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  • Tiffany von Emmel 10:44 am on October 14, 2011 Permalink  

    A Story of Learned Helpfulness 

    In Dreamfish, a great discussion has started about Learned Helplessness, started by Grant Bowman, inspired by Edward Cherlin and Rick Moen. This got me thinking about Learned Helpfulness…

    A story of Learned Helpfulness

    Wangari Maathai tells a story about the humming bird who saw a fire in the forest. The humming bird, with its little beak and little wings, chose to do something about the fire. She carried water from the pond to the fire. Back and forth, again and again, she carried drop by drop of water and dropped each drop on the massive raging fire. All the other animals had already decided that it was hopeless to put out the fire. After all, they had learned that fires burn down forests and that’s how life is. They stood by, watching their world burn around them. They stood by, watching the hummingbird carry water to and fro. They stood by, criticizing her for choosing to do something so small, while they chose to do nothing. The hummingbird just kept on carrying water. She did the best she could.

    Now, imagine how this story might continue….. As the animals stood by, they watched the humming bird carry the drops of water. As a monkey watched the hummingbird, he imagined himself carrying water in a coconut shell. The elephant, turning his head to watch the hummingbird, felt the swing of his powerful trunk and thought “Well, I can carry water with my big trunk”. Soon, one by one, in small groups, each animal followed the hummingbird in their own way. As more animals saw their friends carrying water, they too began to carry water. Drop by drop, together, they put out the fire. They did the best they could.

    Let us each have the courage to carry a drop of water.

    To join the discussion, send email to dreamfish-discussion@lists.dreamfish.com

    Thanks to Urusa Fahim for sharing this video.

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 5:10 am on June 1, 2011 Permalink  

    Swim Swim Self! 

    “If you were a grown up right now, what would you do?” Charlie Seashore

    photo by Sietske van Poelgeest

     

    The core tool of a network organization is not software. It is the Use of Self. A network of individuals working together requires that each of us acts as an agent of interrelatedness. Use of Self is actively practicing empathy with our relations, exercising awareness of our own assumptions and behavior in an interconnected world, and then making conscious choices in relationship.  (For more on Awareness and Choice, get to Edie Seashore’s workshop notes)

    Using a metaphor of a vital network in our lives, an ocean, when you see plastic bits of trash in your ocean, what do you do? do you empathize with the ocean creatures as part of yourself?  do you organize a Swim Fundraiser? stop using plastic bags from the store? make art with plastic trash? Create public policy about plastic? Share a link? Do you build a trash picking tool? What is your Use of Self?

    Network organizations work similarly. In a network, there is no boss or parent to tell us what to do. A network is not an institutional organization or family, where it is easy to regress into a passive state. A network can enable life to be richer for each individual. But, if we all expect someone else to be the one, to fix stuff, to pay for what we each use, then we end up with the Tragedy of the Commons. Our commons starts to look like a dump.

    In a network, what you get reflects what you put in. And, what you get also reflects what others put in. For example, Dreamfish Co-operative is a network of individuals working on a common dream to work like humans to realize our dreams. Out of thousands connecting to this vision, a few people are caring for the whole network: 5% of us are contributing time, energy and creativity to the whole network. When it comes to paying for the co-op infrastructure, out of pledged members, 1% of us pay for 90% of our costs. Only 15% of us have purchased our membership and 85% have not yet paid their share. Who gets the most out of the network? Yep, the 5% who contribute the most are the ones who report transformative learning, increased income and professional growth. But, we could do so much more if all of us exercised our Use of Self.

    Part of the reason that the network stats look like this is that I needed to shift my use of self as a leader. To remember that in this school of fish, I do not need to swim alone. So, I am reaching out to you and asking you to swim with me.

