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Archives for April 2010

Definition of Community

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This via Leeds own Max Farrar

By community I mean something that goes far beyond mere local community. The word, as we find it in much nineteenth and twentieth century thought encompasses all forms of relationship which are characterised by a high degree of personal intimacy, emotional depth, moral commitment, social cohesion, and continuity in time. Community is founded on man conceived in his wholeness rather than in one or another of the roles, taken separately, that he may hold in a social order. It draws its psychological strength from levels of motivation deeper than those of mere volition or interest, and it achieves its fulfillment in a submergence of individual will that is not possible in unions of mere convenience or rational assent. Community is a fusion of feeling and thought, of tradition and commitment, of membership and volition. It may be found in, or given symbolic expression by, locality, religion, nation, race, occupation, or crusade.

Nisbet, RA (1967) The Sociological Tradition London: Heinemann

Asset Based Development

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I have just had an interesting twitter conversation with @asset_transfer the twitter feed for the Asset Transfer Unit.  They pointed me to this site call Building Community.

Lot’s of great work and some inspirational stories.

However, (and it is a big however) I think this goes to show how, in the UK at least, ‘asset’ has become synonymous with ‘building’.  And the process of ‘asset based development’ has become synonymous with asset (building) transfer from local authority ownership to social enterprise.  There is no doubt that this can be a part of an effective community development strategy.

But, it is not the only game in town.  And it can be an expensive game.  While the buildings may be sold for a pound, the cost of refurbishment frequently runs into millions.  Once developed sometimes these buildings continue to demand cash to keep them open as business plans don’t quite work out as anticipated and they may become cuckoos in our communities – sucking up investment as their funders claim they ‘cannot be allowed to fail’.  This is a ‘shadow side’ that occasionally becomes a very real, very expensive and very persistent problem.

What is more, listed building regulations sometimes mean that the refurbished buildings are not very green.

But the real problem is that in many of the communities that I work in lack of infrastructure is not the key challenge.  Buildings are not the barrier.  Lack of bricks and mortar for community use is not the bottleneck.  I am not against asset transfer.  In some communities, at the right time they are the perfect and logical step.

But when the bottle neck is not infrastructure but capability and confidence or ability to organise, then let’s not pretend that a new building always holds the key.  We may get a better return on our investment from good old community development work – using existing spaces in the community to bring people together and help them to organise for a better future.  Informal education and outreach work may be the best ways to develop the limiting assets of knowledge, skills and self belief.  I believe there are communities that would love to go down these more ‘people centred’ routes but for whom available investment is tied to the transfer of buildings.

So good luck to the Asset Transfer Unit.  But let’s remember that the principal assets in our communities are people and their potential.  Not run down buildings.  If we really want to  get a  return on our investment in asset based development then let’s at least consider putting that investment into the real assets – people.

There are other approaches to asset based community development that could be considered.  At the moment policy and funding in the UK tilts the playing field so heavily in favour of community ownership of bricks and  mortar that it is hard for the alternatives to get an airing.

But perhaps this is set to change?

I’d love to hear your thoughts…..

Complexity from Simplicity

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This video provides a useful and at times very beautiful introduction to the topics of complexity and emergence – which offer us a very different way to think about our organisations and how we manage them.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdQgoNitl1g]

and this one takes the journey a little further:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5NRNG1r_jI]

If you want to see how you can use these ideas to improve your leadership and management then do get in touch.

The Future of a Community…

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What determines the future of a community?  Whether it becomes a place where most of its members live happy and fulfilled lives or ones that are full of misery and fear?

Does it depend on the decisions made by planners and politicians in national and local government? On what we might call ‘the planners paradigm’ where architects, planners, policy makers and property developers shape the places in which we live.

Or, does it depend on which entrepreneurs decide to operate in the community? On whether ‘Big Business’ comes to town or not?  On whether we can encourage enough of the creative class to join our community?  On what we might call ‘the entrepreneurial paradigm’ where the presence of many vibrant and creative entrepreneurs (that special breed) provide employment, products and services for those of us somehow less gifted?  Who create the wealth and taxes that provide the rest of us with our livelihoods and public services.

Or does it depend on the extent to which everyone is supported to recognise their passions and develop their capability to act in ways that make things better for themselves, their families, their community and the planet as a whole?  On the extent to which people are valued by others in the community and able to use the resources of knowledge and experience available to them to make progress?  What we might call ‘the capability paradigm’.

Of course all of these things have an impact.  If the planners provide poor infrastructure, or if big business hoovers up money from the community and filters it back to distant shareholders then it may be more difficult to develop a sustainable and vibrant community. But not impossible.

I believe that communities which learn how to respond to and support individuals and groups within their ranks who are seeking to make progress; who learn how to access, harness and develop capabilities and potentials will steadily become both more cohesive and harmonious.  That ‘the capability paradigm’ holds the most effective key to building great communities.  Communities that embrace it, and learn to master it, will be reported by those living in them as good places to be.  They will start to become wealthier and healthier than their more fragmented, less connected counterparts.

But most importantly they will become more fulfilling places to live.

Jumping on the Enterprise Coaching Bandwagon

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Interesting to see how much effort is starting to go into selling qualifications and training to the enterprise coaching market.

SFEDI Enterprise are launching their Endorsed Award in Enterprise Coaching and ILM are pitching their coaching qualifications (other suppliers are available).

I am  not sure that now is the right time to be pursuing qualifications.  Of course it makes sense for the employers to have qualified staff, and it makes sense for coaches to have qualifications, but does it really serve the customer?  Will it support the reflective practice and development which our nascent profession demands?

Do we not risk converging too quickly on tried and tested methodologies?  On embedding lowest common denominator practices?  Do we not put the focus too early on ‘proving our competence’ rather than reflecting on and developing our practice?

Let’s avoid the bittersweet seduction of qualifications and instead pursue the development and recognition of methodologies that work in our communities, with our customers in our contexts.  Let’s avoid the one size fits all mentality and lets encourage innovation and creativity in pursuit of our full potential.