Catalyst Network and Project Matching

[Michael Maranda]

Friends, 

Last year, I reached out to Tim and the Coalition of the Willing because of what I saw in the platform-triad described in the film.  The Catalyst Network was especially close to my heart - an aspiration for many years, and a deep reflection of my own life's work.  

The other two facets of the platform triad are important too, but the real power (for me) is in connecting people together and to ongoing efforts (and by implication connecting together ongoing efforts), in new ways that allow us to realize higher potential.  This insight is not unique to the film, nor to the group assembled here.  Project (Mapping and) Matching, and ongoing support of those projects, people, groups, organizations to establish new arrangements and alignments obviously falls under the Catalyst Network rubric, or at least it feels obvious to me.  I've been working on these questions for years, and will continue to do so.  I know others are addressing these same issues, or significant parts thereof, and working on these problems and opportunities in an open manner will allow more of us to find each other, as we have found each other.

Over the last two weeks I have become more determined to work in an agile and joyful and respectful environment, and to avoid spaces and structures and behaviors that do not support that.  These are the keys to our long term effectiveness and the source of sustainability and organic growth.

I intend to continue the ProM work in an iterative, open manner that challenges us to be as creative as we can in generating work-play activities that serve as attractors to the cause and allow for others to get involved with modest orientation.  I invite anyone willing to work in this spirit to step forward and we can plan further how next to proceed.  

Together we will find the right pace and "right placement" ... and thereby establish ourselves as natural attractors to the work.

Regards,

MM

[Suresh Fernando]

Michael - thanks for advancing a positive proposal ;-)

This is what we need more of... I need someone to take the target off my forehead ;-)

See below.

On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 6:20 PM, Michael Maranda <trop...@gmail.com> wrote:

Friends, 

Last year, I reached out to Tim and the Coalition of the Willing because of what I saw in the platform-triad described in the film.  The Catalyst Network was especially close to my heart - an aspiration for many years, and a deep reflection of my own life's work.  

The other two facets of the platform triad are important too, but the real power (for me) is in connecting people together and to ongoing efforts (and by implication connecting together ongoing efforts), in new ways that allow us to realize higher potential.  This insight is not unique to the film, nor to the group assembled here.  Project (Mapping and) Matching, and ongoing support of those projects, people, groups, organizations to establish new arrangements and alignments obviously falls under the Catalyst Network rubric, or at least it feels obvious to me.  I've been working on these questions for years, and will continue to do so.  I know others are addressing these same issues, or significant parts thereof, and working on these problems and opportunities in an open manner will allow more of us to find each other, as we have found each other.

I totally agree with this... If Tim agrees there is no reason not to make this relationship more formal.

Over the last two weeks I have become more determined to work in an agile and joyful and respectful environment, and to avoid spaces and structures and behaviors that do not support that.  These are the keys to our long term effectiveness and the source of sustainability and organic growth.

I intend to continue the ProM work in an iterative, open manner that challenges us to be as creative as we can in generating work-play activities that serve as attractors to the cause and allow for others to get involved with modest orientation.  I invite anyone willing to work in this spirit to step forward and we can plan further how next to proceed.  

Fantastic! What more can any of ask for at this juncture?

Together we will find the right pace and "right placement" ... and thereby establish ourselves as natural attractors to the work.

Regards,

MM

--
-------Climate Change Project Matching System------
We're using the Coalition of the Willing Wiki: http://cotw.cc/wiki/Project_Matching
And BetterMeans: https://secure.bettermeans.com/projects/184
We're working as three tracks. Please prefix threads as follows: <Tech> <Data> <Outreach>.... and do join at least one of the tracks!
-------CC-ProMS------
You are subscribed to the CC-PMS Google Groups group.
To unsubscribe, send email to cc-pms+un...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit http://groups.google.com/group/cc-pms?hl=en?hl=en

--
Suresh Fernando
BLOG, YOUTUBE, OK WEBSITE, OK FAN PAGE, OK GROUP, OK-WE, PHILOSOPHY,  TWITTER,  FACEBOOK, WOTW FAN PAGE LINKEDIN, SLIDESHARE

-------ProM: Climate Change Project Matching System------
Project Description: http://cotw.cc/wiki/Project_Matching
To Join: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!forum/cc-pms
Workstreams: http://cotw.cc/wiki/CC-PMS_etherpad_index

[Pamela McLean]

Hi MM and all

This email feels a bit "end of term-ish" - tidying up loose ends ready for a break -  appropriate perhaps as we come up towards Easter.

