Monthly Archives: November 2013

The co-creation and co-ownership of Organisational Change

Rowing is largely about inertia: no matter how hard an individual stroke, the boat rapidly slows. One great pull may shift you a few metres, but it still leaves you in the middle of the lake. Rowing is partly about … Continue reading

Posted in Agile, Change | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

The OAR Model for Community Management

I’ve been working this week on a workshop for social community managers and came up with this model, which i thought i’d share today. The OAR model covers three activities: Observe, Attend and Refer. For much of the time, the … Continue reading

Posted in Choices, Community, Curation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mentoring: a matter of Hope and Trust

I thought I’d got off at the wrong floor at first: the buzz of conversation was loud, even from the lift lobby. I was priding myself at having arrived early for the Mentoring event, thinking I’d have time to catch … Continue reading

Posted in Achievement, Coaching, Culture, Equality, Everyday Reality, Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The 3 stages of community management

FORMING is about drawing people in, exploring reasons for disengagement and ensuring that nobody is disenfranchised. GUIDING is about framing the conversation, keeping it on track or being brave enough to listen to where it’s going. NARRATING is about taking … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Community | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The risk of ritual

We fill our lives with rituals: every morning i make my cup of tea in the same way, when i write, i set my working space up just so (whatever cafe, train or hotel i’m sat in), when i get … Continue reading

Posted in Adaptability, Agile, Creative | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Effecting change in the Social Age: don’t push harder, share smarter

The Social Age is characterised by states of constant change. Organisational response to change is often to try to drive messages out, to react, to take a stance and push people into place to deliver it. This is all very … Continue reading

Posted in Adaptability, Authority, Change, Collaboration, Community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Sharing in Social Leadership: a first draft

The NET model of social leadership defines a style of leadership which is suitable for the Social Age. It’s a style that reflects the changing nature of authority and leadership as formal hierarchies of power crumble and as people expect … Continue reading

Posted in Agile, Authority, Change, Collaboration, Curation, Leadership, Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Taking a stance: why learning is always contextual

Wherever we stand, we take a stance: as an instructional designer or an individual learner. Our stance is the ground we stand upon and the direction that we face. It’s influenced by our experiences and the outcomes we desire. But … Continue reading

Posted in Learning, Learning Culture, Learning Design | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Community spaces: gathering to learn

It’s a dark and rainy afternoon here in England: walking home from work, the streetlights glowing orange as i splashed through the puddles, i bumped into Richard. We took shelter in the nearest dry space: the pub at the end … Continue reading

Posted in Collaboration, Everyday Reality, Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Miley Cyrus vs Sinead O’Connor: feminism, mental health and the ecosystem of the Social Age

You may have seen this saga playing out: Miley Cyrus is a former Disney sweetheart, reinvented as raunchy teen seductress, selling records and generating profits for fat middle aged white men whilst being chastised by wiser, older, pillars of the … Continue reading

Posted in Age, Conformity, Meaning, News, Social Learning, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments