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Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed
A practical, inspirational, revolutionary guide to social innovation
Many of us have a deep desire to make the world around us a better place. But often our good intentions are undermined by the fear that we are so insignificant in the big scheme of things that nothing we can do will actually help feed the world’s hungry, fix the damage of a Hurricane Katrina or even get a healthy lunch program up and running in the local school. We tend to think that great social change is the province of heroes – an intimidating view of reality that keeps ordinary people on the couch. But extraordinary leaders such as Gandhi and even unlikely social activists such as Bob Geldof most often see themselves as harnessing the forces around them, rather than singlehandedly setting those forces in motion. The trick in any great social project – from the global fight against AIDS to working to eradicate poverty in a single Canadian city – is to stop looking at the discrete elements and start trying to understand the complex relationships between them. By studying fascinating real-life examples of social change through this systems-and-relationships lens, the authors of Getting to Maybe tease out the rules of engagement between volunteers, leaders, organizations and circumstance – between individuals and what Shakespeare called “the tide in the affairs of men.”
Getting to Maybe applies the insights of complexity theory and harvests the experiences of a wide range of people and organizations – including the ministers behind the Boston Miracle (and its aftermath); the Grameen Bank, in which one man’s dream of micro-credit sparked a financial revolution for the world’s poor; the efforts of a Canadian clothing designer to help transform the lives of aboriginal women and children; and many more – to lay out a brand new way of thinking about making change in communities, in business, and in the world.
Many of us have a deep desire to make the world around us a better place. But often our good intentions are undermined by the fear that we are so insignificant in the big scheme of things that nothing we can do will actually help feed the world’s hungry, fix the damage of a Hurricane Katrina or even get a healthy lunch program up and running in the local school. We tend to think that great social change is the province of heroes – an intimidating view of reality that keeps ordinary people on the couch. But extraordinary leaders such as Gandhi and even unlikely social activists such as Bob Geldof most often see themselves as harnessing the forces around them, rather than singlehandedly setting those forces in motion. The trick in any great social project – from the global fight against AIDS to working to eradicate poverty in a single Canadian city – is to stop looking at the discrete elements and start trying to understand the complex relationships between them. By studying fascinating real-life examples of social change through this systems-and-relationships lens, the authors of Getting to Maybe tease out the rules of engagement between volunteers, leaders, organizations and circumstance – between individuals and what Shakespeare called “the tide in the affairs of men.”
Getting to Maybe applies the insights of complexity theory and harvests the experiences of a wide range of people and organizations – including the ministers behind the Boston Miracle (and its aftermath); the Grameen Bank, in which one man’s dream of micro-credit sparked a financial revolution for the world’s poor; the efforts of a Canadian clothing designer to help transform the lives of aboriginal women and children; and many more – to lay out a brand new way of thinking about making change in communities, in business, and in the world.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2006
76 people are currently reading
1055 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 29, 2014
The moment you quote Mary Oliver's poem "Wild Geese" and try to act like it's about the momentum of social movements is the moment I stop reading your book and throw it at the bleeping wall.
(This was the last straw of many egregious assaults on poetry.)
(Besides that, I found it trite, redundant, and criminally simplistic.)
(This was the last straw of many egregious assaults on poetry.)
(Besides that, I found it trite, redundant, and criminally simplistic.)
April 7, 2019
This book got me dreaming, sombre, critical, hopeful, wondering and focused all at the same time..
And I do think that is what it was going for. Being a social innovator is a different way of living. You live and survive on this undying belief in a certain way of life. Where most people say, “this is not right” as a social innovator you ask what can I do about it.
That is where the beautiful trap is. The trap of a goal to change things but not really knowing exactly how to make it work. And it does have added complexities I think compared to your business which just goes for the bottom line. As an innovator, you actively trying to do good, right which opens you up to a can of worms and challenges.
And I do feel Westley and co really did well to capture that experience and reality. Its broadness might annoy some readers who might feel it doesn’t go into detail about specific problems they face. What we can get though is realizing that there is a whole community of social innovators out there, all at different stages and this book is for the family of innovators.
In conclusion, I’ll place some of my favorite quotes, that also seek to the main themes found in the book. I highly recommend it to innovators out there.
“How we think and understand the world frames our actions.”
