“Two and Two”

… … …

Soul Eater is a show which I am really fond of… other than the quirky storyline, the detail and style of the animation is light and enjoyable… in a way it sets a different mood to action / comedy themed animations…

it’s also been a long time since I’ve done a vector sig and I’m not quite sure if I was able to get this one right… haha…

Resources courtesy of:
» Deviant Art
» Planet Renders
» Anime Renders
» Game Renders
» Photoshop CS4

Tim Draimin of SiG@MaRS and George Brown of the Ottawa Community Loan Fund were eloquent advocates for wider access to capital for social enterprise.

Mr. Draimin started with the beautiful Victor Hugo quote: “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”

He explained that currently a limited circulation of capital is available and that to date social enterprise has not really entered the public domain. He expressed the need for that to change. That there needs to be greater awareness around social enterprise and that in so doing more capital will become available. Further Mr. Draimin said that currently capital in social enterprise is in its embryonic stages.

He posited that there are participatory challenges at present and believes that to address this social enterprise needs to find: “the missing middle.” To do so he presented that we need to change the way that society thinks and acts.

Mr. Draimin further believes that this needs to be done through policy measures that enable it. In effect that the “missing middle” will become engaged through policy as catalyst.

He argued that the public benefits derived from social enterprise needs further empowered by private capital. Mr. Draimin believes that the three ways to do this are:

• Pioneering capital funds resultant from new structures for equity
• Figuring out what structures are needed – Hybrid, LLC, shares?
• Tax incentives that ensure involvement from SMEs.

Mr. Brown suggested that it is a concern for him that the capital instruments in place at present are not being adequately used. He argued that the networks of capital already exist but that the conversation hasn’t moved beyond the “embryonic” stage that Mr. Draimin suggested.

This needs to become a mainstream public conversation in order to address the capital requirements of social enterprise. He said by doing this that social enterprise can already work with what is out there from a legislative standpoint.

Banks presently are not really involved in the social enterprise agenda for a multitude of reasons not the least of which is demonstrating value. Yet he went on to say that public pressure translates to political will that can create an enabling environment for greater capital flows.

Mr. Brown also stated that current funding for NFPs is insufficient and that there needs to be additional sources of funding found to create more flow.

In the break out session it was identified that there are multiple types of social enterprises. Specifically, that each had a different purpose that made certain metrics difficult to make attractive to investment. Further that while there are different type of social enterprises there is no ‘one size fits all’ for capital injection.

Time and again the word sustainable came up. This is the central issue for social enterprise that needs to be identified and addressed. Where there is not a viable business it will never be sustainable.

To develop a detailed policy priority the SECC conducted a survey of participants. Of the approximately 155 people who participated in the conference this pillar had only 74 respondents.

For access to capital it was decided that the following were priorities:

• Level the playing field to ensure that social enterprise has access to all the same benefits, incentives and funding that SMEs have access to
• Provide tax credits/incentives to funders to support investment into social enterprise, and
• Eliminate restrictions on charities from taking on social enterprise

Larry Summers once said: “In this age of electronic money, investors are no longer seduced by a financial ‘dance of a thousand veils.’ Only hard and accurate information on reserves, current accounts, and monetary and fiscal conditions will keep capital from fleeing precipitously at the first sign of trouble.”

The next post will demonstrate the results for increasing awareness and value.

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

I don’t know why I keep having dreams with her in them, but I do.  They’re not dreams ABOUT her, but she’s definitely in them.

This was another one of those jumpy dreams–no clear storyline or anything…just random events in no particular order.
In part of it, Miley Cyrus and I were in Walmart, discussing her clothing line.  I was asking if she knew where I could find a particular piece of clothing (I think it was pajamas…), because I couldn’t find it in my size.  She said she didn’t really know.  Then I pointed to a section in Walmart labeled “Pornography,” and showed her that they were selling statues of her (from her waist upwards; but she was fully clothed….not sure why it was labeled pornography….).  She and I started laughing about this, and then the dream changed.

When it changed, it went to one of my two cats, Sig, who was hunting a large tree frog. [[this actually has some connection to real life, as we used to have a large tree frog that would hang out around our house--he was about the size of a large cellphone...and Sig wound up killing it as a "present" to us.  lol]].  Apparently, Sig had a chameleon-like tongue, which he used to catch the frog, and he swallowed it whole.  After a few minutes, you could see the frog trying to hop around in his stomach, and Sig looked sick (which is understandable).  I gave him some water, and after awhile, the frog stopped moving (aww, poor frog…lol).

So, yeah, not quite sure what that was all about….

¿Estás pensando modernizar tu administración de acuerdo a la Ley 11/2007 de Administración Electrónica? ¿Necesitas una estructura tecnológica que te ayude a ahorrar costes? ¿Quieres tener un gestor documental más eficiente? ¿Tu localidad requiere de soluciones innovadoras?