    My appeal is especially directed to you who swim in Dreamfish and networks supporting human development. Imagine shifting from a network of followers to a network of leaders. Imagine if 100% of us contributed a small bit of our time, money, energy and creativity to a network to build the support system that we each need. Imagine if each of us was responsible for building capacity that could support our individual work. Folks organizing local events. Senior consultants mentoring women and youth entrepreneurs in rural villages. Folks teaching online workshops. Developers building tools that help us connect. We hire each other. We volunteer to help do something that is easy for us, but may be hard for another. Imagine the value that would be liberated, the impact we could make!

    photo by Sietske van Poelgeest

    Here’s one way that small efforts make a big difference.  Please join me in launching a campaign for the opening of Dreamfish Place Nairobi, a place to physically and financially support the Dreamfish Cooperative’s mission to work like humans to realize our dreams. Your swimming means a lot to the network.  And, your swimming means a lot to me. Swim over here: http://www.indiegogo.com/Dreamfish-Nairobi

    Swim swim Self!

     

    • Suzy Gamblin 8:48 am on June 1, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Tiff,
      You are amazing! I wish much success for you and your endeavors. The world needs you and you are helping to create more good in the world. You’re an angel. Swim! Swim!!!
      XXXX I love ya!
      Suzy
      (cousin)

  • Tiffany von Emmel 2:34 pm on January 8, 2011 Permalink  

    Calling Ubuntu 

    Ubuntu is my name.

    Yesterday, I adopted a dog from the shelter. The shelter rescued the dog from a puppy mill, where it was isolated and living in filthy conditions. There’s an example of an un-human economy at work. (Don Bushnell describes the rescue of his dog from a puppy mill as a “liberation from sex slavery”.) But, is this the only story of this dog’s life? Nope. Let’s start the dog off on a new story line. Walking with the dog, I wondered what to name it.

    It isn’t the name per se but the performance of a name that matters. Calling a name is an interaction. A name is an opportunity in the thousands of times the name is called, in the conversations that it sparks up, in what could the name might evoke in hearts, minds and actions. Each time an utterance is performed in the world, that micro-action helps create a world. What world did I want this name to perform?

    If naming a dog were like software production, how might I go about this?….For the project, Naming a Dog, I develop a couple User Stories:

    Story 1: When a human first hears the dog’s name, new connections are sparked.

    Story 2: When two humans interact in relation to the name, it would inspire conversation about interactivism.

    Edie and Charlie teaching a Use of Self workshop

    With these stories, I started to prototype. The first idea that came to me was to name the dog “Kuja Hapa”, which means “Come Here” in Swahili after Edie Seashore and Charlie Seashore‘s dog, “Khamon Khameer” (sounds like “Come On Come Here”), who passed away a couple years ago. What would the micro-action of calling the dog bring forth? It would promote that the self is an interaction, rather than a noun.

    The name might connect people across bridges – Africa and California, Swahili and English, and software and Human and Organization Development. The name would also spread more of Charlie and Edie, whom I love, their work in the use of Self, and memories of both profound and fun moments with them. It would be fun to say, too. Hmm. What else?…

    Then, I thought of “Ubuntu”. Ubuntu is a classic African concept for an open collaborative society. It means “I am because we all are”. It essentially is a core idea behind calling the dog “come here” but more to the point.  Ubuntu is also an open source linux distribution, founded in Africa and developed by a global community of thousands of individuals. So, when anyone calls the dog, Ubuntu, what will that micro-action create?  Cool.

    Watching Steve Krug's usability testing workshop

    What happened in usability testing? I took this story and connected with users…. Before engraving the name into a doggy tag, I first tried an “AB test” with the primary user, the dog, and secondary users, humans.  I compared the performance of A,”Kuja Hapa” with B, “Ubuntu”. I called the dog each in different contexts (house, walking) with different goals (food and exercise). Then, I did a hallway test, having two different humans interact with the dog and telling them the name of the dog.

    Calling “Kuja Hapa” was more fun to say and evoked new connections in people’s minds. People focused on their interaction with the dog. Deeper meanings didn’t pop forth in the few conversations. Calling “Ubuntu” led to connecting people to themselves as well as to the dog and me. Interestingly, the dog seemed to respond more quickly to “Ubuntu” in the AB test. (OK, yes, this says something about me as the researcher more than the research)

    One conversation about the dog led to watching this video of Nelson Mandela explaining Ubuntu and about working in a global network of collaboration…

    Calling the dog Ubuntu offers thousands of opportunities to talk about Ubuntu, networks of production in cultures of respect and accountability. And good thoughts, like “I’d like to install Ubuntu on my computer.” It makes the connection between the dream of “we are interconnected” and fishing the dream in our everyday work.


