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Emergence: Complexity & Organization, 2004 Annual (Volume 6)

I love gatherings of smart people, even if it's only between the pages of a book. The 2004 Annual Volume of Emergence: Complexity & Organization is a profoundly satisfying example. This collection consistently and successfully bridges the gaps between the academic and the applied, between the history of ideas and their emerging forms, and between the philosophical and the practical. As you know, the concepts of emergence and complexity are critical ones in today's era of networks and large scale phenomena. This collection explores these ideas in several very interesting domains, including: organizational intervention, social networking, the role of the perception of complexity, the ethics of science, and change management. Don't let the density of this book scare you. It's actually very accessible and anyone with a responsibility for thinking in systems terms will find something of value in it. Posted: 10/29/06; 11:42:24 PM #

Inspiring Progress: Religions' Contributions to Sustainable Development

Gary Gardner of The WorldWatch Institute has a book out called Inspiring Progress: Religions' Contributions to Sustainable Development. This book is a wonderful interfaith exploration of the fundamental connection between the world's religions and the vision of a just and ecological society. As always with WorldWatch, the book is solidly grounded in the facts. The program he recommends is a combination of an agreed upon set of global ethics (which may be easier than we think) and a set of practices for the world's religions, including: tapping religious resources, stressing the positive, collaborating wherever possible, and retreating to our own corners for grounding and renewal. In a time that seems governed by a frightening alliance of religious extremism and corporate greed, I deeply appreciate this new call for ecumenical action. Posted: 10/29/06; 11:32:56 PM #

What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits

Global Business Network's What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits (overview page for free 119 page PDF) is a solid introduction to one of the key tools of qualitative futurism, using language and examples that make it accessible to folks working in civil society. My favorite sections were chapter 2, which looks at the five basic elements of scenario thinking and chapter 4, which includes a glossary and annotated resources. I like scenario thinking because of the way it forces us to work at the edge between what is going to happen and what should happen. I believe that living at the edge is what makes us effective. Posted: 10/29/06; 11:21:14 PM #

When Numbers Go Bad

I'm delighted by the wide range of articles I've read recently on how easy it is to measure the wrong things and thus manage to the wrong objectives. On the Internet, where we are inundated by numbers, this dilemma is more important than ever, of course. In When Numbers Go Bad, Steve Rae takes a hard look at focus groups, and by implication, other research models, including surveys. In the end, I really think this is a call to get the qualitative, relational, and systems concepts in place first, before you start giving weight to any numbers, or perhaps even measuring at all. Posted: 10/29/06; 11:10:06 PM #

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