El nuevo fondo Estatal para el Empleo y la Sostenibilidad Local creado el 23 de octubre y publicado mediante Real Decreto 13/2009, de 26 de Octubre, destina 5.000 millones de euros para financiar inversiones de ejecución inmediata por parte de los organismos locales para proyectos de apoyo a la innovación económica y social.

Eptisa quiere ayudarte a definir tus necesidades tecnológicas, y poder realizar una propuesta de su proyecto financiado a través del fondo de Inversión Local.

Si quieres más información contacta con nosotros

En el siguiente documento puedes encontrar información más detallada de nuestras soluciones y proyectos para la Administración Local y que podrían ser subvencionadas.

A un de mes milliers de lecteurs qui aboutit ici en se posant de graves questions existentielles en ce 11 Novembre – le fruit de recherches aléatoires à des interrogations majeures de ce type ne saurait, cela va de soi, souffrir le moindre délai dans la réponse – je ne pourrais que conseiller la chose suivante :

“Que faire quand on a les dents jaunes ?”

Porter une cravate marron.

(De rien, je suis toujours sur la brèche, c’est à ça qu’on reconnait les gagneurs)

Llevo más de un año trabajando con los sistemas de información geográfica (GIS en inglés y SIG en español) y todavía no sé cómo explicarlos de una manera no técnica. Sin embargo, lo que si puedo hacer es dar ejemplos de lo que se puede hacer con ellos y hablar sobre el potencial que van a tener en el corto y mediano plazo.

La forma más fácil de explicar los SIG es con una pregunta…

¿Cómo afecta la “distancia” y la “ubicación” de una cosa nuestra vida del día a día?

La economía nos dice que a menor precio hay una mayor demanda. No obstante…Si el café por el que pagamos 2 dólares lo venden a 1 dólar a 100 kilómetros del lugar dónde vivimos… ¿Viajarían 100 kilómetros para ahorrarse ese dólar?

Nuestro comportamiento muchas veces es explicado no por nuestros valores sino por el ambiente y las personas nos rodean. Si nos rodeamos de gente que hace ejercicio es probable que nosotros también hagamos ejercicio. Si la gente que nos rodea se enferma, es probable que también nosotros terminemos enfermándonos.

• Los clientes de una tienda por lo general son las personas que viven o trabajan cerca de la misma.
• Los precios que pagamos por un servicio por lo general son explicados por los precios de la tienda más cercana a la misma.
• El valor de una propiedad lo determina su ubicación y las cosas que lo rodean.
• Los núcleos de personas por lo general comparten las mismas ideas.

Podría continuar dando ejemplos, pero creo que para este momento ya se han dado cuenta sobre la importancia que tiene la geografía humana en nuestra vida. Lo que probablemente no se han dado cuenta es lo rápido que los sistemas de información geográfica ya son parte de esta vida.

Google Maps lleva menos de 5 años en el mercado y ha ido mejorando poco a poco su producto hasta el grado que es posible ver el tráfico de cada calle en tiempo real basándose en el número de celulares encendidos en dicha calle. (Tengo entendido que esto ocurre por el momento solamente en Estados Unidos).

Si nos ponemos a pensar que la mayoría de los nuevos celulares traen un GPS incorporado y que la mayoría de los usuarios generan información a través de sus teléfonos, no debería sorprendernos ver herramientas que expliquen el comportamiento humano en tiempo real usando simplemente algoritmos.

Por ejemplo:

Nuestro celular “sabe”, a través de la latitud y longitud del GPS que trae incorporado…

• El lugar dónde trabajamos (que sería el lugar dónde está encendido durante el día)
• El lugar dónde dormimos (en caso de que dejemos prendido nuestro celular por las noches)
• Los lugares a dónde salimos los fines de semana
• Los números de teléfono que más marcamos y por ende las características y lugares más frecuentados por nuestros conocidos.

¿Se imaginan todo lo que se puede hacer con esta información? ¿Se imaginan las posibilidades que surgen si incorporamos el hecho de que muchas personas actualizan sus estados de Facebook o usan Twitter desde sus celulares?

No me sorprendería que en poco tiempo las compañías empiecen a usar más y más la inteligencia geográfica para entender más a sus consumidores y mejorar su desempeño.

Today was one of the best days in my life.

Thank you Tim Draimin, Executive Director of SiG for extending an invitation to the Public Policy Forum today regarding: “Accelerating Social Innovation.” I am further grateful to Ilse Treurnicht at MaRS (for her stewardship and guidance through these treacherous waters). Also David J. Mitchell, President and CEO of the Public Policy Forum for assembling such a stellar group of people and organizations.

It was a transformative event. I met numerous people who are all working toward impactful and meaningful change in the way that business, government and the not for profit world operate.

