Month: October 2006

According to Tom Malone in The Future of Work, there are three basic decision-making structures in society – Independent, Centralized, and Decentralized. From early civilisation we have moved many of our structures from independent to centralized ones. This culminated with the Industrial Age beginning in the 20th century. Independent structures (e.g. small, autonomous companies) have the lowest cost of communications while decentralized structures (e.g. virtual work groups) have the highest cost of communications. Centralized structures are somewhere in between.

Our society is currently dominated by centralized structures in education, health, government and corporations. Our industrialized world needed control systems so we created centralized structure but commmunications were still relatively expensive. Enter the Internet and communication costs start dropping toward zero. Add in the decline of the manufacturing sector and the rise of the creative sector and you can also call this the end of the Industrial Age.

In Small Schools Loosely Joined, I suggested a structure of community-based schools, linked by information technologies to other communities of learners. The basic premise was of local control but global participation, without the layers of the current educational system’s bureaucracy. I took the title from “Small pieces, loosely joined”; Dave Weinberger’s Unified Theory of the Web. As Dave says:

“The Web is a new public space, solving the old contradiction between viewing ourselves as faceless members of a mass and as “face-ful” unique individuals.”

To paraphrase Dave, on the Web we are not Independent (“face-ful” unique individuals) nor Centralized (faceless members of a mass), but rather Decentralized and interconnected citizens. As the Web becomes our main communications environment, so all of our structures will be influenced by this decentralizing effect (as long as the Internet remains neutral, of course). It’s not so much a matter of solving an old contradiction, but rather of transitioning from a society of centralized structures to decentralized ones.

We are seeing experiments in decentralization happening in various sectors of society. Virtual companies with minimal control are on the rise. It’s easy for a team of independents to get together for a specific project and then disperse to create some other group for another project. I am certain that we will see further decentralization experiments in business, education, health and government over the next decade. It’s not that centralized structures are bad; they’re just not necessary any more.

If you are working in one of these centralized structures, consider your time limited. The same if you’re teaching in one. Now is the time to develop models and ways of working in decentralised structures, while you still have a job. Those in the learning professions have the opportunity to be leading the way, because we are in a period of change and many people don’t have the skills to work in a decentralized world. A good place to begin re-learning is with Dan Pink’s A Whole New Mind, that suggests this skill-set for our near future:

• Design or creativity [right brain thinking]
• Communicating stories, not arguments [more right brain thinking]
• Working as part of a “symphony”, instead of a single-minded focus [even more right brain thinking]
• Being empathetic, not just logical [need I say it?]
• Being playful in your work [yup, right brain stuff]
• Creating meaning, not just accumulating knowledge [that would be right brain again]

The first step in all of this is beginning to trust again. Trust was easy in independent structures, like the family, but almost negated completely by copious rules & regulations in centralized structures like multi-national corporations. However, you cannot participate in a decentralized world without trust. Rules and laws can do so much, but a culture of trust is necessary. For example, when I work in a decentralized project team amongst equals (about 75% of my work) we almost never sign a contract, a non-disclosure agreement nor a non-compete agreement. All of the work is done on trust.

I would suggest that the next time we perceive a problem in one of our structures, such as kids at school on those pesky Internets, that we first take a look at how we can foster more trust in all directions.

For further reading, Robert Paterson has several articles on the need for Trusted Space, and this need for trust is also part of the rationale behind the concept of the Commons.

Thanks to Anol, I now have a virtual bookshelf, via Shelfari. Earlier this year, I had taken a photograph of one of my bookcases and posted it as, A few good books. Shelfari is much easier to use and share than photos of books, but it’s still in beta so there will be some glitches.

Creating an account was simple, and the search engine found all of my books quickly. This is a fun way for bibliophiles, teachers and learners to share interests and it’s a Web 2.0 application that I’m sure I’ll continue using.

This story in USA Today called Working out of a “third place“, shows the growing use of cafés as workplaces:

An estimated 30 million Americans, or roughly one-fifth of the nation’s workforce, are part of the so-called Kinko’s generation, employees who spend significant hours each month working outside of a traditional office.

