I came across a good example of networking to respond to a positive vision in my local free magazine [Blackmore Vale magazine] this week. For those of you working to make a Community of Practice [CoP] effective this may provide some insights and some encouragement. Transition towns started in Totnes in SW England in 2006 and there are now 50 official transition initiatives with lots more considering it from as far away as Canada, Australia and Japan. The vision is to create a happier society locally by tackling the opportunity that climate change and peak oil [the idea that that a steady supply of cheap oil is unlikely in the future. Just look at the recent disruption caused by a strike in Scotland] bring. Opportunity? Yes. This makes a change from the meeting in the village hall two weeks previously which was about banning wind farms in “our back yard”. I like the idea of doing something positive with all the energy of bringing a community together.
So how will this help our CoPs? The topic being tackled may be different but basically it’s saying that there are uncertain times ahead and if we build a resilient community we can deal with it whatever happens. Now that’s as true for an in-house CoP as it is for your local neighbourhood. It’s true if you are dealing with changes in Supply Chain, or Operations, or a natural crisis such as a flood.
The people in Totnes don’t waste energy on finger pointing or blame, and they don’t wait for someone else to sort it. Local people are making local changes, taking power into their own hands.
They value the contribution from everyone and make it fun. What specifically are these transition towns doing? They have ideas like bartering to buy from local farmers and suppliers, Oil vulnerability audits to support local businesses and farms who suffer from rising oil prices. They use a network to spread and share what works for the benefit of local application.
Now I’m not suggesting you rush out and sign up to make your town or neighbourhood a transition town but what lessons can you take from this to apply to your own situation? What can we learn about scaling up? I’m reading a good book at the moment “Here Comes Everybody” by Clay Shirky and he quotes “….work out a message framed in big enough terms to inspire interest, yet achievable enough to inspire confidence.” To my mind that’s exactly what the founders of this movement, for that is what it is, have done. The Transition Towns movement can demonstrate success in one place to inspire others. They provide training for those who want to learn what works, they have a wiki at http://transitiontowns.org/Main/HomePage to share and keep in touch and they have a network which meets face to face.
For me a successful community is one that has a clear positive vision and is resilient to all challenges that seek to knock it off course in achieving that vision. While it may have prepared for one challenge the processes it has in place means it can adapt to respond to any challenges. The community does not wait for a top down saviour or direction but uses the resources it has readily available to make the community more resilient. I found the “7 Buts” and the “12 steps to Transition” particularly useful [see their wiki].
Geoff
