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Volume 2, No. 8
| Contents Sobornost' The Future of Strategy ACA Call for Presenters Blogging Away Advertising: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why Think in Another Box Buidling an Innovative Enterprise The Power of Values in Organizations |
Blogging Away There's a new blog to subscribe to - The Illuminated Innovant. Its a blog for book reviews and disussion. Books will mainly focus on innovation, creativity, leadership and strategy. Contributions are welcome. Don't forget the other two blogs - The Innovation Commons and The Innovation Roadmap Travelogue. More blogs and discussion groups are planned for the future. |
| Sobornost' I just recently read the book by James Billington, Russia: In Search of Itself. This is a great book, very readable with wonderful insights into Russia's past, present and potential futures. This is not a book review for this short piece could not do justice to this important book. Rather this essay develops just one line of thought from the book about the concept of sobornost' - an idea that may have some bearing on the innovation commons. In the 1920s, Vladimir Vernadsky developed "his increasingly visionary idea that man was not only an organic part of the biosphere but also an immaterial force in the 'noosphere', where everything is determined by the interaction between the human mind and the material world. Multiple conferences and even special institutes have arisen in post Soviet Russia to discuss the moral and spiritual implications of living in the noosphere. The discussion has involved more people more deeply in Russia than did the earlier consideration of the similar ideas of Teilhard de Chardin in the West." Later, Billington writes, "Ivanov sees in the concept of the noosphere the key to global collaboration both in solving common problems and in restoring the imbalance in modern culture between the two hemispheres of the brain. 'The current high status of the left side of the brain' results from the written, alphabetized means of communication that supplanted humanity's earlier oral and pictorial ways of communicating. The new audiovisual culture of the late twentieth century opens up the possibility of restoring the right side of the brain to a co-equal role. Harmony within the individual could facilitate harmony in the noosphere." He continues, "In the later Soviet era, V. V. Ivanov had helped pioneer the innovative movement of humanistic scholarship called semiotics (the science of signs). Seeking to apply the discipline of linguistics to other forms of human thought and expression, this informal school met in the relatively free atmosphere of Tartu, Estonia... Semiotics was seen as a means of unifying knowledge, and of rendering the noosphere intelligible as a 'semiosphere'." In March 2002 Alexander Dugin, in describing his new Eurasia political party, believed that "Intensive scientific development in this Union will lead Eurasia both forward to economic modernization and back to traditional village values. And the Internet will permit economic activity to return from decadent cities to healthy rural locations." In writing about Russia's travails in search of a democratic identity, Billington writes, Some advocates of a democratic rather than an authoritarian future for Russia buttress their case with new theories about the 'noosphere'. The prolific economist Yury Yahovets argues that all past theories about inevitable conflicts and the rise and fall of civilizations are now obsolete. The broad cycles in human affairs (the sociosphere) and in the natural world (the biosphere) are being superceded by the interaction of the human mind with the cosmos (the noosphere). All of mankind is now reaching 'through the storms to the stars'. The ecological crisis has become global and cannot be resolved by either arrogant central planners or the 'uncontrollable randomness of the market'. Nor can one rely on the naive 'eco-centrism' of those who see science and technology as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Questions must now be resolved collaboratively between nations and disciplines in the noosphere, 'the sphere that determines the influences of human thought and activity on biospheric processes'. ...Russia has the resources and talent to replicate this model on a larger scale and validate it for multiethnic countries - and perhaps even for the world as a whole." Later, he introduces the concept of sobornost', "The spirit of togetherness engendered by local, cooperative activity was seen by many Russians as the expression of an indigenous tradition that they call sobornost'. This is a Slavophile-originated term derived from the word sobor, a word with multiple meanings of cathedral, council, and the simple gathering in of people or of things that had previously been scattered. It expresses a desire to find a measure of common purpose for a people and a culture long rent with splits and schisms. It provides a post-Soviet generation with a social ideal that is different from either Eastern collectivism or Western individualism. And it suggests that there is a spiritual dimension to nonpolitical, small-scale human community. The basic human embodiment of the sobornost' ideal is the family. Family happiness was the ideal of much nineteenth-century Russian literature. The persistent integrity of the family throughout the twentieth century protected the Russian people from some of the intrusive inhumanity of the Soviet system. But sobornost' is thought to be exemplified in a wide variety of communal undertakings ranging from the camaraderie of pioneering construction work in harsh climates to the intense discussion of proscribed ideals in small urban circles. Semion Frank, one of the most important neglected thinkers of the late imperial period, argued in the emigration that sobornost', 'the choral principle in Russian life', was not just an ideal from the past but a force for the future. Sobornost' overcame the potential hostility between the I and Thou with a kind of organic, spiritual unity that differed from 'sociality' (obshchestvernost') in which isolated individuals are aggregated into materialistic interest groups. ...sobornost' describes the kind of communion with others that is open to an individual seeking to discover what St. Augustine described as that which is within me which is deeper than myself. For others seeking a 'third way' between socialism and capitalism, sobornost' represents an indigenous communitarian ideal on which to base a humane, social democratic future." In his conclusion, Billington writes, "Frank's belief that sobornost' begins with spiritual transformation within individuals rather than material changes in society...All of these Russian thinkers - and many others yet to be discovered - contribute not just to their own, but also to European and world civilization." Paul Schumann Russia: In Search of Itself, James H. Billington, Woodrow Wilson Press, 2004 Comment or Discuss this essay The Future of Strategy "It's provocative and full of insights." This is a 47 minute telephone interview of Paul Schumann by Tom Carroll. All of the files listed are mp3. You can download for free, or order a CD for $10. 