Originally posted by Brett Scott on his blog SuitPossum

A few weeks ago a group of wayward individuals met at Waterloo station. We hitched a ride on a train going north into the English wilderness. Bertrand was forward-thinking enough to have brought beers for the journey, a skill he learnt in his 10 years working for [...]]]>

Originally posted by Brett Scott on his blog SuitPossum

A few weeks ago a group of wayward individuals met at Waterloo station. We hitched a ride on a train going north into the English wilderness. Bertrand was forward-thinking enough to have brought beers for the journey, a skill he learnt in his 10 years working for Deutsche Bank as a structured equity derivatives trader. Next to him was Ingo. Ingo does things that make my mind hurt, which involves channelling and managing innovation and systems design, in Sweden. Behind me was Neil. He works for the Young Foundation, helping to design things called Social Impact Bonds, ways of allowing private investors to get involved in financing early interventions that might reduce social malladies. He was chatting to David, who specialises in design, and in particular, new means of mapping and visualising the financial sector. Bertrand started talking about social CDOs, and that’s when people on the train started to look at us funny. A girl sitting next to me asked me who we were. Um, how do you explain that? We kind of work in finance, but at the same time are trying to disrupt it, alter it, play with it. I gave her my card. “Come to the dark side”, I said, “there are cool things going on”. Enter the Finance Innovation Lab….

Continue reading this great report on Brett Scott’s Blog SuitPossum

When? June 23, 2011 to June 26, 2011 Where? Anafora village- Egypt

Since the beginning of this year we have witnessed the powerful impact of people standing up for a new way of living. With uprisings come the breaking open of old structures, but how do we actually transition to the new? How do we access our [...]]]>

When? June 23, 2011 to June 26, 2011
Where? Anafora village- Egypt

Since the beginning of this year we have witnessed the powerful impact of people standing up for a new way of living. With uprisings come the breaking open of old structures, but how do we actually transition to the new? How do we access our collective intelligence to help us live and work in ways that sustain both people and planet? The edge here is that learning itself is an essential individual and collective practice for our times.

As young Egyptians and as Art of Hosting practitioners, we have been inspired by Egypt’s non-violent revolution to help build a new Egypt. Through civil disobedience, the authoritarian rule of the former regime has been dismantled. We believe that in order to build in its place a new society that is just, thriving and diverse, we must nurture creative, agile and authentic forms of civic engagement.

With the Art of Hosting Social Transformation workshop we wish to create a safe space for collective learning for those, who have been similarly inspired and who are keen on shaping civic engagement in Egypt.

This workshop is mainly for egyptian young leaders and there a few places for people who want to come as fellow learners and be in inquiry together. You can download the invitation here.

Another way to participate is to offer sponsorship by making a donation – please read our Sponsorship Invitation and participate with your generosity.

This is not intended to be a stand-alone event, but the start of continuous learning and sharing between people and initiatives that are contributing to creating the fertile soil for democracy in Egypt, other Arab and African countries and around the world. Your contribution can play an important part in making this happen.

If you wish to participate and/or make a financial contribution please feel free to get in touch with us by email – simone (at) natural-innovation.net.

Brussels, 13-16 June

-UPDATE: TRAINING IS NOW FULLY BOOKED-

LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is an amazing and very powerful way for co-creation, proto-typing and unlocking the full potential of any organisation. It helps diverse groups of people engage in creative way with and develop innovative solutions to complex issues.

In collaboration with Per Kristiansen, one of the original [...]]]>

Brussels, 13-16 June

-UPDATE: TRAINING IS NOW FULLY BOOKED-

LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is an amazing and very powerful way for co-creation, proto-typing and unlocking the full potential of any organisation. It helps diverse groups of people engage in creative way with and develop innovative solutions to complex issues.

In collaboration with Per Kristiansen, one of the original developers of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY, we are offering a facilitator training in Brussels in two open programs, both lasting two days: Stage 1 and Stage 2.

What is the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method?

In short, it is a method is based in robust set of theories, predominantly from these domains: Strategy, organisational behaviour, systems thinking and importantly learning and development. It is deeply anchored in the beliefs that:

• The solution is in the system

• Everyone goes to work to do well and CAN do well

• We live in a dynamic and unpredictable world

Finally, it is a facilitated process which is truly participant-centred, experiential, embodied, and in our experience works across all cultures.

Who is this for?

The facilitator training is aimed at people with experience in design, creativity, facilitation and/or coaching. It could be, in-house learning and development specialists, HR staff, team leaders, innovation experts as well as for professional facilitators and consultants who want to use it in their own practice.

What do the two programs cover?

Stage 1: introduces the core process of the method, the theoretical underpinnings, and how to apply the method for team, people and relationship development. Stage 1 qualifies the participant for stage 2. For more information on stage1 click here (pdf)

Stage 2: Builds on the learning from stage 1, it focuses on how to apply the method for business and organisational development, and on how to design unique customised workshops. For more information on stage 2 click here (pdf)

When signing up for both programs the combined price is €2500,-. (ex VAT)€250 will be paid when signing up, the remaining €2250 before the Stage 1 certificationprogram starts. The fee includes lunch and refreshments during the day and a dinner on the third day, however it excludes accommodation in Brussels.

