Endeavour and Principles

Principle 1 and 2 are a must otherwise projects will disintegrate.

"willingness to be pragmatic, focus on what is possible and take action to
find solutions." In principle 3 is important.

Principle 4 is dependent on our governance structure. We need a group of decision makers making sure that each opportunity to collaborate is in line with enkel's vision and values. Or we can open it up to Loomio as the system.

Principle 5 follows principle 1.

Principle 6 follows principle 1 & 2.

Principle 7 & 8 are a must.

Principle 9 doesn't have to be so formal as long as there is some indication of roles, responsibilities and expectations in written form.

Principle 8 must be changed. We work in open door, public environments with transparency and open source philosophy. A secure environment is a must but the rest should be amended to pretty much the exact opposite. Privacy and confidentiality is not part of enkel. (except the toilet in the minilab)

The others are good, but I think the expression "service delivery" needs to be changed.

I also think we should steal some of these principles from the MIT media lab.

I have taken on board the comments above and drafted the attached set of Principles which is a considerable advance on the National Principles that I put up a few days ago.
I gave consideration to the MIT principles and think some of them encompass the spirit of enkel but don't cut it as actionable principles for us at the moment... .like how do we mandate "learning over education" or "pull over push". These might be principles that suit a mature organisation that has become bogged down in bureaucracy that they are trying to escape.

Excellent @bevjohnson . I suggest that you create a proposal for vote.

And nice solution for the contradiction between transparency and privacy :)

Can we have a bit more input to the Principles suggested before we put it to a proposal?

Hi Bev, are you able to post your revised principles in word doc format? For some reason the rft format is coming up jumbled.

I like MIT's principles except "Disobedience over Compliance". I prefer "Curiosity over Compliance".

Sorry Elaine - I was about to say it IS in Word... then checked. Oops.

I was thinking about the Coke discussion yesterday as I was working on that Agreement to Collaborate. I think we need to have one of our principles relating to ethical enterprises. Many people haven't been happy to sell Coke. Cigarettes would be another obvious ban. I don't know how to set the boundaries. Perhaps those involved with ethical enterprises might have some words to suggest.

We had a long discussion about ethics and who to collaborate with earlier this year. See https://www.loomio.org/d/75nmKoyt/corporate-sponsorship-from-mining-oil-and-gas.
The decision we made was to approach all potential collaborations case-by-case, as it's very hard to generalize this.

Does the enkel purpose have any hint of having an ethical foundation? We can change the Principles into cooler statements. Check out the Atalassian ones. They have one about building with heart and balance. Maybe that covers the ethical enterprise issue.

Yeah, I like that @bevjohnson. It's hard to have an exact ethical foundation, as we all have very different views of that. Something general like "building with heart and balance" or Google's "Don't Do Evil" might be better. Those are obviously very arbitrary and can be discussed forever, but I rather see open, broad statements like these.

I think this is looking really good, good work everyone :)

I agree that Principle 4 can be covered by Principle 2 for ENKEL purposes but we should make it clear everyone has an equal voice, as Bev says was the intent of Principle 4. Suggest :
Principle 2: enkel will consult members and ensure their views are represented equally in decision making.

Another point I think we should cover is a principle covering our decision making processes. Are we always using Loomio - a traditional democratic approach - or are we consensus based ?

Also, because of the nature of ENKEL I don't think everyone will be actively involved in everything so do we need a principle which says something like everyone is encouraged to be involved in events and vote in decision making but for the purposes of decision making if you choose not to vote you will abide by the outcome of the process ?

cool

Good discussion everyone! I don't have anything to add except to ask if we are calling these principles 'Enkel's Principles of Operation'?

I just found this post with different principles from Adam in another place. I like some of these principles.... the principles we choose depends what the enkel purpose is.