I was approached for advice and counsel by members of the Federal and Provincial Government, business and NFPs and feel that I was given a beautiful gift by Tim Draimin (and Ilse) SiG and MaRS in extending me the invite.

In the coming days I will explore in detail the experience through the lenses of: collaboration, vision, leadership, capacity, risk, convergence, communications, culture and sustainability.

Today it seems, toothpicks in my eyes, the world of social innovation became much clearer. The depth and caliber of people I met reassure me as to the direction I have chosen to take and have further revealed that this is a transformative issue of our time.

“To be educated, a person doesn’t have to know much or be informed, but he or she does have to have been exposed vulnerably to the transformative events of an engaged human life.” Thomas More

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

From November 18^th through 20^th the 3^rd CCSE was co-sponsored by the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, Causeway, SiG and MaRS.

I would like to thank Anne Jamieson, Sarah Lang and Tonya Surman of the SECC and Allyson Hewitt of SiG for the kind invitation to be included in this important national policy dialogue.

On the evening of November 18^th the Centre for Social Innovation hosted a diverse collection of people for a lively gathering. Canadians from far and wide came together along with a wonderful group of participants from The Democratic Republic of Congo to learn more about each other and social enterprise.

The guest speaker was the Right Honourable Paul Martin who spoke eloquently about the need to create an enabling environment for social enterprise in Canada.

Mr. Martin, as a champion for social enterprise in Canada, demonstrated that a currently absent legitimacy is standing in the way of advancements. Without that legitimacy it remains difficult to attract the necessary capital to expand the impact of social enterprise across this country.

Explaining his dismay that the Americans are ahead of Canada in this important area he spoke of  new vehicles for investment such as the L3C (low profit limited liability corporation) that have enabled the ramp up of social enterprise.

In a particularly poignant moment Mr. Martin said: “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good. Let’s get this out there and not let divisiveness between us become a weapon.”

Further explaining that social enterprise and its champions have to stop being: “so damn polite.” A unified voice is required to rise up and assert the role social enterprise is playing in transforming individuals, employment opportunities and GDP.

Finally Mr. Martin illustrated the importance of demonstrating to governments that social enterprise is not looking for handouts. Instead, it is looking for a level playing field, in so doing social enterprise can flourish, continuing its transformative role in society.

The next posts will detail the key elements of discussion about social enterprise at the policy forums of the 3^rd CCSE.

A great champion of Social Enterprise, Liam Black: “Be bold. Take risks. Don’t get caught up in the self-referential loop of entitlement that discourse about social enterprise too often becomes.”

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

UAZEKENJBFDW

The Coventry University Serious Games Institute hold a series of mini-conferences around a gaming theme on the second Wednesday of each month; and on November 11th it was the turn of Alternative Reality Games. The presenters, and audience, were drawn from academia, the games/arts industry and publishing, which made for an interesting range of topics and good questions/discussions.

Dan Hon, Six to Start

Six to Start’s Dan Hon opened the proceedings with an overview of their projects since the initial, and impressive, We Tell Stories (which English teachers apparently really liked: good news!). He described how their Spooks: Code 9 ARG sneaked in education elements by linking in-game events and deeper information into the realtime TV programmes. He also revealed that they will be making an ARG for the new Misfits superhero series.

Mike Bennett was up next, of Oil –  makers of, amongst other things, the Channel 4 Routes genetics ARG (which a colleague of mine working in Genetics had found less than educational). Mike had the interesting theory that of a typical audience, 90% are casual observers, 9% are engaged, and 1% are immersed (90/9/1) – it struck me that this kind of ratio might well be applied to many education contexts too.

I was there to talk about competition – and how my initial research into ARGs, and later experience with four case studies in academia, had revealed a strong link between motivation and competition elements; I also touched on the lack of competition in modern education, and the incongruence of this with the modern student’s social life; and argued for a realignment of assessment with more motivating methods such as those incorporating competitive elements.

After a break, where I had a good chat with the midlands regional team for 4IP about their plans to introduce game-based learning at sixth-form level, there were two fascinating live storytelling/interactive presentations from Toby Barnes (Mudlark) and Tassos Stevens (Coney). Toby was presenting a new project based in Sherwood Forest, and mused on the fact that people engage in different ways (some are happy to watch in silence; others discover; some prefer public engagement, others private) and all need to be covered in a game experience. Tassos described a number of fascinating projects with schoolchildren (my favourite being a ‘live’ emailing cat). His presentation, and the discussion in the room afterwards, centred around the idea of liveness – how high engagement is dependent not on things actually happening ‘live’, but on responsivity – having individual or collective contextual and timely responses. This is something which has been on my mind since then, and is a concept which applies well to assessment and feedback too. More thoughts/musings on this in a later post.

All in all, a varied and thought-provoking day, with some excellent speakers. And well hosted by the Serious Games Institute and BAFTA’s games arm. Food for thought!