Michael

You know I've followed you for years and you rate highly on my  index of "I like what this person says and how they think and operate" -

• Michael Maranda        http://www.dadamac.net/network/michael-maranda

Therefore when you told me about COTW I was interested and I started off ready to rate it highly. When I saw the film I liked it and was happy to hang around and see how I might be part of what was going to go on around it.

• Coalition of the Willing        http://www.dadamac.net/network/coalition-willing
  

When there was going to be work putting people in touch with each other I thougth I could contribute, but it started to feel too techie for me, so I've tended to withdraw.

I'm glad that thanks to COTW you and I actually got to have a one-to-one voice and video chat, and I've seen so much of what you do and how you work, that I feel I know you much better now. You are much more of a "hands-on-techie" than I had previously realised as well as a socio-tech and outreach person - so new levels of respect there from me to you ;-)

I'm also very interested in your pattern language interests, and the ideas you shared regarding the "looking back from the future" scenario. I hope to work closely with you on anything you set up where you think I might have a contribution to make - climate related or otherwise.

Everyone

I'm impressed by all the people I've met through COTW. My network and knowledge base is much richer as a result. I've put a lot of time and effort in (not very productively I feel) but I could have left at any point and I chose to stay,  so obviously I must have judged it worthwhile regarding my own agenda.

I put a lot of emotional energy in too - I was frustrated and couldn't find my way - but it was part of the learning process - and I remember gratefully the virtual "neighbourly chats over coffee, tea, etc" that provided me with much needed "cross cultural mediation and mentoring"

It has been a rich learning experience.  I have never been in a group with this kind of people-mix before or with such an American cultural dominance or such a strong techie-focus. I have come across new tools. and had the opportunity to learn about assumptions that have challenged my own in new ways. I've benefitted from the learning, although I've been frustrated by my limited ability to contribute.
 
I haven't seen the results I anticipated but that's no surprise. I usually find that online collaboration results are not what I first anticipated, but looking back over various collaborations I can still see some great outcomes. Life simply isn't very controllable in the kind of situations that I know.

I'm concerned that work which is related to climate change in the dadamac community, has been delayed rather than accelerated by my involvement in COTW. I think I should have acknowledged that reality sooner and returned to put more of my own energy into supporting that need in Dadamac, rather than hoping to find a place for it here in COTW in the short or medium term.

I know that whatever happens to named initiatives under the COTW/ProM banner I will continue to value the contacts and relationships I've made here, and some will turn into active collaborations (fleeting or longer) at some point, and some won't, and either way that's fine. It's just how the journey goes. 

I would like to be removed from any existing work-streams, because of my confusion about them. I don't see that as removing myself from the COTW community - I'm taking a breather and sitting out the current dance, rather than leaving the dance hall.

Please keep me in the social spaces - so I can keep in touch with everyone, and can be involved in catch-ups, and still be on people's radar if they set up any new groups that overlap my interests.

Probably if I'm not active in any stream you might perfer me to remove the COTW logo from www.dadamac.net - I think of MM, Tim and Chris as the initiators of COTW - and I think they were the ones who agreed it would be a good idea to put the logo there. Please get back to me on that. I dont' know how to do it myseIf but can ask Andy next week.

If you have another Movement Camp please let me know so I can join in.

Mark, Suresh and Tibi, I'm still looking forward to our one-to-ones. 

See you in the Tavern folks.

Pamela

[paul horan]

Michael,

What you've written here makes sense AND feels good!!! 