    Who wouldn’t want to call and be called Ubuntu?

     

    • Edie Seashore 12:08 pm on January 9, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Hi Tiff – Our dog – Khamon Khameer’s name made her memorable and contributef to endless great stories. In fact, We are thinking of getting another dog and naming it KK the 2nd. Hope all goes well with you and your new friend! Happy New Year! Hugs, Edie

  • Tiffany von Emmel 8:35 am on October 24, 2009 Permalink
    Tags: Co-Entrepreneurship   

    350 – An act of co-entrepreneurship 

    Entrepreneurship requires the physical act of stepping up to act for something. But, the idea of entrepreneurship being a solo heroic act is a narrative that should be challenged. Co-entrepreneurship is a new form of enterprise in which we join together to mutual support our dreams in an ensemble vision of a better world. Together, we are stronger, and we are moving forward.

    35o is a performative act of co-entrepreneurship. Today, thousands of people throughout the world are taking part in actions to raise awareness about the number, 350.

    350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere….To get there, we need a different kind of PPM-a “people powered movement” that is made of people like you in every corner of the planet.

    Wherever you are today, you can participate. Since I am at a day for bloggers at Public Media Collaborative,I am writing this blog post as a 350 action.

    Let’s move to 350, co-entrepreneurs!

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 8:04 am on April 21, 2009 Permalink  

    The dreamfish new look – WDYT? 

    Soon to launch the Dreamfish network in the coming month. Very exciting. As many of you know, this is both a sweet moment at the end of a long climb, and the beginning of a beautiful adventure. Here is a preview of the new homepage. Would love to know what you think of the new look. WDYT?

    dreamfish-splash-page-2009-04

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 2:38 am on July 13, 2008 Permalink
    Tags: open culture, use of self,   

    To breathe life open 

    Breathing in, I am mountain. Breathing out, I am solid. Thich Nhat Hahn

    Openess is fundamental to Life. Human, biological, ecological, organizational process depend on feedback to learn, and enable resilience and adoptation.

    This may seem obvious, if you are immersed in an Open Source or Open Space community or Organizational Improvisation. However, Openness is so radical within an organizational context, that a culture of openess needs to be continually fed and nurtured by everyone. People do tweaky things when stressed or anxious.  Muscles go into lockdown and breath shortens. Doors are shut. Groups closed. Communication slows. After awhile, patterns of fragmentation and discontinuity emerge in a system. When recognizing this, as a facilitator, it is time to  open the window, increase honest exchanges in the system to strengthen connection where silos had mushroomed, and amp up curiosity and playfulness.

     With sustainable development projects and organizations who support
    sustainability, like Dreamfish, the same is even more true. Openness is required in a big way to create a support system for change agents working for sustainability.
    Resilience and adaption need to built into processes to deal with
    environmental challenges    . For an organization to support  patterns of
    resilience, the ecosystem of the organization needs to breathe life
    with an open culture.

    So, this is a reminder, to myself, to take a break, relax, increasing blood flow to the blood vessels, soften the breath to increase oxygen, thus to open up.  Because, as we each practice openess, we take a stand for Openess. The practice of openness nurtures Openess.

    On Openness and Sustainability:
    - Jamais C.’s http://openthefuture.com/2007/02/the_resilient_world.html
     

    http://oae.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/9/4/482

    Lenore Newman, Uncertainty, innovation, and dynamic sustainable development, http://ejournal.nbii.org/archives/vol1iss2/0501-001.newman.html

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 4:05 am on February 4, 2008 Permalink
    Tags: improvisation everywhere, new york,   

    social improvisation video 

    Paul Loper just forward this video. What you see is 207 people performing an improvisation score in Grand Central Station in New York. It is choreographed by the group, Improvisation Everywhere . The improvisers are pedestrian in their look and gestures and the score is very simple: Freeze at the same time for five minutes, and then unfreeze and continue on. You then see the reaction of the people around the performers, as their reality is shaken. What I love about this performance and the way the video depicts it is that it shows a key principle of improvisation in a simple obvious way. In the stillness of practicing presence, we learn to more actively live in the gap between what is habit and what is possibility. The practice of making choices in this open zone, we can learn to develop and change. Likely, some people observing this performance may be inspired to choose to do something a little differently. I am.

