New Adventure
I see my life as a series of contributions to major challenges I’d like to tackle, so every few years I have to recalibrate to make sure that: 1) I’m working on issues I really care about; and 2) I’m making the kind of contribution that will satisfy my curiosity . . . and my soul.
This summer, I decided I needed a change.
So, after a meaningful and satisfying ride with some extraordinary colleagues, I will be leaving Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (by the end of the month), and starting a new chapter with blend of working, learning, and (predictably) activism.
I plan to work part-time with Social Policy Research Associates (a research and policy firm in Oakland, CA) and pursue what I’m calling my “DIY Second Masters.” Let me explain…
On DIY (Do-it-yourself) U
I wasn’t able to find a formal education program that combined my interests in a manageable way, so for the next few months, I’ll be aggregating learning and professional development opportunities around the following challenges:
- Telling better stories in an age of complexity. A decade of drafting formal reports has made two things clear to me: 1) policy makers could (and should) be better storytellers; and 2) too many policy people do a less-than-adequate job of weaving data into narrative, even when narrative is strong. This kind of skill is becoming increasingly important in helping people and communities make sense of their environments and navigate their choices for making positive change. You might say I’m an aspiring Hans Rosling – if I’m ever half that good, I will consider it a major victory. Oh, and yes, this also means self-directed study in the science of networks and complexity – Peter Csmerley is staring at me from the floor right now (the book, not its author).
- Building network literacy aimed at cultivating innovation networks – I’ve been doing community- and regional-level Social Network Analysis/Network Weaving for some time now. I feel like I know something about the process, but lack real depth of understanding in the interdisciplinary science of networks. Most of what I know, I have learned from the tech/wiki/open source/gov2.0/barcamp communities of which I am a part (and Clay Shirky – I’d be a groupie if I lived out east…). I need some exploratory time here, so June Holley and I are trying to figure out a virtual study group as she drafts her next Network Weavers Handbook. We’re both trying to figure out how to better use our “cognitive surpluses” and with whom we need to connect to do this.
- Understanding new models of community leadership – If I’ve seen one report, I’ve seen a thousand about the increasing importance of collaboration in reimagining and inventing a more sustainable way of living. But the word collaboration does not mean what it did a decade ago, so different fields of practice and the experts within them are using the same lexicon but bringing completely different context to it. I’ve been supporting and working with regional collaboratives in communities undergoing drastic economic change (growth or dislocation) for several years, and have learned something about this. But again, I’d like more depth. And I’m a huge fan of cross-disciplinary, mash-up, experimental kinds of leadership (leaders who think their role is cultivating other leaders), but these leaders are rarely the designated ones (at least early on).
- Inventing ways to support the “gig” economy – and new models of (social) entrepreneurship – I serve on two incubator Boards that are wrestling with these issues. We continue to confront unnecessary barriers at a time when very high (and sustained) unemployment rates demand that we find solutions that are more like “business in a box” than long, drawn-out training, business planning, or “readyness” discussions. I’m not sure what the surge in books and information about the “share economy” says about where we are as a nation, but we need a serious rethinking of the way we manage our shared resources (our litigiousness so often stands in opposition to our sharing impulse – and right now, we really need the latter).
- Better understanding the energy economy as an economic asset (beyond standard sector/cluster analysis…). Green energy, energy efficiency, distributed vs. utility-scale technologies – I’ve touched initiatives in each of these areas, but would benefit from a better understanding of how the energy economy impacts jobs across sectors and entrepreneurship.
Toward these ends, I’ve lined up the following opportunities:
- Joi Ito’s P2PU Digital Journalism Class (via video – I’m catching up now as I learned about the class too late to enroll formally and was still traveling too frequently to participate live). More here.
- Seeding2.0 Conference, organized by CP Squared – a community of practice on communities of practice (week of August 23, 2010 near Seattle, WA). I’ve been following CP Squared for some time, and finally joined the group (I used materials from this group to support CSW’s learning network practice as well as share learning within the Community Initiatives team for which I served as the founder and Director). I’m not sure what to expect, but CP Squared comprises top-notch thinkers and doers in the space of learning, innovation, and dissemination via networks.
- Social Innovation Exchange Summer School, Singapore Management University (Singapore, September 15-17). Organized by the Young Foundation, the event draws social innovators from all parts of the globe for a three-day learning, networking, and idea-accelerating experience around the theme of innovation in cities. While I have not attended before, I have the utmost confidence in the Young Foundation, having used and shared their materials over and over again. [Full disclosure: I once had the privilege of working for Executive Director Geoff Mulgan (seen here at the Center for American Progress) who has a remarkable talent for blazing trails in exactly the directions I'd like to go].
- CyborgCamp (Portland, OR; October 2, 2010). My first attempt at DIY U was about 18 months ago. After bonding with then recent-graduate Amber Case over a shared admiration for Simon Singh at a WikiWednesday event, I hired her as a tutor/mentor to help me think through the impact of social media on the work I was doing. While she did help me with some technical issues, the more important role she played was helping me integrate and makes sense of information and models from a variety of fields. She has since popularized (if not founded) the field of Cyborg Anthropology. CyborgCamp, was an outgrowth of her interests, energy, and the amazingly engaged and supportive cast of characters that is the Portland tech community. I could only attend part of the inaugural event. This time, it was on my calendar and my tickets were purchased well in advance.
- Stanford Social Innovation Review’s 5th Annual Non-Profit Management Institute (Stanford Campus, Palo Alto, CA; October 5-6, 2010). I attended last year’s Institute – it was a terrific way to engage (together with other people) around some of the most interesting management ideas emerging from across many disciplines and the thought leaders, researchers, professors, and professionals experimenting and advancing them. This year’s focus is leadership – so I’m in.
I have been trying to explain this DIY U concept to friends, family, and acquaintances, more than a few of whom have raised their eyebrows. Imagine my surprise and delight at Anya Kamenetz’s “Is TED the New Harvard” piece in Fast Company. I think I am now obliged to buy her book if nothing else, out of gratitude. So if you feel tension in your forehead, please head on over there and read Anya’s work.
On Working with SPR
It would have been enough to reengage (I worked with the firm in the late 90s when I lived in the Bay Area) in the great (and increasingly experimental) work SPR does. But my first project is one focused on leadership. How fantastic. And I’ll be working with the indefatigable Vinz Koller and Dr. Alison Gash, who has studied the role of collaborative governance and leadership in her academic career.
Now What?
Because I like to practice what I preach, I do plan to share what I’m learning here – and possibly on other blog or social media sites connected here – both to document my own experience and to make it available to others who might be interested in any of these things.
I guess that’s DIO (ourselves) U.
If you found this, you know how to reach me. And Twitter (@kristinwolff) is the easiest way to see what I’m up to on a regular basis.
