... ways to go viral - or so to think

Having a great idea is great. You dream of bringing it into the world.
You push your thought outside -and to your surprise- nobody is listening.

... advices on go viral (slowly but steadily!):

0. Get clear of your deep deep intentions
1. Observe, observe, observe the world
2. Use SocialMedia to build up foundation
3. Use opportunities to talk about idea whereever possible
4. Sense a need and step boldly into that spaces
5. Create quick prototypes that make the virus stick
6. Involve media either printed, online (blogs, Twitter, FB, ...)
7. Listen and scan to what people say about your idea
8. Find mavens
9. Spread WordOfMouth
10. Patience! Patience! Patience!

Certainly not in a fixed one and for all time order;-)

Patience is what you probably need most - and a senseable feeling when
the time is right.

What do you think is needed as well?

PS.: The CamelCased words (e.g. SocialMedia) can be found at MIndWiki

Lean Thinking - is it really alien?

In a recent post on Twitter I asked why most people are so anti-lean.

It seems that often in life only the lean tools are applied without explaining the principles behind it.

So the question is what mental model is leading people into thinking that "Lean is Alien"?

Mikro-Finanzierung, Mikro-Kredite, .... und es ist mehr möglich;-)

Neben den genannten Formen, die in der heutigen Zeit immer populärer werden (das Beispiel von Muhammed Yunus in Bangladesch zeigt dies eindrucksvoll), ließen sich noch weitere Formen der Mikro-Unterstützung ausmachen.

Mikro-Consulting ist eine neue innovative Form, bei der Unternehmen für konkrete Fragestellungen Consulting-Leistungen in Form zeitlich begrenzter Leistungs- (Gesprächs-)pakete in Anspruch nehmen.

So kann z.B. ein Unternehmen, das für künftige Produktstrategie frische und unbekannte Aspekte in die Strategieausarbeitung holen möchte, stundenweise Consulting-Leistung hinzukaufen (sozusagen komplementär zu den eigenen Resourcen). Durch den direkten "Fremdblick" ergeben sich neue Sichtweisen auf die aktuelle Strategieausarbeitung und gegebenenfalls auch innovative bisher unbekannte Lösungen.

Mikro-Consulting kann aufgrund seiner Flexibilität als eine Art Crowdsourcing verstanden werden, da mit niedrigem Budgeeinsatz eine relativ hohe Anzahl von unterschiedlichen Perspektiven eingeholt werden können und zu neuen oder gestärkten Ausrichtungen verbunden werden können.

Moderne Web-2.0 Technologien machen eine Koordinierung solche Mikro-Consulting Aktivitäten heutzutage möglich, und dies sogar über Ländergrenzen hinweg, da persönliche Treffen und Reiseaufwendungen stark eingeschränkt werden können.

Sicherlich spielt der Sicherheits und Verschwiegenheitsaspekt stets eine große Rolle, die nicht unterschätzt werden sollte.

So ließen sich z.B. Unternehmensstrategien in RolePlayGames umschreiben, um nicht direkt als das bekannte Unternehmen in der Öffentlichkeit aufzutreten.

Letzenendes gewinnen bei einem Mikro-Consulting alle Beteiligten:

- Unternehmen: geringerer Resourceneinsatz, gezielte Fokusierung, Fremdblick
- Consultant: geringe Reiseaufwendungen, vielseitige Sichtweisen, immer Neues
- Umwelt: Reduzierung der CO2-Belastung, da Reisereduzierung
- Gesellschaft: kundenorientierte Leistungen, durch vielfältige Perspektiven

Google's Project 10ToThe100

One could think there are different independent streams of activities and your
activity is merely connected to the rest. People would glance at your idea and
think, "This is crazy. We never had that in the past. That won't work in our
country or our business."

You still believe in your dream and vision. You keep the creative tension despite
you get "negative" feedback from your peers, the potential investors and also
your possible clients.

You in the meanwhile look for possible possibilities to make the dream reality.

A year goes past and you slightly have forgotten about reading the following from
Finnish friends:

Google 10 Years! Monkey Business Congratulates!

From there the idea of establishing Team Lea(r)ning Experience emerged.

