Visualizing and Communicating: Communities and Networks
Lisa posted an earlier reference (June 6) to the work of Dennis D. McDonald concerning his work on visual representation of association communities and their relationships. Dennis and I have had some very interesting email exchanges about communities and networks, and how they may be considered and communicated visually. Dennis will be posting a URL in a later message that provides some throught-provoking insights to communities and networks and how they may be presented visually. Stay tuned.
For those of you interested in communities and networks, strategy + business had an interesting article recently, “The Defining Features of a Megacommunity”, described as “a primer for creating successful multipartite initiatives to solve critical problems that embraces the talents of government, business and civil society”. URL is: http://www.strategy-business.com/li/leadingideas/li00029?tid=230&pg=all
Since many of the issues that associations face are larger than our single organization’s ability to effectively respond, the article poses some interesting ideas for external coalitions and cooperative relationships
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Comments
Virgil, thanks very much for the mention! Yes, I will be posting a follow up soon to my original "visualization" post http://www.ddmcd.com/visualize.html and I also wanted to suggest another illustration, from the Green Chameleon web site, that is also very interesting to help visualize association member relationships:
http://www.greenchameleon.com/gc/blog_detail/social_networks_and_identity_mapping
Posted by: Dennis D. McDonald in Alexandria, Virginia USA | June 13, 2007 2:06 PM
Virgil
Thanks for the link to the Strategy + Business article. Delighted to finally see interest from the cognescenti in how best to tackle the megaissues by drawing on the strengths of government, business, and us--although the authors don't quite know what to do with the latter.
They do, however, know that it is about engagement of citizens in their neighborhoods and regions in meaningful ways, as players not as distrustful spectators. The astonishing thing is that they also pinpoint the real secret in making this work--structure--not governance. Our multi-disciplinary structure has been the secret of the Urban Land Institute's effectiveness since 1936, as a membership organization and as a problem-solver through our Advisory Services process. Structure easily scales to find megasolutions to seemingly unsoluable megaproblems.
Through Smart Growth and regional visioning, ULI has been on the ground for the last ten years enabling megacommunity building. For those willing to abandon narrow, special interests and think really big, there's a world of good that can be done helping us all find common ground. Dozens of associations, chambers, environmental groups, and government agencies are involved, all contributing energy and intellectual capital.
Come on in. The water's fine.
Cheers
Ann Oliveri
Posted by: Ann Oliveri | July 7, 2007 9:59 AM
Ann, thanks for your comments--so good to hear from you. Your blog and many other communications provide really stimulating comments. Many thanks.
I'm not as familiar with ULI as I would like to be, but it strikes me that your success (and the success of other similar organizations) may be based on the fact that a number of your members, participants and staff are willing to get out of their silos and sandboxes, and get involved in innovative efforts to solve real problems in real time. I wish more of us were so capable.
You give credit to being "a mulitdisciplinary structure". I would say it is being "results oriented". Regardless of what we call it, congratulations to you and your colleagues for a fine job, with great results, over extended periods. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what it's called, as long as it's successful.
Lots of water under the bridge since the old days, eh Ann?
Cheers!
Posted by: Virgil Carter | July 7, 2007 8:05 PM