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 8:26 am on December 15, 2007 Permalink
    Tags: , joey devilla, ,   

    what’s love got to do with it 

    At 7:30AM this morning, Linda Crafts, our Chief Sustainability Officer, and I were reviewing the organizational chart of Dreamfish. We are recruiting now and writing job descriptions. We talked about the backend operational choices we make in the organizational design to create an enlivening organization that produces services for professionals who care about sustainability.

    In our first year, the proliferation of creative internal activities we do, combined with our strategic blurring of all boundaries, has set up an interesting dynamic for an outsider looking at Dreamfish from different angles. When an individual first encounters Dreamfish, it would be easy for different people to have radically different experiences and thus interpretations. To explain, I’ll tell you a story about a guy….

    The story is about The Accordian Guy . If you saw Joey deVilla pop into play at Julie and Amanda’s improvised wedding in Toronto , you may have thought he is an artist making art. Then, Joey was spotted at an open source software development conference, and then you think he is about technology. Until you see him standing on the conference stage, leading the audience of web developers in a song , whose lyrics were about software development. In fact, you could conclude that his accordian playing is a core process that delivers his mission and inspires innovation in software development.

    Singing with scientists is a legendary practice in Dreamfish. In fact, art influences every fiber of what Dreamfish is, but it is not to be confused with what we do. We have applied art strategically to influence the shape of Dreamfish’s organizational design and culture. Anne Chao, our Creative Director, is creating interactive visual arts installations in the office, in which employees place art objects that represent the values they want to bring forth in their work at Dreamfish. We are creating a new position of Director of Organizational Health, who will be facilitating experiential learning dojos and somatic leadership coaching for our team. For strategic planning this year, we used choreography, somatics and visual art as technology for an Appreciative Inquiry that involved our community of staff, partners, advisors and clients.

    All of these creative backend practices influences the front end practices to fulfill our mission–to produce social networking services and engage in collaboration with clients. In the coming months, we will be launching our platform service –a service for people to create social networks and use social networking tools that support social, environmental and economic sustainability. Dreamfish will still be facilitating networking on the ground, no worries, friends — helping groups to launch social networking with participatory face-to-face events. So, dancing with a big Taiko drum , we might be inviting you to sing along, some time soon.

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 5:43 am on November 23, 2007 Permalink
    Tags: ,   

    Building Open Source Awareness through Art 

    Paul Downey created the drawing, Web is Agreement, which is a good example of how meaningful art can be to educate. Paul created it as part of an organization's Open Source Awareness movement.

    If you look at the Flickr page for this, you can view details of the drawing , which are remarkable. It is also available as a PDF to print as a poster.

     

  • Tiffany von Emmel 2:17 pm on November 14, 2007 Permalink
    Tags: barcelona, ,   

    Free Hugs Barcelona style 

    When I saw this video of Barcelona's Free Hugs, I felt affirmed in my humanity. I have been practicing this micro-activism at events as well as in our workplace through the simple act of hanging a sign on the wall…..To hang artifacts on the office wall (or post on your blog) is a ritual act of creating who we are. For example, a diploma on a wall will be read as "I am an expert" to clients and patients. Then, we are treated as expert by ourselves and others. Or, artwork can be read as, "I am hip" or "I am an important person". When I walk into our office every morning, I see a sign with painted red letters. "FREE HUGS" it says. When I see this sign in the workplace, I feel the immediacy of caring, caring about my colleagues, about our world, and about why my work today matters. It reminds me of special moments, hugging people during Dreamfish guerrilla Free Hug Campaigns at events and conferences . Reading the sign affirms to me that this is the kind of work and workplace I want to create. I believe that social networking is the act of putting good hugs to good work.

     

     

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