Anyway, I thought some of these might be worth thinking about:

Principles of Evolutionary Culture

(From Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace - http://www.oss.net/dynamaster/file_archive/080227/8580f18843bf5c10f17c38f7ad9fdf71/Complete_022508-C%20FINAL%201420.pdf)

1. A Commitment to the Greater Good: All of the individuals in the group must be genuinely committed to discovering and/or achieving the best possible outcome for the whole. Individual or departmental agendas must be set aside. Bringing the group to this high level of commitment may take considerable preparation, but is most easily achieved when all of those involved are on board with the organization’s greater mission, and when there is a trust already established in the leadership’s commitment to fairness.

2. A Commitment to Wholehearted Engagement: Each group member must be committed to fully participate in all group meetings. This means bringing one’s full attention to the matter at hand, leaving all personal concerns at the door. By listening carefully to the contributions of others and putting their own best thinking into the mix, each member contributes to the building of a larger vessel which can carry the group to unforeseen heights of insight.

3. A Culture of Self-Responsibility: All group members must feel personally responsible for the success of the group. Each must feel on a visceral level that the success of the group in achieving its outcomes rests on her shoulders alone. Given our natural tendency to defer responsibility, cultivating this level of ultimate personal responsibility among members of any group is a formidable task. One-on-one work with group members outside the group setting is usually necessary.

4. A Suspension of Assumptions: For the duration of the gathering, group members suspend everything they think they know in order to make room for new insights and understandings to emerge. Practicing what is known in Zen as a “beginner’s mind,” they cultivate an inner and outer environment of profound receptivity and openness, which turns out to be fertile soil for leaps in creativity.

5. Culture of Deep Listening: Group members aspire to listen to one another from a place deeper than intellect. They tune their ears to listen for the deepest threads and the emerging glimmers of novelty in each other’s contributions, and, through their responses, they highlight and draw out those elements to make them transparent to the group.

6. A Commitment to Authenticity: Everyone in the group must be committed to speaking their mind and heart. This is built on the recognition that in order to make the best decision, the group needs everyone’s data. To support this commitment, there must be an explicit agreement within the group that no point of view – no matter how challenging to either the leadership or to the group’s assumptions – will be ridiculed or dismissed without genuine, respectful consideration.

7. A Culture of Risk-Taking: Nothing takes us to the edge of evolution faster than taking meaningful risks. This means speaking on an intuition when we’re not sure we have the words to give voice to it. Or, responding to a gut feeling that something isn’t right, but doing so vulnerably, realizing that it might be oneself that’s not right. It also means being willing to step into new ways of being, even if they feel frightening and unfamiliar. The more risk we are each willing to take, the more profound will be the outcome.

8. A Culture of Empowered Vulnerability: Leading by example, the leadership demonstrates that it is okay to be vulnerable, to take the risk to expose one’s ignorance and uncertainty. The group sees that such vulnerability is actually a position of strength and power because it shows a courageous willingness to step into the most insecure places. This leads to a healthy culture of non-avoidance that is the best inoculation against “groupthink.”

9. A Culture of Constant Resolution: The group strives to maintain a clear and harmonious field of interaction between all participants. This means always striving to clear up any interpersonal tension as soon as possible, so as to build a container of deep harmony and trust among everyone. It is about leaving each interaction “without a trace.” This can sometimes require additional processing outside the group meetings in order to keep group time most efficient.

10. A Commitment to Grow and Evolve: In order for the group to consistently function at an optimal level, all individuals must be committed to staying on their own “evolving edge,” by seeking healthy feedback and taking on new challenges outside their comfort zone. When all of the individuals in a group are actively and enthusiastically engaged in their own evolution, their collective spirit of boundary-breaking infuses the group with vitality and organically keeps the group on its own evolving edge.
    Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

Found a quote, which almost clarifies this for me. @bevjohnson, I guess the principles come after the purpose, vision and mission?

1. You begin with purpose. It's WHY your organization has decided to make a difference.

2. Your mission follows the path your organization sets to arrive at its destination: it's WHAT you do, the path you choose to follow, the decisions you make to get to your destination. Will you follow a focused and direct path; or one that wanders? The mission-driven path will be direct, and you'll be doing what really matters. That's how you get from one point to another.