“For some, the call becomes a long term act of devotion, a weaving of identity and destiny, an effort to combine what they most love and believe with that they do in the world.”
“certainty is rare among social innovators.”
“we are not free from the responsibility to act in accordance with our calling, yet we should not claim for credit or responsibility for the results of our actions.”
“Allow for imperfections: in yourself and others.”
“success (in social innovation) is not a fixed address and failure can open the way to success.”
“Developmental evaluation is about learning what works, acknowledging what doesn’t work and learning to tell the difference.”
“Stockdale paradox: eyes on the stars, feet on the ground.”
And I do think that is what it was going for. Being a social innovator is a different way of living. You live and survive on this undying belief in a certain way of life. Where most people say, “this is not right” as a social innovator you ask what can I do about it.
That is where the beautiful trap is. The trap of a goal to change things but not really knowing exactly how to make it work. And it does have added complexities I think compared to your business which just goes for the bottom line. As an innovator, you actively trying to do good, right which opens you up to a can of worms and challenges.
And I do feel Westley and co really did well to capture that experience and reality. Its broadness might annoy some readers who might feel it doesn’t go into detail about specific problems they face. What we can get though is realizing that there is a whole community of social innovators out there, all at different stages and this book is for the family of innovators.
In conclusion, I’ll place some of my favorite quotes, that also seek to the main themes found in the book. I highly recommend it to innovators out there.
“How we think and understand the world frames our actions.”
“For some, the call becomes a long term act of devotion, a weaving of identity and destiny, an effort to combine what they most love and believe with that they do in the world.”
“certainty is rare among social innovators.”
“we are not free from the responsibility to act in accordance with our calling, yet we should not claim for credit or responsibility for the results of our actions.”
“Allow for imperfections: in yourself and others.”
“success (in social innovation) is not a fixed address and failure can open the way to success.”
“Developmental evaluation is about learning what works, acknowledging what doesn’t work and learning to tell the difference.”
“Stockdale paradox: eyes on the stars, feet on the ground.”
September 3, 2011
This may be one of the most enlightening books on social change I have read in a long time. The authors are long time activists and students of what they call "social innovation" which they describe in numerous ways are efforts to bring about significant transformation in commonly established practices. In the preface it says: "this book is for flawed people.... who are not happy with the way things are and would like to make a difference". The preface begins by describing former Czech president Vaclav Havel's concept of hope as "...a dimension of the spirit...[and]not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out."
The authors go on to explain the basic concepts and tenets of complexity theory and how it relates to social innovation. Their basic thesis is that people who want to make a positive difference in the world must be grounded in a strong sense of ethics and values, and be willing to enter into arenas of uncertainty where they neither control nor know all the forces at play in a given situation. What they control is their conviction to make a difference and what they know is that they are often dealing with systemic issues that react and respond in non-rational and surprising ways. They use real life examples of significant change like the 10 Point Coalition in Boston (which addressed gun violence) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (which led the way in toughening drunk driving laws). Each chapter is prefaced with a poem that in some way illuminates the concepts they are trying to convey and illustrate.
One does not come away with a step by step plan for social change, but one does come away with something of what it takes to be a social innovator and the forces one must be aware of. I certainly come away with a desire to learn more about complexity/chaos theory and how it relates to leadership in general but also the causes and concerns that I care most deeply about.
The authors go on to explain the basic concepts and tenets of complexity theory and how it relates to social innovation. Their basic thesis is that people who want to make a positive difference in the world must be grounded in a strong sense of ethics and values, and be willing to enter into arenas of uncertainty where they neither control nor know all the forces at play in a given situation. What they control is their conviction to make a difference and what they know is that they are often dealing with systemic issues that react and respond in non-rational and surprising ways. They use real life examples of significant change like the 10 Point Coalition in Boston (which addressed gun violence) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (which led the way in toughening drunk driving laws). Each chapter is prefaced with a poem that in some way illuminates the concepts they are trying to convey and illustrate.
One does not come away with a step by step plan for social change, but one does come away with something of what it takes to be a social innovator and the forces one must be aware of. I certainly come away with a desire to learn more about complexity/chaos theory and how it relates to leadership in general but also the causes and concerns that I care most deeply about.
