The discipline of change: Finding the 'sweet spot'
Friday, June 9, 2006
(The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation)One of Lab alum Daniella Levine's take-aways
from the Harwood Public Innovators Lab,
according to her notes (see article), is that The Harwood
Institute is creating a discipline of change.
Although we haven't used that particular phrase
in the past, The Harwood Institute is indeed
focused on helping people and organizations
understand the conditions that must be present,
and the sensiblities and practices needed, to
create real, lasting change in public life and
politics.
A critical part of
creating change - an area that we deeply
explore in the Lab - is understanding the
"sweet spot." The sweet spot is a nexus point
where your individual or organizational efforts
to address public challenges are also building
community at the same time. If we are to build
the kind of society we all seek, it is critical
that we understand this nexus point and
purposefully seek it in our daily work.
Where is the sweet spot in your work, and what do you do to make sure you're operating in it? We'd love to hear your stories. Please e-mail your thoughts to Mike Wood at The Harwood Institute, and we will share them with our readers.