Inventing the future requires giving up control. No one with a compelling purpose and a great vision knows how it will be achieved. One has to be willing to follow an unknown path, allowing the road to take you where it will. Surprise, serendipity, uncertainty and the unexpected are guaranteed on the way to the … Continue reading Inventing the Future Requires Giving Up Control George Land
Long-term planning is irrelevant, if not a hindrance. Strategy should not be about the realisation of prior intent, but rather emphasis on the importance of openness to accident, coincidence and serendipity. Strategy in this case is the emergent resultant. Successful strategies, especially in the long term, do not result from fixing an organisational intention and … Continue reading Long-term Planning Is Irrelevant, If Not a Hindrance Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge
Gurteen Knowledge Blog March 4, 2022, 10:39The larger the organization — the more extensive and grander the reception area. Huge impressive, impersonal halls of glass, stainless steel, and marble. What a waste of space! I wish I could recall the name of the law firm I heard about in Germany who transformed their reception area by … Continue reading Reception Areas Are Such a Waste of Space Turn them into cafés
Humiliating to human pride as it may be, we must recognize that the advance and even the preservation of civilization are dependent upon a maximum of opportunity for accidents to happen. Credit: Friedrich Hayek Source: The Constitution of Liberty (page 81)Posts where this quotation is embedded Corridor Conversations ** The magic of the hallway conversation lies … Continue reading The Advance of Civilization Is Dependent Upon the Opportunity for Accidents to Happen Friedrich Hayek
Gurteen Knowledge Blog May 30, 2023, 14:21I have long been a fan of Randomised Coffee Trials (RCTs) — social experiments where people are randomly matched for coffee meetings to facilitate knowledge sharing and relationship building. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, you can learn more about it in my blook. Typically, RCTs are run within organizations … Continue reading The World Talks The world’s biggest dialogue experiment
People are more productive when they’re alone … but they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together. Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together. Credit: Marissa Mayar Physical space has a huge impact on the way that we interact, converse and collaborate. More often than not, little thought is given to … Continue reading Introduction: Conversational Environments ** Designing places and spaces for good conversations
We often have informal professional meetings without a plan in which the conversation meanders and little is accomplished. We need to focus more, but how? By adding a light structure, we can improve the quality, depth, and meaningfulness of the session. We often have informal conversations in pairs or small groups of 3 or 4. … Continue reading Improving Informal Conversations ** Add a little structure
Connect more: Connect with people more broadly and more deeply. We are becoming more connected with each other and less connected with each other at the same time. The Paradox We are becoming more connected with each other and less connected with each other at the same time. We have the ability to connect with … Continue reading Connect More Connect more broadly, more deeply
A Randomized Coffee Trial, also known as an RCT, is a social experiment where individuals are randomly matched for coffee meetings, aiming to facilitate serendipitous connections, knowledge sharing, and relationship building in a casual setting. The History The original idea was inspired by Pedro Medina and developed by Michael Soto and Jon Kingsbury of Nesta … Continue reading Randomised Coffee Trials It is just a coffee, but at the same time it is much more
Serendipity: An unsought, unintended, or unexpected but fortunate discovery or learning experience that happens accidentally. Introduction In the intricate tapestry of life, there’s a phenomenon that goes beyond mere coincidence or luck — serendipity. It’s about stumbling upon valuable things or people we never knew we needed, leading us to new insights and opportunities. Serendipity … Continue reading Serendipity A fortunate accidental discovery