September 17, 2013
Inspiring discussion of social change as force for transformation. I recommend this for all social innovators, visionaries and anyone interested in creating or transitioning change in the world today. Well presented, written and articulated with numerous appropriate examples to encourage and inspire passionate engagement where ever one has juice.
from the notes "While traditional evaluation judges mistakes and unattained objectives as failures, developmental evaluation treats them as learning opportunities and chances to make corrections or to take a new path. The only real failure is the failure to learn Accountability shifts from compliance to learning: not just any learning, but learning that bears the burden of demonstrating that it can, does and will inform future action."
from the notes "While traditional evaluation judges mistakes and unattained objectives as failures, developmental evaluation treats them as learning opportunities and chances to make corrections or to take a new path. The only real failure is the failure to learn Accountability shifts from compliance to learning: not just any learning, but learning that bears the burden of demonstrating that it can, does and will inform future action."
February 4, 2017
Great book on social innovation! So many interesting stories from both the private and public sectors. This book sparked insightful conversations on both my personal and professional life.
August 9, 2022
Getting to Maybe promises to make us effective agents of change by telling us how to improve the world by applying the science and process of social innovation.
The eight chapters of this braided book weave an artistry of poetry and prose containing evocative stories of leadership and social change with iterative directives and questions from complexity science.
This book will teach you how to parse the known and unknown, how to be risky and safe, and how to reflect and react as you lead. Getting to Maybe truly epitomizes the complexity of changing people’s hearts, minds and souls. This book highlights how ordinary people can create extraordinary outcomes because they hope for what could be rather than accepting what is.
If you do not know the story of Linda Lundström (and others like her), read the book. Lundström designs and makes women's clothing. She grew up in a community that included many First Nation families. When as a youngster she was faced by the reality of racism, she was moved to act. She returned to her hometown and applied her knowledge, skill and drive to engage the women and children, to offer hope and opportunity. This is the beginning of social transformation. Lundström is facing her own challenges in dealing with the globalization of the fashion industry. In some form, she will re-emerge; just read the back of every price tag attached to her products: "I have a strong belief in the power of positive energy that all women are capable of radiating towards those we know, each other and the rest of the world."
Important excerpts:
Fear of failure— or perhaps, more accurately, fear of less than complete success— creates a barrier to acknowledging what's not working, sharing
that understanding with others, and learning from each other as a community of innovators. It's natural to attempt to avoid criticism and judgment by keeping your own counsel and hiding from those who would force a confrontation with cold reality. In contrast, the leaders of the Hope Community engaged with critics and skeptics and used those encounters to examine their assumptions, test their progress and reaffirm their vision.
*
Etmanski and Cammack recognized that, at bottom, their work was about citizenship: What is citizenship based on? What does it mean? How can we reconstruct our definitions of citizenship to acknowledge the rights
and responsibilities of all of us? The reach of these questions extended to not only people with disabilities but also anyone who was marginalized in some way—the homeless, people with addictions, minorities.
The eight chapters of this braided book weave an artistry of poetry and prose containing evocative stories of leadership and social change with iterative directives and questions from complexity science.
This book will teach you how to parse the known and unknown, how to be risky and safe, and how to reflect and react as you lead. Getting to Maybe truly epitomizes the complexity of changing people’s hearts, minds and souls. This book highlights how ordinary people can create extraordinary outcomes because they hope for what could be rather than accepting what is.
If you do not know the story of Linda Lundström (and others like her), read the book. Lundström designs and makes women's clothing. She grew up in a community that included many First Nation families. When as a youngster she was faced by the reality of racism, she was moved to act. She returned to her hometown and applied her knowledge, skill and drive to engage the women and children, to offer hope and opportunity. This is the beginning of social transformation. Lundström is facing her own challenges in dealing with the globalization of the fashion industry. In some form, she will re-emerge; just read the back of every price tag attached to her products: "I have a strong belief in the power of positive energy that all women are capable of radiating towards those we know, each other and the rest of the world."
Important excerpts:
Fear of failure— or perhaps, more accurately, fear of less than complete success— creates a barrier to acknowledging what's not working, sharing
that understanding with others, and learning from each other as a community of innovators. It's natural to attempt to avoid criticism and judgment by keeping your own counsel and hiding from those who would force a confrontation with cold reality. In contrast, the leaders of the Hope Community engaged with critics and skeptics and used those encounters to examine their assumptions, test their progress and reaffirm their vision.