Eptisa estuvo en la quinta edición de la Conferencia Española de Usuarios de Sharepoint, allí presentó sus soluciones de búsqueda empresarial Eptisa Search Solution, y BPOS de Geobúsqueda.

Eptisa mostró su solución de búsqueda empresarial Eptisa Enterprise Search Solution, que combina Sharepoint con la tecnología de búsqueda FAST. En la presentación, que contó con numeroso público, se mostraron casos de éxito en Administración Pública, Medios de Comunicación, Servicios Financieros y Energía.

Otra de las soluciones que se presentaron en la quinta edición de CEUS fueron las soluciones de cloud computing con Microsoft on Line.  La familia de soluciones de Eptisa sobre BPOS, representan  una oportunidad real de ahorro de costes para todo tipo de organizaciones. Durante la conferencia se presento un ejemplo de integración de SharePoint on Line con la plataforma ArcGIS de ESRI.

A continuación puedes conocer más en profundidad nuestra solución de búsqueda empresarial EESS y  BPOS de Geobúsqueda

SIG=Sistemes d’informació geogràfica. Normalment això es tradueix en programes informàtics que analitzen dades cartogràfiques i  introdueixen variables diverses per tal de modelitzar el terreny sota diversos canvis (consulteu la wikipedia per a definicions millors i mes informació).

La majoria de programes al mercat son molt cars, per complexes i per monopolis, (Arc view, Arc info, Auto cad maps, ozi explorer,…) però la Generalitat Valenciana ha escrit un programa de SIG en codi obert i lliure, es a dir, gratuït. Es diu gvSIG, i el podeu vore o descarregar a www.gvsig.org.

A pocs dies fan unes jornades internacionals sobre aquest programa, que potser siguin interessants, i sobre tot son gratuites. Si podeu, aneu i ens conteu.El programa de les jornades podeu trobarlo a http://jornadas.gvsig.org/ .,

http://jornadas.gvsig.org/Documentos/Home_400X400_es.jpg

Organitzades pels Serveis d’Informació Territorial de les Illes Balears (SITIBSA), Els dies 26 i 27 de novembre 2009 es celebren a Palma les III Jornades d’Informació Geogràfica de les Illes Balears. Podeu consultar-ne el programa en pdf i el full d’inscripció.

• http://initiative.gaarden.net/

Die SIG hat nun ihre eigene Seite (s.o.)

The decision makers present Tuesday, November 10th  at MaRS indicated active engagement in determining the current and future roles that social innovation would have in solving ‘wicked problems.’

Collectively acknowledging that social innovation is: “urgently needed to address the complex social and ecological challenges facing Canada and the world.”

The level of discourse that MaRS, SiG and the Public Policy Forum jump started resulted in further understanding of social innovation. What follows is a series of questions that result from the day.

Throughout social innovation was identified with a complex set of processes requiring mechanisms for collaboration. It is clear, that integration across broad sectors, with varying interests, cannot be viewed as simple. Yet, Canadians, time and again, have shown that as a Nation we are capable of incredible inspired creativity leading to innovations.

The Public Policy Forum, engaging this discourse states: “re-engaging vulnerable populations – those traditionally excluded from the creative or problem – solving process, has a positive impact on our shared capacity for innovation and will add to the resilience of the whole.”

Questions Resulting from Event

Does social innovation need to have such complexity?

As innovation is the desired output would it not serve Canada better to simplify and make easier mechanisms for the development of processes, systems and collaborations?

How do we best aid integration?

Are best practices opening the door to the development of next practices?

If so, what can be done to accelerate those practices?

What successes can we build upon? MaRS? SiG? SIC?

What areas offer the greatest opportunities in social innovation for rapid deployment?

How can we better identify the big ideas?

What is the best way to deploy resources in response to those big ideas?

What are the stories of social innovation? Social Capital Partners? Social Venture Partners? Right to Play?

How do we tell them better?

Who do we tell them to?

When?

Given the definition used for this forum is commercialization a necessary precursor for initial development?

What does the government need from those in this dialogue to allow for new measures creating greater capital flows into social ventures?

What do investors need to direct more capital to social ventures?

Is it solely a matter of tax incentives and ROI or are there new metrics that can be applied that will satisfy?

Acknowledging the urgency to action how do we enable government, business, not for profit and academia to work collaboratively simpler, faster and better?

“Innovation is fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; from active, collegial networks and fluid, open boundaries. Innovation arises from ongoing circles of exchange, where information is not just accumulated or stored, but created. Knowledge is generated anew from connections that weren’t there before.” Margaret J. Wheatley

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

Det är sjukt att jag inte har gjort det innan, men jag försov mig faktiskt idag! Även om det bara var tjugo minuter så försov jag mig. Anledningen är enkel, jag satte klockan på 8 istället för 7, så den ringde inte och väckte mig. Men min kropp har någon sorts underlig egen uppvakningsmekanism som alltid väcker mig någon gång mellan halv sju och halv åtta. När alarmklockan inte fungerar så vaknar jag av mig själv. Idag är jag tacksam. Men inte på lördagar eller söndagar!

