Not the space above our heads, filled with stars. But the spaces we move between: some formal, some social, some loved and developed, others derelict and abandoned. Communities inhabit spaces: nesting, crafting, adapting, calling them ‘home’. But a space is not the same as a community: community is bonds of trust, loyalty, pride and respect. And spaces are, well, space. Spaces have potential, but they are not the thing itself. It’s the community that brings the space to life.
Throughout, around, suffused right through, our organisations, it’s communities that we call home: hidden tribes who hold us in their arms. If we want to make our Organisations more connected, more agile, more dynamic, it’s not spaces we need to focus on, but the communities.
Words About Learning is an occasional series of blog posts, written from airport lounges, transient spaces, edgelands, when time has failed and energy is low. They are a deliberate permission to use this, my first reflective space, for idle reflection.
julianstodd