*
Etmanski and Cammack recognized that, at bottom, their work was about citizenship: What is citizenship based on? What does it mean? How can we reconstruct our definitions of citizenship to acknowledge the rights
and responsibilities of all of us? The reach of these questions extended to not only people with disabilities but also anyone who was marginalized in some way—the homeless, people with addictions, minorities.
February 18, 2021
In this book, I was hoping for a thorough analysis of social movements—instead it ended up providing some stories of (mostly) small events and basically ascribed the flow of social change to feelings and in-the-moment ideas that come to people. The author spoke against holding meetings and maintaining systems of accountability since this is supposed to stunt the work of progress. I admire the sentiments of the book—it's very good to seek to improve the world and to inspire others to do the same. It's good to answer calls for the world's betterment when you sense them. However, I think that if this book was mostly just meant to be a source of motivation and a rough outline of how good things in the societal realm happen, it should have been advertised as such instead of "How the World is Changed" (implying that it's some type of in depth analysis).
I won't tell you not to read the book—I know that it's been helpful and inspiring for others. In my case though, I was not super impressed.
I won't tell you not to read the book—I know that it's been helpful and inspiring for others. In my case though, I was not super impressed.
January 20, 2019
A few notes. This book deals with more of the theory and explanation of how social progress takes hold opposed to practical specific advice. Which is completely reasonable in hindsight but I went into it expecting some more practical information. It's also written from a Canadian perspective and many of the examples are Canadian organisations.
I had an incredibly hard time reading this book, my mind kept wandering as I read. But I'm giving it 5 stars because it appears to be a well constructed, well researched, and well argument overview of the forces involved in achieving social change. If you read one book this year on the the necessary and sufficient conditions required to achieve social progress you could certainly do worse than this book.
I had an incredibly hard time reading this book, my mind kept wandering as I read. But I'm giving it 5 stars because it appears to be a well constructed, well researched, and well argument overview of the forces involved in achieving social change. If you read one book this year on the the necessary and sufficient conditions required to achieve social progress you could certainly do worse than this book.
June 11, 2019
A practical and encouraging guide to making change. I love the fact that the authors are honest about the fact that there's no one-size-fits-all recipe for building a better world. You have to be willing to try different things and you have to be prepared to shift strategies when (inevitably) some of the things you decide to try end up not working. The ultimate message is one of hope: yes, the path to making lasting change may be unpredictable and long, but don't let that stop you from trying things right now and looking for opportunities to join forces with other people who share your commitment to building a better world. That means thinking about where you are and who you are and how you can make a difference.
June 16, 2019
I didn't get a ton out of this book, but what I did get was good. The basic premise of the book is that social change is hard, and it's impossible to guarantee it, but what can we do to make the chances of social change as realistic as possible? The authors do a solid job of presenting their own experience as well as the stories of groups that have been successful in enacting even very small changes, and tracking the underlying strategies and values that made those successes possible. I really appreciated the humble tone and the positive ethics of the book, and many of the poems and passages quoted by the authors were inspiring enough to copy down.
July 18, 2021
There's not much "there" there. There is a lot of poetry and, while I like poetry and sometimes even love it, it did nothing to tell me anything about how to be better at social change. They use the term "complexity theory," but they never define it. It seems to be important to the thesis of the book (it's mentioned many times and in terms that make it seem to be an important underlying theory) but it's only mentioned glancingly. There's a lot of good information in complexity theory but you have to go elsewhere to get it. The whole thing felt very vague, designed more to give me a happy feeling that actually shape my thinking in a specific way.
October 20, 2019
Great Premise, Okay Delivery
This book confronts many common misnomers about leadership and offers wisdom about how complex change really takes place. There were some real nuggets within, but it was interspersed with incredibly long anecdotes and presented in a cyclical fashion that made it hard to track at times. Perhaps this was intentional; the authors may be philosophically opposed to linear, direct communication just as much as they are opposed to top-down mechanistic leadership models. But personally I would have preferred a little more order!
