new capacities.

Womens Enterprise Network Broadcast Conversation Archive

More: The Women's Enterprise Network is a small group of women in Cleveland, Ohio dedicated to the empowerment of one another. The network model (2008 through 2009) assumes many responsibilities including the broadcast conversation, “Let’s Talk!”, network building, initiative start-up support, openness and inclusion, for the purpose of creating wealth and prosperity for women and girls everywhere.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities: 

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/ 

 

 

Tech Tribes For A Pioneering Culture

Ins_and_outs
Ins and Outs

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr 

Matthew Theobald (1970-2010) Founder, Internet Search Environment Number (ISEN) and CEO, Internous, talks about how he got started as a student with the idea of creating the "Database of all Databases" or ISEN - Internet Search Environment Number - and building his company, Internous.

The Internous project represents enormous opportunities for every individual and organization to not only search the deep Web, but to create personalized databases to strengthen individual connectivity and enterprise opportunity.

You can watch the educational video Internous ISEN Animated Video (2009) here, a system for intelligence gathering and organization of data in the Deep Web. "The database of all databases, what it is and how it works. The Internet Search Environment Number is a unique ID with robust metadata for describing and authenticating the location of millions of databases across the Internet," said Matt Theobald of the introductory film.

Read more about the history of Matt's education and lifework to advance the development and application of standards for content management for the semantic Web on his Google Profile page here. 

But best of all, learn from Matt himself in the video below as he talks about his journey designing standards for efficiencies in data management. He shares experiences about the people who shaped his life - his "tribe"- and who ultimately guided the path of his creative development.

Tech Tribes for a Pioneering Culture from I-Open on Vimeo. 

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

 

Network Weaving: Connecting People, Ideas and Projects

Networks: Weaving People, Ideas and Projects from I-Open on Vimeo.

June Holley, Network Weaver, talks about simple steps community, industry and organization leaders can do to get started weaving networks.

Open economic networks are the social relationships between people to share information about resources and talent for the purpose of initiative building. Networks are generated by people connecting on their similarities and benefiting by their differences.

June is a global thought leader on the practice of network weaving, community building and the mapping of social networks.

View or download the story transcription at I-Open on Scribd below.

June Holley 02-21-09 Interview
 

You can learn more about June Holley at the Network Weaving blog.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

The Innovation Framework in Open Source Economic Development

Shaded_grass

Shaded Grass

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr  

The Innovation Framework is a guide for entrepreneurs, scientists and business leaders to successfully navigate a shift in mindset from scarcity to abundance in Open Source Economic Development.

Collaborative leadership is a discipline driven by the laws of natural systems, and is designed to catalyze individual creativity, communication and collaboration, ultimately leading to flourishing cultures of innovation.

I-Open conversations share insights and innovations in health care, energy, land, food, water, and technology. Leaders in the Civic Space generate a collective intelligence to solve the social, economic and environmental challenges of the world with transformative enterprises.

View or download the full screen view of the Innovation Framework on Flickr.

The Innovation Framework in OSED