3. Vision is your destination, in the distant future. It's your ultimate goal, and what you expect to find when you arrive at the destination. Your vision is your mission in action. WHERE are you going?

Vision - I can see enkel being the coolest cohort of people in the world.
Mission: To become the coolest cohort of people in the world.
I just like "purpose" as it doesn't sound as bureaucratic and american speak as "mission".
The principles then put parameters around how the coolest people in the world act. So principles can be a mix of the suggestions above or add totally new ones.

So what is it exactly we're voting on here @bevjohnson ?

My understanding is that it is the agreement of the 'principles of operation' document that Bev has created. Is this correct?

I feel like this needs a bit more discussion. I like some of the points from @bevjohnson s post above from Collective Intelligence. Are these incorporated into the document we are voting on here or are they part of a separate set ?

HI Brendon - Where were the Collective Intelligence principles. I can't locate them and would like to assess them against the generic ones that I put up.

I reviewed the Principles in line with the emerging enkel environment. These are more fun and less restrictive.
Can someone please put in the latest version of the vision??

Looks good Bev!
I believe our vision still needs to be re-voted on. Previous updated suggestions was:
"A state where COLLABORATION AND POSITIVE CHANGE NATURALLY HAPPEN."

But I believe there were discrepancies with the use of "state" and "happens naturally", yet to be amended.

In regards to Principle 2:
"enkel members strive to dream big and work smart with heart and enthusiasm."

I'd like to suggest replacing heart and enthusiasm with "courage" and "curiosity" (part of our values).

I think the principles are very good now @bevjohnson. I'm happy to vote yes on those. Regarding the vision - as @jordanivatts pointed out - there are some minor details we need to sort out. We liked the word STATE, as there is a double meaning: Both the state of WA and the state of mind among its people. NATURALLY was alternatively suggested to be IS SECOND NATURE, i.e. meaning that this is how WA people in general act. A vision is very hard to (some people say it should be impossible) reach, but I think that is a good vision that can be broken down into a number of goals; for example in our four elements, living, making, working and learning. We need to look at models for CHANGE (which I am very interested in, and would love to teach), models for COLLABORATION (which we all are working on - especially in the living labs) and a definition of POSITIVE (comes through our values).

Nice. I like that.

I'll put up the suggested vision for a vote again. We need to sort this out now.

As far as I understand @jacqui4, the mission tells us how to reach this vision :) So the mission is the next step...

I find the "Mission" and "Vision" discussions less than helpful. Just decide what you want to do. If it's just "To create a state where collaboration and positive change naturally happen" that is clear and everyone will understand it.

I don't like the word "state" NSW?? calls itself a "State of Excitement" and it sounds unnatural. Why not ".. an environment/situation/setting where... "?

Sorry guys, the vision doesn't excite me :(

An example of an outstanding vision that I constantly refer to whenever the subject of vision statements come up is Lego's - Inventing the Future of Play.

Their mission statement is equally inspiring - Inspire and Develop the Builders of Tomorrow.

I know a lot of work went into this and as I wasn't around a lot during the course of the discussion, I will abstain on this one.

I have to say I am with Elaine and Bev. I feel like as a vision it is not very inspiring. The words 'naturally happens' doesnt sound very strong to me. I feel like it alludes to a stance of waiting for other people to make things happen.

I must say I agree. I felt bad for not contributing and then coming in and saying i wasn't keen. I think we need to workshop further perhaps.

sounds like it might not be active enough. Just taking a few key words that have been mentioned, maybe its something like 'A state where people are inspired to collaborate and create positive change'

I suggest this statement as a draft to guide our focus, but that we do not release these publicly until reviewed in the light of the business plan and people in Marketing. I would like to share my thoughts on this (esp from a marketing perspective) and alternative statements at the next Strategy meeting this Thursday. It is important that these statements are not just true, but powerful.

Greetings from Peru team.

Not sure what has has been fully discussed in the last few weeks but the following prezi was used to collate our ideas for the Enkel strategy about 6 or 7 weeks ago.