Thanks for welcoming me/us to step forward in these ways = I feel naturally attracted to invest my consent, attention, energy, passion, patience, care, etc. in "to work in an agile and joyful and respectful environment, and to avoid spaces and structures and behaviors that do not support that."

YESSS, let's please explore "work-play activities that serve as attractors" & "plan further how next to proceed" ...

Appreciatively,

paul

[Gerry]

Well, ok then.

Let's build some things and have some fun as we do. Michael knows
that I am very much in alignment with all of this.

Pam, did you know that Michael isn't really what technologists call a
technologist? I am always impressed by the way he can interact with
many very technical ideas on a design level, that he just doesn't have
the background or really interest to work on at a detailed
implementation level. The really great energy that I see in this
group isn't at all about the technology as we have noted many times.
It is about social processes, social structures, even architectures.

I don't feel particularly expert in this space even as I sometimes
describe myself as a process architect, but I am finally getting to
the point that I know it when I see it. It is easy to find people who
can implement the technology at a detailed level, there are many
bright young minds ready and willing to be filled with such knowledge,
but it is not easy to find a group with the wisdom and experience to
find new ways to work together. When I find people I can work with
this way, I really want to keep working with them.

I think we may have to take some time here to let a new center to the
conversation emerge. Technologically, we need to get better at using
the tools we have before trying to describe any specific components
that might be built. With 'agile' design and processes, we need to be
able to reduce the big picture ideas to agile projects that can be
implemented and evaluated. I am much more interested in learning
about how to work together in "distributed wisdom driven groups" than
I am in any particular system or tool that we implement. We will be
building the capacity to design, build and operate such systems and
tools more than the tools themselves. The coders have already been
playing in this space for years in the practice of open source and
general software development, we are just adapting and expanding into
other areas.

I would like to hear a lot more of the voices that I have heard on the
calls speaking for new ways of working together. Whoever posted this
link: http://www.open-organizations.org/ thanks for that, I really
resonate with the approach there.

I would name names here and call out some of you who have contributed
a lot to me by the quality of their listening and how they reflect
that back to the center, but I know I wouldn't be able to do you
justice.

One piece of wisdom that I have been absorbing and reflecting out is
an idea that we do not come together to share our strengths and
capacities. What is more important is what we struggle to overcome,
which is ironic since in the struggle we can often be useless to
ourselves and the group. But it is the healing that we enable in
ourselves first that empowers others and the whole group to struggle
and overcome as well.

But, I go on too long, many of you know this better than me.

[paul horan]

P. S. = ooops, forgot to mention this yesterday =

Michael, just as "in the platform-triad described in the film. The Catalyst Network was especially close to" your heart, the Green Knowledge Trust is especially close to mine. This "aspiration for many years, and a deep reflection" of my own learning passion remains so despite the fact that my contribution to enriching such a dimension of our public trust has been lagging way behind for most of these past several months as we've all been learning to collaborate better & I've been struggling to keep up with learning to use new tools.

Let's continue nurturing robust relationships among all of us naturally attracted to participate via Catalyst Network, Green Knowledge Trust AND Open Innovation Space because we're quite likely to help cultivate some seriously FUN activities for effectively evolving through our current climate crises AND preventing these crises from getting much worse.

[Gerry Gleason]

On Sun, 2011-04-17 at 07:50 -0700, paul horan wrote:
...

>
> Let's continue nurturing robust relationships among all of us
> naturally attracted to participate via Catalyst Network, Green
> Knowledge Trust AND Open Innovation Space because we're quite likely
> to help cultivate some seriously FUN activities for effectively
> evolving through our current climate crises AND preventing these
> crises from getting much worse.
>

It seems almost too obvious to state that these three legs depend on one
another both now as they are created, and in the future as they operate
and evolve.

Gerry

____________________________________________________________
Share photos & screenshots in seconds...
TRY FREE IM TOOLPACK at http://www.imtoolpack.com/default.aspx?rc=if1
Works in all emails, instant messengers, blogs, forums and social networks.

