Relational Value – what impact do we want to make together? 

There is $120 billion dollars in the U.S social capital market, money waiting to be spent on social good, according to Hope Consulting’s new report. Imagine what that investment could do for alleviating poverty. Why are investors interested in investing in a better world?

Because money is not the thing. People use money to create what they really want – belonging, health, peace, making a difference and environmental balance.  People are choosing to lead a simpler life and give back to society more (London School of Economics, Boston Consulting Group).

Now, to free up this value for good is another thing. We need new new business models, organization design and social processes grounded in the new paradigm of a relational economy. The Dreamfish cooperative is building such a relational economy. We  are developing value tools that are grounded in the fundamental idea that development flourishes in connection, not control.

Every Friday, we host a Leadership Lab to explore new ideas in “human work” and relational economy. This last Friday, I introduced this Relational Value model. This model is the outcome of a Dreamfish Labs project started in 2009 by Paul Loper, Peter Kaminski and Marguerite Manteau. The first phase of the Value Project focused on what is value and how do we relate to it? Do we create it, exchange it, transfer it? At what moments of work collaboration do we experience it? What kind of social software tools enable us to generate value? The second phase has led to a codified map of categories and processes that are grounded in both an analysis of Dreamfish member experience and research in micro-enterprise development and human development.

Want to swim a little? Here are the notes and  audio-recording (available for limited time).

There are three views of the Relational Value model. The first graphic above shows you “what is value”. The second below shows you “how do we get there”. The third graphic shows what the experience is that social designers and change agents design for.

The Relational Value Map above is an analytical tool. It offers individuals and teams a tool to make meaning and evaluate what kinds of impact you want to make.  These five categories have subcategories.

  • Belonging includes family, friends, and community.
  • Wellness includes food, shelter, physical safety, health, security.
  • Achievement includes quality, productivity, self-worth, self-efficacy, self-confidence.
  • Development includes learning, collaboration, human and enterprise development
  • Global care includes peace, human rights, and sustainability.

The Relational Value Flow above is the “how we get there”. It is iteritive and agile.

The colours on the model correspond to the pyramid shown above, now shown in a process.
Connect out loud – We grow through relationship, rather than a heroic journey.  Connectivity also builds the ground for resilience as the chemical oxytocin floods us. In marriages, the number of frequent interpersonal  “bids for connection” and a low number of criticisms per hour is a good indicator of whether a relationship will last (Gottman). Connection bids, such as a handshake or a blog link help us develop empathy and sympathy, what neureconomist, Paul Zak describes as “the “social glue” that adheres families, communities, and societies, and as such, acts as an “economic lubricant” that enables us to engage in all sorts of transactions.”

Work out loud –  Open Source your life!  When we allowing our selves to show up without the perfect thing or the completed thing, we give the signal to others that is o.k. to be a life-long learner. By opening up and working out loud, we are helped to learn from each other. This spreads value….

Value Out Loud — At the end of a meeting or project, reflecting on value created enables you to develop critical reflection skills and an increased awareness that value is not a commodity transacted, but something we participate in. Use the value map as a tool to assess belonging, wellness, economic impact, learning, social impact.
Give Out Loud –  As we recognize abundance and our development, we experience the generosity of the network and ourselves a part of the network.
Spread out Loud – Show your impact. Do not hide it under a bed or rock. Whether quantitative financial spreadsheets or qualitative stories,  images and guides, create “reifications” of your value to inspire others to generate more value.

The Relational Value Experience describes the individual’s experience. This is helpful for designing a social experience.   You know your design is in the right direction when individuals say things like this. To paraphrase Nancy White, “we build social software for networks of people, but it is individuals who experience it.”

What’s under the hood? The Relational Value model is built from an analysis of Dreamfish member experience through a lens of my research in knowledge and relational culture design. The map correlates with Relational Cultural theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Brian Hall’s Value Technology. (For a deeper read and application to an organization, there is a case story  project to build a culture of resilience and sustainability in Dreamscape, Innovations in Transformative Learning.

Commodity thinking versus relational thinking?
I’ll leave you with a great quote from last Friday’s Dreamfish Leadership Lab. Leonard Perlson told a great story that illustrates the difference between the Value as commodity or value that is growthful.  Leonard says,

The difference between trading value and creating value is the difference between trading a Picasso and developing an artist.

People are artists of life. Let’s develop the next billion out of poverty.

Want to dive more into value? An upcoming opportunity is upon us. The social capital marketspace is forming at the SOCAP conference, October 4-6th.