Frameworks for collaboration
17 ways the Community Kitchen at Saanich Neighbourhood Place = good collaboration
My timing was good. The day I visited the Community Kitchen at Saanich Neighbourhood Place, there were oodles of cookies, strudels, zucchinni/spinach quiche and soup being prepared. All of which I like very much. I was there to learn about community kitchens.
There are 3 community kitchens currently based out of Saanich Neighbourhood Place (SNP), part [...]
It’s time for a Centre for Social Innovation in Victoria
I’m a fan of the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto. It’s a dynamic model of collaboration for public good. We could use one like it, here in Victoria, for Southern Vancouver Island.
Last year, I wrote here about the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), and their executive director, Ashoka Fellow Tonya Surman. (Ashoka Fellows are [...]
Wonder Café: Online conversations are changing The United Church of Canada
It’s challenging being a “mainstream” Christian church these days, in Canada. Declining membership, aging congregations, questions about ‘relevancy’, not to mention dealing with the Indian residential school legacy, witness Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Yet, paradoxically, there is opportunity. Opportunity to reach out, engage, dialogue, explore new possibilities… This is the approach The United Church of [...]
The Green Collective: Using co-opetition to promote local businesses
Are you looking for eco-friendly and socially responsible products and services? In Victoria, the Green Collective, an affiliation of Victoria shops, utilizing the philosophy of “co-opetition”, makes it easier for you to make ethical, purchasing decisions.
A group of small, locally owned and operated “green”business, the Green Collective helps consumers align their spending with their values, [...]
Victoria’s Collaborative Family Law Group – raising the bar on ways to manage family conflict
The Collaborative Family Law Group (CFLG) is a Victoria-based interdisciplinary group of independent professionals, whose mission is to “encourage and promote a new process to create positive solutions for people in conflict and families in transition.” Indeed… that’s why I’m a fan of theirs.
Recently I attended, as a guest, one of the regular monthly CFLG [...]
Are you welcome in your neighbourhood?
Walk down any street in your neighbourhood. How do you feel as you walk along? Do you feel welcome or is it a closed shop?
Structure influences behaviour. Just like the many ways to physically structure your office for collaboration, how we structure our personal property influences our relationship with our neighbours. We can structure our [...]
It takes a system to change a system
“It takes a system to change a system.” I love that phrase. I came across it a couple weeks ago when reading British Columbia mediator/lawyer Nancy Cameron’s excellent book Collaborative Practice: Deepening the Dialogue. This book is a road map for family lawyers making the journey from traditional litigation to collaborative practice.
Now, I’m not a [...]
The good farmer: An expert in relationships and sustainability
There is a view of farmers that I believe seriously undervalues their value, in the bigger scheme of things. I’ve thought this for a long time. It goes back to my early years living on my late Dad’s farm. He grew crops and raised pigs for market. Yet; he was also a German Jewish intellectual, [...]
Gift the “Open Source” spirit to your next collaboration
Open Source is both a way of working together and a state-of-mind. Typically associated with an approach to software development, it’s also a philosophy, and something I think aligns with a spirit of generosity and authentic collaboration, even if your project is not focused on software development.
The Open Source spirit
Brian Behlendorf is a true pioneer [...]
Shipped: Collaborative Maxims – Principles for working together in an organization
A few weeks back, I passed my 1-year anniversary as a blogger. Knowing how important it is (so Seth Godin says in Linchpin) to “ship”, to “execute”, I thought I’d do some (humble) shipping of my own.
Yesterday, I published an e-book…
“Collaborative Maxims: Principles for working together in an organization”
You can view/download a copy here. [...]
Ben Ziegler on 