[Pamela McLean]

Hi Gerry and all

Thanks for this "comfortable" and interesting email. ( I'll resist the urge to immediately explore further what different people mean by "technologist" - and where MM fits" )

Thanks for repeating the link - http://www.open-organizations.org/ -  I hadn't seen if previously , looks like some excellent stuff in there - I hope to return and delve deeper.  In as far as I have read it I get the impression it is saying things that resonate with me in a very helpful and well expressed manner - or instance "processes are functional: people must carry them out continuously, (there are never 'fixed' states). An Open Organization is thereby a self-organizing system '

With reference to adding to our perceptions of open organisations, greater collaboration and less competition, working together in new ways etc, I also offer a link, which may already be familiar to some people in this group - but was new to me when I saw it last week.
Fwd - A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace http://dadamac.posterous.com/fwd-a-declaration-of-the-independence-of-cybe

pam

[Tim Rayner]

Gerry says:

I would like to hear a lot more of the voices that I have heard on the
calls speaking for new ways of working together.  Whoever posted this
link: http://www.open-organizations.org/ thanks for that, I really
resonate with the approach there.

Who posted the open orgs link? I agree with Gerry and Pam - this is great. I really like how Open Orgs use their wiki. I could see us doing something with cotw.cc - organizing the info we have there in a simliar way...

Check out the processes and rules in the introduction. To what extent have we embodied these processes and met these rules? Many of the processes here we've tried to embody, some effectively. We've strayed away from the charter idea... For me, it implies closure.

Maybe a little closure is needed for openness? I dunno (well, I have a preference for balance and synthesis - it's the the Libran in me). I'm interested to know others' thoughts on this.

TR

[paul horan]

Thanks Gerry,

Recalling how we began gathering a couple of weeks ago when you facilitated, I'm now even further appreciating your mention of "let a new center to the conversation emerge." Healthy moments of silence are worth nurturing for the sustenance & guidance they provide us.

Anyhow, there's a lot more meaning coming through your message here than I've the time to respond to now ... so let's simply consider keeping this conversational space alive and well as an ongoing resource for our refreshment and rejuvenation.

Also, let's find out who introduced us to this link http://www.open-organizations.org/ so we can share our thanks directly. I'm confident much of this content is familiar to most/all of us and yet the manner in which it's presented = like laying out sensible stepping stones, harmonizing theory & practice wrt to self organizing open human activity systems AND focusing on functional implementation. I followed the guidelines re: "INTRODUCTION (read this first)" and agree. I also enjoyed reading the "SystemsViewOrganizations" (tho' I may disagree w/ the author's interpretation of negative & positive feedback dynamics & on a couple of other minor points, I totally love the homage paid to Capra's insights : ), "PlaceboEffect" & perusing a few other pages. YESSS, good stuff that seems to naturally integrate well w/ contributions from Vickers, Banathy, Ackoff, Churchman, Fuller, Shirky, Kelly, et al.

Let me savor for a while longer this delicious juice you're offering us via "... the healing that we enable in

ourselves first that empowers ..."

paul

P. S. = Pam, thanks for sharing Barlow's piece here as well = 15 year old statement that still packs a good wallop wrt boosting the performance of our guidance systems and helping liberate us from that highly entropic state of cognitive calcification that we're all prey to; a state that can be reversed through such simple human interactions as good conversation and mutually rewarding relations.

P. P. S. = Tim, I'm liking your approach to appreciating more about closure's relationship with openness.

[Pamela McLean]

Hi Gerry, TIm, Paul and All

Just to say I'm really appreciating this conversation.

Ref Tim  says

•  "Maybe a little closure is needed for openness? I dunno (well, I have a preference for balance and synthesis - it's the the Libran in me). I'm interested to know others' thoughts on this."

Ref closure. This seems to tie in well with the end of the spring term (is that autumn term for TIm?) as we come up to Easter (or whatever holiday is approaching on people's calenders). End of term  - time for personal reflections (shared or private) on what we have discovered so far about the "attraction" of COTW the film, and the people (each other) who are collecting around the COTW film and how we are learning to become "the COTW community" - the "Willing".   "Next term" we can sort out  what projects we want to do (new and old), who wants to do them, how they'll be done etc - buildng on what we have learned and reflected on.

