Enough people have suggested I write a book at this point that I have now found myself wondering what such a book might look like. I don't consider myself expert enough in anything to say something genuinely unique in the world that isn't just storytelling about my life, but I do think there aren't enough … Continue reading The Opening Words to a Book I Probably Won’t Write
Category: design
It Gets Dark
I often take away messages from music that I don't believe the artist originally intended. Music is part of what I'll call my system for sense-making and synthesis, in that I actively engage in ritual practices like listening to songs from artists I've never heard before as a way of shaking up my perspective and … Continue reading It Gets Dark
Sweeping: A Metaphor
Your metaphor of the day is sweeping the floor with a broom, inspired by some thoughts that crept into my head as I was sweeping the kitchen and living-room--a task now abandoned so that I can get some of these ideas down... Brooms are actually a very weird type of technology if you think about … Continue reading Sweeping: A Metaphor
Sharing & Learning & Interfaces, Such as Maps
When I was really little, like maybe 10 years old, I remember making the conscious choice to start using new words before I was quite sure what they meant. I would encounter a word in a book somewhere and, knowing it might just immediately evaporate from my memory, as most information does, I would drop … Continue reading Sharing & Learning & Interfaces, Such as Maps
Influence Over Design
I came up with this silly metaphor to describe the problem of giving inordinate power to the wrong people for the implementation of design decisions. Imagine a house was designed by an architect who did research into how the structure would be used and by whom. The first floor is where the owners, a couple, … Continue reading Influence Over Design
Mapping Organizational Ecosystems: Artifacts & Rituals; Tribes & Institutions
This is an excerpt (Part 3) of an essay in progress to describe developing perspectives and practices for mapping organizational ecosystems. I recently facilitated a workshop with Agitare, the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, and the Federal Innovation Network to explore how we view, create, and use maps of our massive, interconnected community, and how co-created and inter-subjective approaches … Continue reading Mapping Organizational Ecosystems: Artifacts & Rituals; Tribes & Institutions
Mapping Organizational Ecosystems: Introduction
This is an excerpt (part 1) from an essay I'm working on to describe developing perspectives and practices for mapping organizational ecosystems. I recently facilitated a workshop with Agitare, the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, and the Federal Innovation Network to explore how we view, create, and use maps of our massive, interconnected community, and how co-created and inter-subjective … Continue reading Mapping Organizational Ecosystems: Introduction
Expertise as Limiting; Uncertainty as Enabling
There's a common manifestation of "The Expert" in every field--one who has allowed the weight of their accumulated knowledge and experience to drag them down into an unfortunate state of certainty. The Expert has gained so much confidence in their field and craft that they see themselves as qualified, empowered, and even obligated to make … Continue reading Expertise as Limiting; Uncertainty as Enabling
Why the Old Paradigms Don’t Work & Introduction to Cynefin (Video + Script)
https://youtu.be/ACkoVBnwaaw Script: For the next 20 minutes, I want to introduce you to a little bit of theory, and it might come across as somewhat abstract, maybe extremely abstract, but I have found some of these concepts extremely useful in understanding why the old paradigms and our default problem solving and sense-making methods often don't … Continue reading Why the Old Paradigms Don’t Work & Introduction to Cynefin (Video + Script)
Sounding Slightly Off 