Jag hann i alla fall med bussen och kom till skolan i tid. Hade fysik på morgonen, och nu sitter vi på engelskan. Prov i engelsk litteratur imorgon och det är typ fem tusen författare vi ska kunna. Suck!

Här efter har vi matte (jag ligger ungefär 30 tal efter…) sen är det slut för idag. Jag ska sitta kvar i skolan en timma och jobba lite med UF, sen tar jag bussen vid tjugo över ett och åker hem till lilla Gohult!

Får väl börja jobba lite på lektionen nu då…

The previous six posts suggest accelerating social innovation is an essential notion for Canada. The Public Policy Forum created a useful definition for social innovation:

“Social innovation is the successful application of new ideas in way that produce positive social, environmental, and cultural outcomes. Social innovation can be an initiative, product, process or program that profoundly changes the basic routines, resource and authority flows or beliefs of any system. Successful social innovations have durability and broad impact.”

Recognizing it is important for a deeper societal collaboration and sound societal initiatives. And, we know and respect that we are also part of a global family and we can care as deeply about Africa and Asia as we do our Canada, taking steps now to ensure sustainability.

Social innovations to which we collectively aspire are addressing big issues for our time. These social innovations also require much: innovation thinking, sound initiatives well-implemented and societal changes. These social innovations also require champions and personal participation from the rich diversity of our multi-cultural nation in ways that take these ideas and guide them improving life for all Canadians, and our global family.

It is recognized that the need exists for greater capacity building – in government, the not for profit and profit worlds – and collaboration will always be a central consideration.

Just as there are risks from doing nothing, risks too apply to innovation. By its nature innovation embodies risk, and on occasion, creative failure. Yet, which is the greater risk for Canada, and the global family?

Convergence coincident with ever-greater technological advancements make imperative that we tell our story better – our dialogue and actions demand better communications for a wider audience, including non specialized groups and communities.

Social innovators across Canada are and can stand upon the shoulders of those who go before, building upon the success of smaller applications. In these efforts scalability plays an important role. Enabling mechanisms such as collaborative networks, innovation hubs and processes designed to deepen cross-sector research and development cry out for successful implementation for enabling the breath of humanity in our larger society. And concurrently is a profound need to have solid metrics that identify and evaluate the quantitative and qualitative results relating to initiatives.

This requires a fundamental change of the landscape, a culture engaged in the search for sustainable solutions across broad spectrums.

Practice makes perfect.

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” Leonardo da Vinci

“…Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. It is the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” Peter F. Drucker

We all strive toward this beautiful reality in social innovation:

“Eureka” Archimedes

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

The final session explored leading social change. Again, Chatham House Rules were in effect.

Leading social change requires addressing the strategic roles and outcomes resultant rather than simply the funding model. Governments, foundations, corporations and the community all have a role to play, individually and collaboratively. By identifying best and next practices, along with successful strategies, funding will become more widely available.

Adopting these strategies necessitates identifying synergies that exist currently and could exist in the future. In doing so broad social innovations and change can occur in the development of new thinking, processes and leadership.

Leadership within social innovation will address the changing needs as we march toward deeper economic, political and social integration. Realizing that the challenge is not the development of new ideas rather one of making them work. Leadership directly deals with this challenge by successfully bridging the gap between a ‘good idea’ and execution. Great leadership will harvest the seeds of innovation to address ‘wicked problems.’

Recognizing the truth of Einstein’s assertion: “ We can’t solve problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Traditional methods, like a top down approach, have not served to advance the innovations that will lead to broad and lasting social impact. Therefore true leadership recognizes that widespread input is required and will actively seek collaboration.

Greater citizen engagement is needed to aid in the creation of an appreciative culture for community assistance. Serving further the ability to identify new leadership and new areas for innovation within the communities themselves.

To do this requires that capacity building in local, regional and national hubs of excellence be recognized and nurtured. It stems from the community itself and opens the pathways to transparency, accountability and funding.

There is not a shortage of capital out in the ether. However a shortage of investors exists willing to sacrifice hard returns on investment for impactful social returns. While this is changing, it is slow, and requires a greater effort by all sectors to open the door to capital through whatever means are possible.

It is paramount that the Canadian Federal Government, Provincial and Territorial governments take steps to unleash the charitable sector. These steps include the creation of new financial instruments and regulations that make social enterprises easier to create and operate. Unnecessarily restrictive and antiquated rules should be removed or reformed to aid in these developments.

In conjunction with this it is necessary for a fundamental reframing of the meaning of ‘fiduciary’ duty to encompass the broader economic and social impacts as outlined in the triple bottom line – people, planet and profits.

