Sunday Open Thread – May 6, 2007

Good Working Models of Social Networking: The other day I prescribed a methodology for introducing Web 2.0 social networking applications into your organization. But what’s missing are good working models, ‘templates’, forms, stories that we can use to sell the concept and to illustrate to the unfamiliar what is possible with these tools and methods. So, for example, is there a way to ‘pre-structure’ a wiki for a particular purpose (say, to enable virtual collaboration on an intractable organizational problem) so that it will be more likely to succeed in that purpose? Is there an ideal layout or template for a group blog for a particular purpose (say, to integrate and leverage the work of a disparate community of practice) so that it will be more likely to succeed in that purpose?

Making Government Work: I’ve been doing government contracting for a while now, and two things have impressed me about the people I work with:

• The number of my colleagues who really understand that government work is public service, and who work for a fraction the money they could get in the private sector to be of service, to make the world a better place.
• The realization that government is inherently dysfunctional for two reasons: (a) it is usually too big and too centralized, and hence is ineffective and inefficient for the same reasons big centralized private organizations are, and (b) the risk-aversion that prevails because the party in power hobbles civil servants from doing anything bold (in case it somehow backfires and embarrasses the government and led to its downfall in the next election).

This is leading to an interesting reformation of some government organizations from huge bureaucracies to a curious blend of (a) small stewardship Directorates that really do nothing except set policy and regulate adherence to it, and (b) small, autonomous Agencies that actually do things that the public sector can do more effectively than the private sector.

Blog-Hosted Conversations: I’ve been talking about having, recording and posting .mp3 files of conversations with fellow bloggers, colleagues and gurus, on a variety of subjects I care about, for a long time. I think it’s time. Now I need to learn more about how recording, editing, and .mp3 creation software has evolved over the past two years, and where to store the conversations to link to from here. Advice welcome on this. Rather than the ambitious list of subjects I had proposed to have conversations about, I’m think of making my first few, at least, really focused on the subjects that intersect on this blog:

• Let-Self-Change: Acquiring the skills, capacities and resilience we need as individuals to be able to contribute effectively to making the world a better place
• Finding People: Instead of trying to do important things alone, finding the people whose passions and gifts complement our own, and who share our sense of purpose.
• What Do We Do?: Deciding what’s possible, how we can contribute, how and when to act instead of just writing and thinking, to show instead of telling, to be a model for others.
• Creating Natural Enterprise versus Walking Away: The role of work in a world where work seems to be part of the problem.

These conversations will be for those of you who have come to accept that our civilization is in its last century and that there are very hard times ahead, and therefore important decisions and steps we need to starttaking now. They will be about planning the way forward.

Let me know your ideas on this, and anything else you’d like to read/hear about. Or just tell us what’s on your mind.