If economics and demographics are similar in Canada, we could assume that there are about 3 million workers out of the office here. I believe that cafés are filling a void that corporate workspaces cannot offer. They attract workers on the road, those wanting to get away from the office, and growing numbers without an office.

A Commons is a notch up from a café. With a Commons, you pay a monthly membership that is the equivalent of meals & snacks for a couple of days at a café. As the Commons become networked, you’ll have more options on the road as well. The Commons movement is growing. I’ve heard that the Innovation Commons, in Toronto, is already full to capacity.

This is the latest overview of the town commons for Tantramar, part of our business plan that is progressing:

In 2005 the Atlantic Wildlife Institute (AWI), based in Cookville, began looking at building office space for its Wildlife Emergency Response Network, to be located in Sackville. Discussions over the past year have indicated a need and a desire for individuals and organisations to share space to further several initiatives aimed at sustaining this community economically, culturally and environmentally.

These discussions have led to the idea of a physical space with a key difference: a place for the community to build, a gathering place for emerging businesses to form partnerships and friendships, and an appealing setting to think and interact with other creative people.

Objectives

The objectives for our Commons are:

• Foster cooperation between entrepreneurs and non-profit organisations.
• Provide space for the increasing number of environmental and cultural organisations in our area who need a more permanent address.
• Reduce the barriers to self-employment .
• Bolster the establishment of a diverse cultural space to attract and retain a large number of creative people in the Tantramar region.
• Provide home-based businesses with a place for local networking.

Research, innovation & culture – a cooperative endeavour

Three vital sectors of the community are excited about sharing a flexible space and will form the key elements to its culture. These are the environmental, cultural and entrepreneurial sectors; key parts of our local community and economy.

The Atlantic Wildlife Institute forms the core of the environmental pillar, promoting learning and awareness of the direct links between environmental health and human wellness through its work in wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and research. It is joined by other environmental organisations who are looking for shared space.

A lively community of artists and artisans will form the cultural pillar of the commons and reinforce local galleries and artists by providing a space for education and artistic expression.

The entrepreneurship pillar will see innovative ideas taken into action by providing a space for independent working professionals to meet and develop new business models, consult with clients, and enjoy a social space that reflects the energy and innovation of the new world of work.

A New Town Square or Third Space

If a community is to thrive in the Internet Age, it must be attractive to knowledge workers. Recent data [PDF] show that environmental and cultural factors are critical in attracting and retaining knowledge workers.

These workers need to be connected to other knowledge workers so that they can stay creative. They need to have constant access to fresh ideas. One way to attract knowledge workers is to offer the right physical space and connections.

Because many knowledge workers are not employees, they don’t need conventional office space. Many are starting to create their own alternative spaces in cities such as London, Toronto, Vancouver and Charlottetown.

Beyond the Caf̩ РDesigning the Space

The design of the Commons building will create flexible, multi-purpose spaces to accommodate the needs of its members. Its design will encourage the flow of ideas between diverse disciplines. The aim of the Commons is to provide a space so that individuals and organisations have an opportunity to try out new ways of working, creating and learning together.

We foresee these spaces as fundamental to the complex:

• Shared office space for use by all members, including meeting rooms, common areas, workspace and Internet access
• Learning space for members to teach and share with others.

We expect that space use will change with the needs of the members but initial discussions within the community and with other commons show many options:

• A local consultant booking a weekly meeting room.
• A farmer from outside town using office space on bi-weekly trips to Sackville.
• A solar energy consultant exhibiting the use of solar heat for the building’s hot water.
• A dance instructor giving lessons in the loft learning space.
• An artisan mentoring novices.
• A group of independent professionals gathering to discuss business issues and ways of sharing resources.
• A retired teacher tutoring students.
• University researchers working with a local environmental group on a joint study.
• Students and graduates using a sponsored membership to explore how to start a new business.
• Use of the learning space for a “reciprocal learning network” (a parallel initiative in Sackville).

Individual Membership – Common Space

Members of the Commons will manage themselves as a cooperative and be afforded space within the Commons. No member will have dedicated space, as this is not an “office space for rent” model. Only individuals will be members of the Commons. Non-profit organisations will be provided with a number of individual memberships as well as some space that they may have to share with other organisations.