On his own at first a guy RalfLippold entered
the business plan competition of the FutureSax.

.... now LockSchuppenAg

Cracks in present time leading into the future

While thinking about the past days and what -again- has happened, too many things going on and connected with each other, I stepped across an earlier posting written on PI Community. Even after eight months not much has changed yet and still the same applies to what I am seeing around me. I sometimes wonder whether why I see it and seem to be the only one (who articulates the thoughts):

"Good morning Otto (Scharmer),

Seems to be that this group has taken full grip of my energy:-)

Just came back from a Gottesdienst (mess) at the Frauenkirche (awesome:-)) and totally inspired to write down my first thoughts on your questions (as the topic is racing my mind actually for the last 19 years, after the wall came down between East and West Germany). The crisis of today we see all around is not so new to this part of the country and actually people over here cope quite good with that (they been through the same stage right after '89 when most factories in the so-called "Neuen Bundesländern" ("new states") had to close down).

What do you see going on in your environment?

A deep reluctance to change. Everybody is waiting for the "big guys" that can make the change happen. As I was looking for a job for a few months I got some personal experience on how people are treated by the unemployment agencies. They definitely don't care whether you are working at a place to your strengths:-( The only goal is to put you out of the list. They could be a real value creating institution, if .... Yes if a few essentials would be changed and the pure numbers goals would be eliminated. I have intervened already and proposed a cooperation with a newly set up Team Academy institution in Dresden to eliminate unemployment in Saxony and provide sustainable value to the region and its people.

It is really difficult to grasp the right people and the right time (like here in this group, from the blog I wouldn't have thought of that vivid action already taking off:-)) and I wonder whether who else has made similar experiences and stepped perhaps inside that kind of institutions to make the change start?

How does the global crisis of our time manifest in your context of work and life?

At least not negative. For me every problem bears great opportunities in it and the current crisis really offers lots of chances (oil crisis, climate change, urban planning, new social media use, etc.). The old organizations won't cope too long with the crisis and there is the possibility to make the change real ("Orbiting the Giant Hairball", by Gordon MacKenzie shows quite excellent how it can be done:-))

What is beginning and where?

Here in Dresden and the eastern parts of the country people get back their pride as they have been through this downturn right after the wall came down. They can cope with shortages (done that for 40 years during the GDR times).
To be honest they would be the "real" Toyota people - if one would let them go!

And: what are the things that we could do that would help us and others to move from here (the collapsing old system) to there (the emerging field of the future)? what should we do?

From a very personal perspective and inspired by the visit up to Team Academy, a visit to Genthin (where they close down the chemical plant of Henkel, which is some sort of regional identification) and the idea that has grown out of visits to the small suburb Hellerau, where similar ideas as here in the group emerged some 90 years ago and presently are brought up by Genius-Hellerau (guess I have do the English translation for them, in order that other people outside the German speaking compartment (as one would say in Agent-Based-Modeling coming from System Dynamics;-)) can also participate).

Coming back from Oman in April I told my former logistics professor at my former university in Dresden about the World Café in which the Forum was organized. He gave me the hint and the invitation to the folks in Hellerau. Ever since I have met very interesting people who are striving for the sustainable change in the region. Yet it is really difficult for them to see the change (under grassroot level won't be seen in the beginning and only the really visionaries will "see" that).

The process is ongoing, even though they have doubts that something to change would be possible in the established institutions in government, business and education.

Nevertheless I am working on setting up the Team Academy in Dresden, which I was directly inspired by Marigo (she is also member here) a couple of months ago. Since then I participate in a business plan start-up competition with the project. First round is over already and prizes will given end of January (let's see how the project got the interest of the jury).

I know of other Team Academy like initiatives around Europe and yet there could be stronger inter-group exchange, marketing, and learning.

So I am looking for supporters and if somebody is interested in the ideas behind it have a look at Team Lea(r)ning Experience Dresden

....thoughts must have held back and now they are out;-))

All the best you all and enjoy the coming days and a fresh start in 2009

Ralf"

Where are you coming from? Where are you going?

PS.: Written 24th of December 2008