Sensemaking Circles
Watching crisis after crisis unfold in the United States over the last months has brought to light the striking divergence of perspectives Americans have on any number of issues facing the health of communities in 2020 and beyond. From national security to economics, the power and influence of big technology companies, and the role of government in the pandemic and the rest of our lives.
I’m convinced that if we have any chance at solving the wicked problems of our age, we must develop new skills and capacity around negotiation, cooperation, collaboration and more generally, working with teams, cohorts and coalitions in ways we’ve never seen or done before.
Inspired by a group of startup founders in London, I’ve decided to organize a series of conversations around the problem of “organising genius” through the lens of organisations and networks.
We’ll look at case studies from organisations that are responsible for some of humanity’s most striking achievements, from the moon landings to the establishment of the US constitution and leave with a deeper understanding of what makes great groups flourish, new friendships and knowledge partnerships.
Here’s a brief summary of the idea.
WHAT:
The purpose of the first Collaborative Circle is to bring together community leaders interested in deepening their knowledge and sharing their experience of how Great Groups work.
WHEN:
The group will meet on the first and third Monday of the month at 7pm Eastern Standard Time. Reading assignments will be distributed to group members one week before each meeting.
HOW WILL THIS WORK?
The group will meet for a total of (8) sessions over the course of two months in a conversation cafe format. The format aims to enable people to have calm and profound conversations where listening is a valued priority over debate and argument. We’ll use reading assignments and case studies as a point of departure for real-time conversations.
WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO GET FROM PARTICIPATING:
- A group of mission-driven thought partners who share an interest in deepening their understanding of group dynamics
- A curated list of important readings related to Great Groups in history
- Access to any case studies developed from the readings
SAMPLE TOPIC & READING ASSIGNMENT
SESSION 1: CHALLENGES OF ORGANIZING GENIUS
3 Questions
- How does privacy, isolation, and accountability interact in the formation of creative productive groups?
- How to balance gatekeeping and inclusion?
- How can environments and institutions drive purpose?
SESSION #1 READING ASSIGNMENT
Organizing Genius: Introduction (1page); The end of the Great Man (~16 pages)
Warren Bennis and Patricia Biederman
Collaborative Circles: Introduction (6 pages); Collaborative Circles and Creative Work (19 pages)
Michael FarrellThe Too Much Talent Effect (~11 pages) Roderick Swaab et al.Ingredients for creating disruptive research teams (~20 pages)Stefan Torges
If this sounds like something you’d like to get involved with, just drop me a line and I’ll share an invitation to the group’s #slack channel.