One speaker made two beautiful references: We all need to become “Billionaires for Good,” and, we need to create “Sustainable Peace Rooms” as opposed to war rooms, as illustrated in political campaigns around the world.

Currently in the throes of building the next economy a great emphasis needs to be put into finding new efficiencies and innovations to reduce our current carbon footprints. Recognizing this shift to the ‘new economy’ a need exists understanding the conversion of the current industrial sector is going to lead to turbulent if not in the moment unwelcome yet necessary change.

Our generation has created more wealth and become more productive than any in history. We have done so at the cost of being, by far, the most destructive.

Social innovation offers an opportunity for us to stem the tide of that destruction and solve many of the ‘wicked problems’ that face us today.

The next post will summarize the previous six.

“As the births of living creatures are at first ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time. “ Francis Bacon

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

Te esperamos en nuestro stand en la V Conferencia Española de Usuarios de Sharepoint.

El próximo 17 de noviembre  se celebrará V CEUS en el Hotel Eurobuilding desde las 10 horas y hasta las 18.

En esta ocasión no solo se hablará de SharePoint, sino que también podrás conocer en profundidad Exchange 2010 y descubrir algunas de las novedades que incorpora Microsoft Office 2010.

Eptisa estará allí presente como patrocinador, y realizará dos ponencias. Una de ellas titulada “Eptisa Enterprise Search Solution: Soluciones de búsqueda empresarial con tecnología FAST para entornos Internet/Intranet” ; y otra titulada “Soluciones BPOS de geobúsqueda. Un ejemplo práctico de integración con la plataforma ESRI”.

INSCRÍBETE AQUÍ

The keynote speaker, as head of one Canada’s top research organizations for the humanities, spoke about: “Tackling the World’s Toughest Challenges: Social Innovation for the 21rst Century.”

The first is to do identify where big thinkers learn to think big? Pursuant to that is what is knowledge creation?

Working toward answers the speaker had three convictions:

1) Perspectives are coming together:

1. The distinctions between innovation and social innovation are giving way to integration through collaboration

2) There have been internal pressures for increased contributions from multiple areas

1. Scholars, researchers, etc, and,

3) There are many reasons for optimism.

The need exists to move from talking points and start engaging in meaningful actions to address the challenges currently existent. Actions looking beyond products and services – deeply into all areas where integration and collaboration is of benefit.

Models from the past revealed their flaws and offer an opportunity to course correct. Specifically the linear push model as illustrated by tech transfer in 1970s Canada.  What is learned from the weakness of that model? How can it be incorporated into new models and policies to prevent its repeat?

The Tech Transfer model had some successes and may still have some today, specifically in the developing world. Yet it is clear that the model did not work well in the developed world. This is especially true with the rise of the informed consumer class. One that became involved in the model and now in many ways is pulling products and services through increased demands. The consumer class as driver has replaced the top down example of tech transfer.

Building upon and beyond past failures is allowing us to work toward the future that we desire. However, to do this we must build sustainable relationships and models, across all sectors that recognize that society, ergo people, matter.

Increasingly technology and society are more integrated and this must be true for our research and development if as a nation we are to remain competitive and productive. Moreover, we have the opportunity, to become a world leader with successful efforts toward greater social innovations.

Realizing it is essential for a fundamental rethinking of the economy, its pillars both in Canada and across the world. This rethinking should acknowledge that social innovation must become a central strategy for all society if we are to move toward the desired future and achieve our stated outcomes. Utilizing this strategy in China and India has lead to many important advances.

Once notional understandings of the triple bottom line are becoming hard and fast reality – people, planet and profit. Organizations failing to understand or take action with regard to finding sustainable courses through this lens will find initial hardships leading to much harsher outcomes including redundancy.

These concepts are a work in progress requiring detailed outward looking from universities, researchers, scholars, government, business and communities themselves. At present this is a resource intensive process of engagement, yet with technological advancement and the discovery of new efficiencies that will dissipate.

There needs to be an increase in the mobilization of knowledge. Opportunities exist for deeper involvement in collaboration leading to richer innovations resulting in improved quality of life.

It is important to identify areas that can be clustered and create hubs (SiG, MaRS), where program architectures, across all sectors of research and development can be updated, simplified and executed. This is already evident in large research organization that are deconstructing old program silos and creating umbrellas instead.

This requires a new, fresh and inspired vocabulary that leads to a hybrid of pure and applied research where appropriate as well as further dismantling of hierarchies that are antiquated or worse redundant.

We all want to improve our seeking new ways to be more inclusive, integrated and collaborative. There is a pressing need for communication with non-specialized groups that becomes even more paramount as the digital age has presented itself as a driver for increased collaboration and communication.

Focusing on best practices will not necessarily lead us to next practices. These will result from the development of that new vocabulary, increased collaboration and innovation.