1. What is corporate strategy? (1.6 mb, 2:09) 2. What does it mean for an organization to have an effective strategy? (.6 mb, :49) 3. What are some of the best practices for developing an effective corporate strategy? (.9 mb, 1:16) 4. What should an effective corporate strategy include? (1.8 mb, 2:32) 5. Who should be involved in strategy formation? (1.4 mb, 1:56) 6. What do you mean by the term "knowable future" and how does that relate to business strategy development? (4.5 mb, 6:16) 7. What sort of new strategy development methodologies do you see emerging? (1.5 mb, 2:03) 8. Presently, are there some recent global trends that you believe are important to consider when developing business strategies? (9.7 mb, 13:30) 9. Were you surprised on finding that technology develops slowly? (4 mb, 5:30) 10. Are there any companies who really have gotten strategy development down to a fine art? (4.2 mb, 5:48) 11. What are some first steps a company can take to begin formulating an effective corporate strategy? (2.6 mb, 3:36) 12. How can people contact you? (1.1 mb, 1:36) Order the CD (audio or mp3) ACA Call for Presenters The American Creativity Association is holding it's 2006 International Conference on March 22 - 24, 2006 in Austin, Texas at the Austin-Bergstrom Airport Hilton. The call for presenters as well as other information about the conference is available on their web site (www.amcreativityassoc.org). Proposals must be submitted before October 31, 2005. Linda Shafer & Barry Silverberg are Conference co-Chairs. Contact Barry Silverberg at barry@amcreativityassoc.org with questions or suggestions. Paul Schumann (www.theinnovationroadmap.com) is organizing a focus on advances in the understanding of innovation in organizations. The desire is to have seminars, workshops and panel discussions on new systems and knowledge of organizational innovation, especially open, collaborative ones. Topics of interest are developing insights in a complex future, discovering opportunities and threats, attracting collaborators and leading collaborations, open systems for innovation, issues of recognition and reward in open collaborations, the microeconomics of innovation and measurement systems. Anyone interested in this special focus on innovation should contact Paul Schumann (512.302.1935) before submitting a proposal on the ACA web site. Visit Their Web Site Advertising: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why FREE SEMINAR What makes people do the things they do? Can advertising really change how customers think and feel? The simple truth is that most advertising isn't working like it should. But why not? BUSINESS OWNERS - You're invited to a free, all-day seminar to be held at the Wizard's Castle in Austin, Texas on October 4, 2005, entitled, "Advertising: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why." This seminar will answer your questions about what to expect from the marketplace this year and beyond. This is the same seminar for which Roy Williams (the Wizard of Ads) is routinely paid tens of thousands of dollars to perform in cities around the world. Now you have the rare opportunity to see this material presented by the Wizard himself. Seating, as always, is limited, so secure your reservation now. For more information call (800) 425-4769. Please note that although the Free Public Seminar will be incredibly helpful to your marketing needs, you should not confuse it with the more in-depth curriculum offered at Wizard Academy. Presented by The Wizard Academy, the home of The Wizrd of Ads- Roy Williams - located just south of Austin, Texas in Buda. Come and visit the Wizard's new castle on a hilltop in the Texas Hill Country. Register to Attend Now (Free) Creativity and the Future Creativity and the future are inextricably intertwined. We create the future and creativity is required to perceive the future being created. In today's complex environment, foresight requires the interaction of a number of creative minds with expertise in a variety of fields. Creativity is required to analyze or synthesize data from noise, knowledge from data and wisdom from knowledge. And, that creativity must be tapped and channeled through the use of appropriate futures methodologies. This presentation will cover some concepts of the future and useful ways to utilize the creativity of people to develop foresight. It will also include a discussion of the limits of our ability to forecast. You can download (wmv, 8.9 MB) a copy for free (low resolution) or order a CD ($14.95). Paul Schumann is a practicing futurist with expertise in creativity and innovation. He has lived long enough to see forecasts fail and succeed, including some of his own. He had a thirty year career with IBM in three very different arenas - as a technologist and technology manager in semiconductor technology, as an internal entrepreneur creating the first independent business unit within IBM, and as a cultural change agent developing a more creative and innovative culture. Since retiring from IBM he has been consultant as a business futurist with programs in creativity and innovation. He is the founding president of the Central Texas Chapter of the World Future Society (www.CenTexWFS.org). More information about Paul can be found on his web sites - www.theinnovationroadmap.com and www.glocalvantage.com. Order Now! Think in Another Box In this CD by Mark Fox you will learn some of the best kept secrets to creative thinking. The secrets of Elvis's hit records, how Einstein really came up with those mind boggling theories, how Picasso created some of his best masterpieces, as well as today's latest technology breakthroughs. The best part is you will learn how these techniques can be applied to you job and your personal life. Regular Price: $29.95 Secial Offer: Free for a Limited Time Find Out More and Order CD (Free) Buidling an Innovative Enterprise An introduction into Paul Schumann's unique, systematic approach to building a self regenerating, innovative enterprise. This outlines the concepts covered in his 4 hour workshop. (DVD, 6 minutes) If you would like a this free DVD description of the Building an Innovative Enterprise seminar, please order below. Order DVD The Power of Values in Organizations Obtain a free 6 minute video excerpt from Paul Schumann's insightful seminar on The Power of Values in Organizations. Order DVD or Videotape |
| Paul
Schumann Editor & Publisher The Innovation Road Map Newsletter 4512 Autumn Leaf Hollow, Austin, TX 78731 PO Box 26947, Austin, TX 78755 512.302.1935 Visit The Innovation Road Map Web Site |
