It seems to be a characteristic of my Sunday blog that it is informed by stories in the Observer. I want to make connections between four features in today's Observer with reflections on session I had with my colleague Jackie Jeffrey - see blog of 20 March
First - what might be the connection between these four features in Observer today - all in main News Section?
' Don't Destroy our universities. Our future depends on them' by Will Hutton on page 40
'Unions could be such a force for Good' by Nick Cohen on page 41
' Little to spend, little to celebrate: Darling must think outside the box' by Hetaher Stewart pg 50'
'Ethical Investing sees wind of change' by Lisa Bachelor on page 55
Oh, and I could also throw in 'Red Knights aim to win control of Manchester United in June with a £1.25bn bid' by Richard Waachman on page 49!
Without going into con-text of each piece, these are the themes that resonated with me which were to do with
- Need for imagination, look for alternative possibilities
- New alliances, partnerships outside of predictable political/corporate ways of doing things
On the first day of Spring there seem glimmerings of new hope and horizons for business and indeed the UK 'tired' and bored with the Status Quo. Back now to conversations with Jackie (see previous blog) and her concept of alliances. Here are some notes I made on the bus yesterday. For those unable/ unwilling to read previous blog the context for this is a Professional Doctorate Jackie is trying to nail around her campaigning for giving play team leaders in S Africa opportunity to 'immesre themselves' in different culture thereby enabling them better to recognise their own identity and capabilities when they returnEd to their own culture. Jackie calls herself a 'Social Edupreneur'.
She describes a journey of challenges with all manner of political and bureacratic beasts and how simply 'telling stories' can itself galvanise a situation allowing for new possibilities and above all, ALIGNMENTS.. She illustrates how she has managed to get support and funding for a range of projects from the franchise of a forest in Kent where the young (and not so young) can learn to play and heal their lives to an eco-village in Gambia where she has support from the Government of the day.
She makes a distinction between mere SHARING to ALIGNMENT. Only in the latter process, she argues, is the unique voice of the individual or indeed groups of individuals respected. By definition, alignment presupposes there is a 'diversity' of views that need to be aligned . She also demonstartes that to work, to really have value, 'alignment' implies a cost: that to work there must be real resources committed which could be money, people, ideas, 'place'
It just strikes me that if we can only stop being mesmersiued by 'the plan', 'the targets' imposed upon and us and look around at the freedom we all have to become who and what we need to be ...what a world it would be. GO ON YOU RED KNIGHTS!
Somehow , I think my blogging, is takinjg off into different directions! Jackie, I would welcome your observations as I would from those who have managed to find me
Until next week, then
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Hi there Jackie here. Thank you Peter for including our conversation on your blog. Always interesting to see someone else's interpretation provides another useful point for reflection - as always. Anyway, greetings to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe whole idea of alignment interests me greatly. I acknowledge the influence of Wenger in supporting my exploration of alignment rather than sharing. I have come to view alignment as an approach that for me has diversity embedded within it.
I work within different communities who are often perceived as being in need of external support. They are heavily reliant on funding sources which use narrow definitions/acceptance criteria that stress aspects of their social identity that are deemed in need of 'regeneration'.
This as a cultural narrative becomes part of the common understanding and holds people in positions of the powerful and the powerless. I have come to believe a fundamental issues within our society is the rigidity of such positions. However from a more flexible position of alignment, each unique individual contributes counts to making the whole 'thing' work. It is an emergent process where all gifts are treasured and actions constructed to make use of all that is on offer. This is a living process and as such exists today but may not tomorrow - the implications for those who love to maintain control are immense as the outcome of true alignment is generative action that is difficult to stop or control as it breaks all the rules of association
As we get to know each other I am really interested to share more of our stories in the hope that some part of our stories align and then hey presto........
Hello i am currently studying the WBL course and Peter Bryant is my advisor. He recommended me to your blog.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering and think it would be beneficial to maybe include a little about yourself and what you do on your profile so people can learn about you and what you do?
Do you happen to be a Man U supporter? I also like what Jakie has done in Gambia :-)