In that way ‘open source’ offers a key for the future. A clarion call that we not only aspire to but work toward every day. Naturally, in breaking down of barriers and deeper integrations, the urgency to embrace innovation will become clearer.

The enemy of advance in these areas is apathy and ignorance. Breaking down those barriers will create new opportunities to address that enemy head on and march toward advancements in innovation.

It is incumbent upon social innovators across all sectors to catch this moment of hope and history. To do so requires all sectors to come together effectively.

Harkening back to the progress of the Enlightenment and the advancement of knowledge that resulted from that period in history we are witnessing a modern enlightenment that is removing the obstacles and barriers to increased production of knowledge.

Initial collaborating across sectors is leading to rapid knowledge co-creation and is requiring us to find processes and systems to keep pace with technology  laying the foundations of the future more concretely now.

Solid foundations require processes that are built upon accountability and transparency. The worst thing that could happen now is that unaccountable progress could hamper efforts due to some type of scandal involving the transparency of processes.

Part of the foundation has to be an effort to identify new metrics that are widely applicable. Those metrics need to identify both the quantitative measurements that are necessary while balancing them with the qualitative that are not so readily measureable. The foundation requires that concurrent with the development of the language that will be used and widely accepted so too will metrics.

This new paradigm recognizes that certain research hubs (government) were not necessarily involved in the innovation discussion and further that there needs to be a collaborative back and forth across all sectors for true innovations to occur more simply, quickly and effectively.

In a recent speech at the Economic Club, the University of Toronto President said: “For one, I believe it is fully within our capabilities to move from mediocrity to excellence in innovation. Making the necessary changes to build an innovation economy is our shared and urgent responsibility if we are to secure the prosperity of future generations in this great country.” David Naylor

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The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

In advance of this post I just want to remind you that Chatham House Rules were in effect which is why I am not attributing other than to the forum.

To have 24,000 employees under your leadership is no easy task and a lot of responsibility. To have that many employees looking to you and to still ask the question: “How do we make a stronger and more competitive Canada?” makes you unique and highly valuable in a leadership position.

It was widely commented upon throughout the day, the forum at MaRS and SiG in connection with the Public Policy Forum is ideal to have a dialogue about accelerating social innovation than exists

Further it was highly probable that more questions would arise from the dialogue which offered an opportunity to advance understanding related to social innovation.

Social innovation represents an opportunity to effect meaningful and lasting change in areas that most require rapid and impactful solutions.

Contexts useful in starting this dialogue – societal challenges like the Millennium Development Goals, communal and family challenges and searching for solutions to deepen integration of labour markets, to name a few.

Each represents ‘wicked’ problems that require new efforts to solve or at the least mitigate. Covering a wide range of actors demonstrates that historical boundaries have become blurred. In part, due to this blur, there seems to be no ‘aha moment’ rather a series of interconnected efforts that come to a workable solutions. Efforts requiring a cross-domain version of connects the dots.

Such intractable challenges offer important opportunities at the societal, communal and family levels as well as for global integration efforts.

Increasingly a demonstrable elevation in our consciousness as individuals, society, governments, business and academia stretches far beyond buzzwords recognizing that  all have a part to play if we are to lead social change.

This has caused more demands from various sectors and as technology advances and increases penetration this trend will escalate even further.

However existent demands have led to a level of collaboration that has not previously existed. Collaboration offers promise for social innovation and thus to solve those ‘wicked’ problems.

Social innovation reveals that throwing money at problems is not the best approach rather suggesting that we need to reexamine the way that things have been and are going to be done in the future. A properly executed good idea offers far more hope to address the increasing need at the local and national levels to solving intractable problems.

To more effectively collaborate it is necessary to remove the roadblocks of the past. Namely, static vertical silos,  needing now to be integrated with horizontal ones. The vertical silos cause issue with current realities in collaboration yet also allow for ongoing experimentation to figure out what works, what does not and how we can steady and course correct the ship.

As a nation such cross department and domain engagements will result in better integration and open the door to more effective- COLLABORATION.

Peter F. Drucker said: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

The 20^th century was one of management. The 21rst century, resultant from the paradigm shift earlier discussed, must belong to leadership. Drucker also said that economic innovation is a precondition for social ones.

Collaboratively, we must find  ways to transport economic successes to social ones. Yet while the debate rages about the value of economic instruments the same level of discourse has not been applied to social instruments such as innovation.  Especially timely given the Global Financial Crisis.

Canada’s ability , to build upon past successes while creating new paradigms, identify and nurture leaders locally, nationally and globally by embracing social innovation as a tool offers hope to the resolution of intractable problems in a meaningful way.

As  individuals concerned with and engaged in social innovation we need to work toward indentifying commonly acceptable metrics that reveal the social return on investment perhaps as relates to standard of living. Beyond metrics we also need to identify, through analysis, a series of best practices that can be applied in multiple domains.

