Inventing the Collaborative Workspace

We need a space like this in New York for social entrepreneurs. I totally believe in the power of the built environment to foster creativity and productivity. Who wouldn’t want to go to work everyday in a space like this?

Inventing the Collaborative Workspace – Adam Richardson – Harvard Business Review.

Of course, some incredible engineers are already way ahead of the curve and have invented “living buildings” that can actually absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, and store energy so that they are completely carbon neutral.

It is my dream to work in a living space rather than be surrounded by the heavy weight of dead walls that contain and constrict. Anyone else feel the same? Have you ever been in one of these buildings?

The Classroom of the Future

It seems like social media week in New York could pass by with a whisper, although with over 300 free events around the city, its a great opportunity for social entrepreneurs to get a fresh perspective on innovation in the 21st Century.

Yesterday morning I attended a panel discussion on ‘The Classroom of the Future‘ – a frontline perspective on using mostly free and readily-available technologies in the classroom to enrich the learning experience for kids.

The panel included some relatively big names: former government bureaucrat Carole Wacey and Columbia academic Sree Srrenivasan. But it was Melissa Seideman’s practical demonstration of how she uses social media in her classroom that alarmingly made me wish I was in 8th grade history again.

Melissa Seideman is the present-day architect of the classroom of the future. In her class in White Plains, New York, students tweet real-time questions about a film they are watching that appear on the whiteboard, parents participate in history lessons via sms, and student’s learning progress can be assessed by the quality of their blog posts.

At the panel event it was clear that this unassuming 8th grade history teacher from White Plains was using technology her fellow well-groomed panelists hadn’t even heard of – integrating tools such as My Big Campus, Edmodo and Socrative, to revolutionize the classroom dynamic. It can also save valuable time, as technologies such as GradeCam enables teachers to quickly grade their multiple choice tests and quizzes.

The hierarchical teacher-student relationship is losing relevance in Miss Seideman’s class, as kids teach each other in a media-rich environment, asking and answering each other’s questions through safe, controlled online forums by posting comments, links and photos.

Melissa Seideman – who aptly calls herself ‘Not Another History Teacher’ on her edu blog – highlights how “The classroom of the future” is an oxymoron, as social media means that learning is now taking place beyond the confines of a physical space. An example from one of her recent posts is ThinkBinder, technology that enables students to study for tests together online with space for group discussion, sharing notes and a whiteboard feature for solving problems together.

Social entrepreneurs can learn from Miss Seidman as they think about providing tools that educators need to flip the lid on students’ self-driven learning. On the other hand, hopefully it won’t be long until more teacher’s embrace this collaborative approach to learning by experimenting with the (mostly free) technology that already exists –  bringing the classroom of the future into the present.

Why we have too few women leaders

According to Sheryl Sandberg, the no.2 at Facebook, women are holding themselves back. It is an interesting message from a woman who has become such a poster-child for female empowerment in the workplace.

Although I find her message compelling, and at some points convincing, I can’t help but notice  there is an anti-feminist train in her thinking. Her argument is largely based on pop psychology and anecdotal evidence of how women act in the workplace, and she has three major points:

1. Sit at the table – don’t sit on the sidelines and let men take charge of meetings and decisions.

2. Make your partner a real partner – women earning the same amount as men do 2x the housework and 3x the childcare. But equal partnerships are happier and are 50% less likely to end in divorce, so make sure your partner does his share.

3. Don’t leave before you leave – women start planning for children long before they are pregnant, and consciously or sub-consciously do not put themselves forward for promotions. “Keep your foot on the gas pedal” till the last moment.

Do these stereotypes fit you? Do you relate to her argument? Are women our own worst enemy in the workplace?

The Top 10 Books on the Economics of Poverty | Stanford Social Innovation Review

If you need some light reading….

The Top 10 Books on the Economics of Poverty | Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Seriously though, this is a great list. The White Man’s Burden by Bill Easterly is a great summary of the remnants of patriarchal post-colonial mindset of much aid-giving, contrasted with The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs on the other side of the argument, which is a call to action for us to invest aid now in key infrastructure to lay the foundation for future economic growth in developing nations.

Watch out for Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo – whilst I am delighted to have an African scholar writing on the topic of aid, Moyo is Western-educated and sides clearly with the Bill Easterly school of thought, but in my opinion her work has some serious intellectual flaws.

Paul Collier is a compelling writer, and his Bottom Billion is an excellent book illustrating Collier’s own view of the intertwined role of conflict and inequality in the aid question.

Have you read any of these? Where do you recommend a beginner to this topic should start?

All Volunteers Are Not Created Equal

If you are not following Rachael Cheong, the Founder and CEO of Catch a Fire, you should be. Apparently she is an absolute firecracker in person – and she has certainly set light to the idea that volunteers can be used much more effectively to cut non-profit budgets and increase impact.

The Catch A Fire website is packed full of great case studies, and her organization itself is a great example of a sustainable social enterprise. It provides a service the non-profit sector needs and is willing to pay for.

Her recent Huff post blog shows why it such a great business model:

Although more than one quarter of the American population volunteered in the last year, most volunteers don’t use their professional skills on behalf of nonprofits, even though those who do are more satisfied volunteers. The gross mismatch in the supply and demand of pro bono service is highlighted by the results of a recent Deloitte study in which 95% of nonprofit leaders indicate a need for more pro bono support, and yet 97% of those nonprofit leaders do not know who to approach to solicit skilled volunteers.

Do you have a non-profit that needs volunteers? Would you use Catch A Fire services to reduce costs?

via Rachael Chong: All Volunteers Are Not Created Equal.

Strategic Planning: When to be daring and when to be detailed

After a weekend of strategic planning with a non-profit seeking to make a big difference in the world, Seth’s Godin’s reflections sum up perfectly the different stages in planning – when to be bold and explorative, and when its time to get down to the hard and detailed work of planning how to reach out goals:

Nuance is the sign of an intelligent observer. Nuance shows restraint and maturity and an understanding of the underlying mechanics of whatever problem were wrestling with. After all, if the solution was simple, we would have solved it already.

On the other hand, resorting to nuance early and often can also be a sign of fear, of an unwillingness to go out on a limb and make a difference. Hence the reactions of boards hiring consultants and CEOs, or of passionate primary voters. “Dont tell me its complicated. Just show me the guts to make something happen.”

My vote: your goals and your strategy must be simple. You must have passion and certainty in order to make a difference as a leader. Your tactics, on the other hand, should be layered, multi-dimensional and reflect the patience of someone who cares about reaching a goal.

via Seths Blog: The waffle paradox.

Using a timeline with today’s date at one end and your vision at the other is a good place to start the process of creating your detailed roadmap to success. If you can fill out the activities you need to do over next 1-3 months in detail then you’ve got a good start.