I thought We moved away from the word state and naturaly. The principles were also discussed. Not sure if you have all seen this, my apologies if you have. https://prezi.com/m/3pxnj3myno6i/

The idea is that the diagram towards the end provides a visual interpretation of how enkel is envisaged to work, with specific business models being developed around the concept.

The whole presentation was just a initial concept but the idea was to refine and add a voice over. That way we could play it as a 2 min video before any event so people know what we are about. The same video/prezi would be placed on the web also.

If you have not seen it I suggest you all have a look, feel free to make comments.

We are not a normal business...We are about a lot more and therefore it's important our narrative is clear and concise and resonates between us all. If not we won't create the culture we need to move things forward and achieve what we desire.

Andy

Great to hear from you.

I haven't had anything to do with this so the presentation helped but I am still not clear about what enkel actually does... or how to do it. Also, with my business development hat on, I noticed that the "commercial" side of the equation was blank. That isn't a sustainable model.

Hi
The voice over is needed to describe the diagram and like I said it's not finished. The basic idea follows what has been already discussed that certain ideas from the various new possibilities events evolve and grow into real commercial businesses . Any profit made would be shared by the those directly involved whilst a portion + other forms of value are fed back into enkel to help other projects to develop.

The tree looks to symbolise what we could call the enkel consulting arm, but another name would be best. There might be a few of these that are interlinked depending on the area of expertise. But they don't have to work in silos. The main concept is that value is captured and shared in a way that allows new ideas to become new innovations (ie commercialise them) or new realities if you will. Both from the small businesses and consulting arm...anything above the soil.

This still needs work but the idea was to visually show how enkel works as a ecosystem to bring about positive change, we are not here to just make money but find ways to earn a living and build a better WA that works long term. Obviously we need to make a profit for this to be sustainablr, but the idea of value reciprocating and flowing back into the collective is what differentiates us. This was thought to be the underlying strategy, the next stage was to look to see how this could work at the nuts and bolts level including business model develop and how to manage value reciprocation and distribution...There are models out there for this but they are generally complex and create more problems than they solve. We need something clear and simple that tie into our principles and values.

I hope this explains some more, sorry I have to shoot and will email offline for a few more days. Maybe Adam or Brendon can elaborate a little more.

Hi all,

we had some discussion about the vision as part of our thinking about ideas clash last night. I think 2 main themes were that it isn't inspiring enough and doesn't capture or refer to the excitement or thrill or essence of 'new ideas'. I think we want to get the vision agreed upon as soon as we can, but also if it isn't right yet then it isn't right.

Here's an attempt to present @andrewthomson's Prezi story in a different way. This is how I see a possible process from vision to project outcome for everything we do. The first two parts of the process should be the same for all projects (WHY and WHAT), and help clarify each project. I think these need to be decided. I have put my why and what in the image. We all have different whys and whats for enkel. The challenge is to combine these into one.

Thx @hasibsarvari for introducing us to Infographics tool Piktochart yesterday :)

I can't open this Adam for some reason, might be my phone.

I completely agree Brendon that it has to be right and it doesn't seem we are there yet, maybe many of us see the purpose of enkel being different and this is adding to the problem.

But what I would say to everyone is that whilst new idea development is great and exciting, if nothing is done with those then their value is negligible . The old saying "innovation is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" really does ring true, even if at times the % may be different.

If we want to to really make something of enkel so that it has a positive impact, grows and allows us to make a living at the same time then, then we need to inspire and be willing to perspire and persevere with the development and implementation of ideas.

The changes needed in the world need to come from change makers like ourself who are in some shape or form disgruntled with the present paradigm. Therefore we need to go beyond new ideas and start creating new realities, either by implementing the ideas in a tangible way ourselves or by working with other to implement them. Its worth mentioning that Many of the ideas we have to work with might also not be our own, but ones that are being implemented around the world.

Sorry if this seems like a rant but from my point of view enkel is great at creating new ideas but we struggle with the larger more important part. Innovation or positive change, is not about having new ideas it's about commercialising them or developing them in a way so that they impact lives.

Hmmm. I'll try again.