Canada and its social innovators can lead the way. Organizations like SiG and MaRS (and others) can work toward creating solutions that might be adapted and scaled to any community, whether local, regional, provincial or national. This represents an opportunity for a type of ‘cookie cutter’ that could be used in some cases and broaden further innovation.

The next post will look at several reflections on social innovation  through different lenses.

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton

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The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

The PPF brought together diverse backgrounds and different sectors to start this very important dialogue.

There are many obstacles facing social innovation as a field of inquiry and application. However, the participants remained hopeful, as it appears that many more opportunities exist, especially as relates to inter sector collaboration.

In all sectors opportunities exist for new ideas, new delivery of products, services and information methods as technology proliferates and penetration rates continue increase in Internet and communications technology.

It is important to recognize the role that technology has and will continue to play in social innovation.

Technology is a great equalizer and has engendered a more participatory spirit. It has also encouraged interdisciplinary work across all sectors.

Secondly, it allows for a rapidity of movement across great distances of important and timely information that has the ability to transform lives.

With citizens and all sectors this represents new demands and hefty challenges.

What then is the big idea?

MaRS and SiG, at least in part, are representative of what that big idea might be. Both are hubs for innovation allowing participants across multiple sectors to come together, not just in the physical confines of the building but indeed around the world.

Further is the necessity to find a way to responsibly commercialize ‘it’ in order to maximize the economic, social and cultural impacts in a sustainable way.(Emphasis added yet was a key conversation in the day)

Cross sector knowledge and skills transfer from events such as this and a deeper integration of systems, processes and innovations will be increasingly important as we move toward the future.  Work engaged in at present acknowledges a paradigm shift and is developing frameworks for further integration and collaboration in the future.

Singularity has been replaced by the recognized need for sectors to ‘coalesce,’ which not only plays to some of our core strengths but also possibly represents: “Our moment!” In highlighting our ability for a myriad of reasons to act swiftly in this knowledge based or creative economy and lead the charge for successful social innovations that are nationally and globally deployed.

Evident by the once encouraged, or at the very least  not discouraged, sector x and sector y maintaining insular practices and processes, looking within their own sector for answers to the big questions. A widely adopted strategic shift is occurring that has seen the replacement of decades old thinking by a new lens using as its modus operandi a progressive practice towards seeking insight, knowledge and skills wherever they can be found and appropriately deployed.

This shift has resulted in the question:

How do we accomplish broad objectives with maximum effect, which embrace broad and multiple considerations across economic, social, environmental and cultural outcomes?

Social innovation is now viewed through an integrative lens, which requires that governments, big business, entrepreneurs, researchers, academia and citizens collaboratively work toward meaningful solutions to age-old problems.

By definition those ideas and their application must have a broad scale and thus impact.

As agents for change we are exploring, researching and working on the large intractable problems that represent an opportunity for major inter-domain advancements and further the potential for massive societal gains.

Important here is to recognize this is the start of this meaningful dialogue. That it is now incumbent on each of us to utilize information and insights found in this forum to continue building upon accomplishments to realize the end result: “the successful application of new ideas in ways that produce positive social, environmental, and cultural outcomes.”

Where are the opportunities for social innovations to create meaningful and impactful change? In what context? How do these opportunities reveal a more robust and competitive Canada capable of dealing with age-old intractable problems?

The next post will explore those questions.

“Around the world there is increased awareness of the potential to harness the core competencies, assets and resources of corporations in helping to find new solutions to complex social and environmental problems. At the same time, there has been a dramatic growth in awareness of, and support or the crucial leadership role played by social entrepreneurs – individuals who apply innovative, entrepreneurial, performance-driven, and scalable approaches to solving societal problems, and who often act as bridge-builders between different sectors, communities, Institutions and/or cultures.” Jane Nelson and Beth Jenkins

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The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

At MaRS on Tuesday, November 10^th, a dialogue across multiple sectors began on how to better engage and support each other in the 21rst century to aid in social innovation.

Again I would like to thank Tim Draimin, the Executive Director of SiG for his kind invitation, Ilse Treurnicht for her brilliant leadership at MaRS and finally David Mitchell, President and CEO of the Public Policy Forum for his important role in creating this dialogue.

The first set of six posts (excluding this one) examine salient points in each event session. The seventh will be personal observations related to those sessions while the eighth will look at the question: Where do we go from here?

The event was held according to Chatham House Rules which state by common agreement that: “when a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.” I appreciate this rule and will respect it.

What is social innovation?

“The successful application of new ideas in ways the produce positive social, environmental, and cultural outcomes. Social innovation can be an initiative, product, process or program that profoundly changes the basic routines, resource and authority flows or beliefs of any social system. Successful social innovations have durability and broad impact.”

Through this lens I submit a series of eight posts on : Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and the Public Policy Forum: “Accelerating Social Innovation: Smart Ideas for Canada”

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” Theodore Levitt

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The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”