For more information or to register email Per on per.kristiansen@trivium.dk or by phone +45 27 11 18 12

What does the facilitator (participant) get?

The program is designed to provide the participant, with sufficient insights, information and experiences to develop and successfully deliver interventions and workshops using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology. The training provides the facilitator with hands-on experiences, theory, facilitation guidelines and application ideas.

In concrete terms, the facilitator will receive a full facilitator manual and a document of qualification issued by the Association of Master Trainers in the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method.

For more information see also these websites:

http://www.seriousplay.com/

http://trivium.dk/facilitator_training.html

Saturday & Sunday 22nd – 23rd January 2011 | 09.30 – 17.00 | €175 / Early Bird €150 ends 14th Jan | Book Online Here | The Greenhouse, 17 St Andrew St, Dublin 2 | Map | PDF Invite

In these challenging times how can we use collaborative forms of leadership, innovation, fundraising and community [...]]]> A Weekend Workshop for Change Makers

Saturday & Sunday 22nd – 23rd January 2011 | 09.30 – 17.00 | €175 / Early Bird €150 ends 14th Jan | Book Online Here | The Greenhouse, 17 St Andrew St, Dublin 2 | Map | PDF Invite

In these challenging times how can we use collaborative forms of leadership, innovation, fundraising and community building to strengthen our entrepreneurial and change projects?

This workshop introduces:

• The U-process, offering a set of principles and practices for collectively creating the future that wants to emerge; a breakthrough methodology for collaborative innovation and accessing deeper wisdom
• How to best use social networking to create business possibilities and to stimulate inspired actions
• Crowd Funding: Rethinking the way we finance our projects and initiatives, beyond bank loans, through collaborative efforts that make full use of the internet and new social media tools
• Community Enterprise models that are more than just individuals pursuing their own interests
• Green Entrepreneurship with a focus on upskilling the workforce for the growing opportunities within Ireland’s Green Economy

This workshop is highly interactive and features short presentations from leading practitioners. Our learning will grow out of everyone’s contributions and presence. We will
support each other as co-learners. We will learn by observation, through stories from experienced practitioners, through reflecting on our own experience and practice, using interactive processes to build a safe and inspiring learning environment. We invite you to a collective inquiry.

Many of us are leading transformative initiatives in civil society, business, government, culture and the arts. Across sectors and organisations to improve the well-being and sustainability of our communities, and places of work. Bringing movements for the common good together in new and collaborative ways.

As our initiatives grow and meet new challenges, [...]]]> Belgium, September 2010

Many of us are leading transformative initiatives in civil society, business, government, culture and the arts. Across sectors and organisations to improve the well-being and sustainability of our communities, and places of work. Bringing movements for the common good together in new and collaborative ways.

As our initiatives grow and meet new challenges, of complexity, diversity and rapid change, we are challenged to work on many levels simultaneously. We need to cultivate perseverance and resilience – practices for strengthening and deepening, ourselves, our communities, and our movement.

We sense the need to bring together our initiatives, and to share our learnings and questions in the context of a highly engaging training, with diverse participants. We invite you to the Art of Collaborative Leadership, part of the family of Art of Hosting trainings, we create a transformative space for collective learning and practice.

Click here to download the full invitation (pdf)
Click here to register

Sustainable Innovation in Complex Systems

Together with Create2Connect, Natural Innovation offered a 3 day course in on the practical application of the U-process for sustainable innovation. The course was offered in Dutch. For more information please see the full invite:

U-process training Netherlands [...]]]>

The Art of Hosting is about engaging the collective intelligence of diverse groups through dialogue that leads to wise solutions and actions for the future.

It is a living pattern, [...]]]> Since 2006 we have been calling and co-hosting trainings on the Art of Hosting (AoH) meaningful conversations in Germany, Belgium and the UK. 

The Art of Hosting is about engaging the collective intelligence of diverse groups through dialogue that leads to wise solutions and actions for the future.

It is a living pattern, a network of practitioners, as well as a training experience for deepening competency and confidence in hosting group processes in Circle, World Café, Open Space and other forms, that support groups to go from strategic conversations to wise action and systemic change.

It is a response to a world that is becoming increasingly complex and fragmented, where true solutions and innovation lie not in one leader or one viewpoint, but in the bigger picture of our collective intelligence, in the wisdom between us.

To read more about the AoH www.artofhosting.org

We do this by sharing our skills through trainings and workshops [...]]]> Collaborative innovation is both ancient and new, inspired by practices as old as humanity as well as cutting-edge social technologies.  We are committed to the evolution of our field of practice. We believe our practices need practising, exploring, questioning and evolving.

We do this by sharing our skills through trainings and workshops on the one hand (click here for recent events), and co-initiating and supporting collective inquiries and action research into the new capacities needed to tackle the worlds most pressing challenges.

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