Ref Tim the Libran - Although I'm not into star signs much I know I'm Pisces - the fish.

The sign is symmetrical - a bit like two fish that have swum towards each other and are now moving apart but they are connected. As I recall people who are pisces have a bit of a tendency to "go in opposite directions with ourselves". Hmm - Maybe that's why I sometimes seem to happily hold several completely contradictory opinions all at the time time  ;-)

Taking another watery analogy (of sailing across a lake) maybe it's why I sometimes drive people crazy for apparent changes of direction. I seem to be racing off in one direction at one time and then (next time we connect up) they think I'm racing off in the opposite direction - but to me I was never even  "trying to get to where they thought I was trying to get to" I was heading for a different shore altogether - but tacking across the wind.  It's the way I travel. Some people may prefer a powerboat, going straight from A to B. That's fine too, as long as we don't get in each others' way.

Why do I say this?  I guess simply to say that lots of different things can all be equally ok. Choosing one doesn't meant the other is "wrong" or anything like that. In some ways the choice is no more significant than choosing one piece of fruit rather than another from a bowl of fruit - choosing a kiwi fruit or banana doesn't lesson the value of the oranges, apples, pears or whatever has not been chosen - and sometime you'll take a mixture and share the fruit salad that results.

Lots of choices are open to us on what we do, and how we work, and who we collaborate with. Personally I prefer an open emergent approach to things - with plenty of room for spontaneity, changes of directions, and detours that make the most of unexpected opportunities. I'm more comfortable in that kind of situation, but it doesn't mean that I think it's the only way to do things, or that I want everyone to always do everything that way, or even that I can never join in with people who are more comfortable in other ways of working. 

[Mark Roest]

Hello Pamela and All,

Pamela's sensibility (last paragraph especially) is important to hold in mind when designing systems intended to work for everyone. Since most people will be attempting to meet different needs at any given time, we need to provide for / afford ways for people to agree on:
1. meta-long-term goals (e.g. control global warming and mass extinctions, end human hunger, war and exploitation) and
2. meta-short-to-mid-term objectives (e.g. convert energy production to renewable sources that don't generate toxic waste products (covers both fossil fuel and nuclear in one sentence), choosing those that are sustainably abundant in each eco-region rather than shipping fuel or electricity across eco-regions, when practical (i.e., other values than profit are considered first, but cost needs to be considered for different scales of implementation))
-- even though they are doing (and will continue to do) different things, focused on other objectives, at the moment.

That is a fundamental aspect of getting political agreement on public policy -- or the policy of a movement such as ours (the Blessed Unrest, Climate Change-focus division).

Particularly for outliers like us, trying to find or assemble a handle long enough on a place with traction enough connected to a fulcrum stable enough to move the world or some part / aspect of it, tacking to sail upwind is a given; the more savvy we are about how each of us does this, the stronger we will be collectively.

We can still achieve results in a short time (in the grand scheme of things) if we monitor the process and the resources that emerge as likely to be needed while we work and explore, and reach out to people who may have or be able to create those resources as we go, letting them see the whole picture and where they would fit in. Another important trick is to make a habit of going up (with our minds, on a mountain, in the sky, to the astral plane?) for the big pictures of what each of us is doing, what we have collectively committed to, what is going on around us ("little wheels, they spin and spin"), and what is really going on around us ("big wheels turn around and 'round") -- and where it is all headed. Then we learn to steer the ship with trim tab and rudder (mixing metaphors, but what else to do?), to avoid the shoals and rocks, and especially that waterfall at the end of the world!

That part about "reach out to people who may have or be able to create those resources as we go" is a key to being able to mobilize vast legions 'in the blink of an eye' -- when said legions suddenly perceive that their only hope is in the structures we have created, with each and every one of them in mind! (e.g. Facebook and mass mobilizations in the Arab countries).

Sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting yesterday.

Regards,

Mark