This book confronts many common misnomers about leadership and offers wisdom about how complex change really takes place. There were some real nuggets within, but it was interspersed with incredibly long anecdotes and presented in a cyclical fashion that made it hard to track at times. Perhaps this was intentional; the authors may be philosophically opposed to linear, direct communication just as much as they are opposed to top-down mechanistic leadership models. But personally I would have preferred a little more order!
November 27, 2017
Read for school but really enjoyed. This isn't a particularly difficult read and I was familiar with many of the complexity theory ideas that the authors talked about but I found the overall message of using passion, action and relationships to support social innovation was clear and the examples used contributed to a deeper learning. Developmental evaluation is MQP's thing and I think it was nicely woven in, although I would have liked to see a better explanation of what it really is.
July 25, 2020
I just couldn't finish this book. I picked it up as Frances Westley was from Waterloo region and was being honoured at the Working Centre's mayor's dinner but since the dinner went virtual due to COVID-19, I didn't attend and lost interest in this book.
February 24, 2017
This is a five-star work related read that is deserves the rating for its role in enabling an accessible understanding of complexity, and how we can get to "maybe" on social issues.
January 16, 2017
After the tumultuous year of 2016, it seems fitting that the first book I finished this year was Getting to Maybe. This is not the first time I have read this book. I read it for a class in my third year of university and I did not understand it at all. How was this book supposed to help people initiate social change? Why was everything described in metaphors? It was too vague, too unconnected to my life. It didn't provide answers, and it didn't inspire me, so I felt it was something of a failure in that sense. But I kept it anyway.
I'm at a different place in my life. I have been thinking a lot about how we give back to the world. What do we do to help each other? How do people devote themselves to leaving things better than they found it? There are a lot of issues I care about. But how does that translate into action (outside of social media likes or petitions)?
Getting to Maybe does not have the answers to those questions. But it does have a lot of examples, and a critical look at the highs and lows and overall complexity of trying to create social change. It doesn't shy away from describing how sometimes things don't work out the way you'd like them too. How when you try to change something you feel is wong, the first and strongest reaction will be the world pushing back at you. Change doesn't come easy, but there is always a chance. And if you're willing to work for it, you can find that maybe.
I'm at a different place in my life. I have been thinking a lot about how we give back to the world. What do we do to help each other? How do people devote themselves to leaving things better than they found it? There are a lot of issues I care about. But how does that translate into action (outside of social media likes or petitions)?
Getting to Maybe does not have the answers to those questions. But it does have a lot of examples, and a critical look at the highs and lows and overall complexity of trying to create social change. It doesn't shy away from describing how sometimes things don't work out the way you'd like them too. How when you try to change something you feel is wong, the first and strongest reaction will be the world pushing back at you. Change doesn't come easy, but there is always a chance. And if you're willing to work for it, you can find that maybe.
May 23, 2015
Many uplifting stories here and much encouragement. Boiled down to less than the sum of its parts the message is this: Social change is hard, but the need for it never ends, so keep trying because change comes from the oddest places, and every helpful action, no matter how small, pushes in a positive direction. If enough snowflakes fall on a branch, it will bend and eventually break (or, not mentioned, the snowflakes will all slide off …).
About reading the origin story of micro lending in Bangladesh: It is easy to get angry, but if you think about it, you start to wonder who you should be angry with. Were the money lenders creeps for charging so much interest that the basket weavers could only borrow for one day, with two cents left over to feed their family? Or were the money lenders also being squeezed by their sources? Is there no other work? Why charge interest at all? If the answer is ‘because of the risk of other borrowers defaulting,’ then you need to look at how much risk is being priced into each loan. Should money lenders be permitted to make a huge margin, or only enough to cover their costs and the default risk, or should we let ‘the market’ decide? If you point out the market is amoral, then you find that you are demonized on Fox News and in the WSJ for questioning the premise of capitalism.
About reading the origin story of micro lending in Bangladesh: It is easy to get angry, but if you think about it, you start to wonder who you should be angry with. Were the money lenders creeps for charging so much interest that the basket weavers could only borrow for one day, with two cents left over to feed their family? Or were the money lenders also being squeezed by their sources? Is there no other work? Why charge interest at all? If the answer is ‘because of the risk of other borrowers defaulting,’ then you need to look at how much risk is being priced into each loan. Should money lenders be permitted to make a huge margin, or only enough to cover their costs and the default risk, or should we let ‘the market’ decide? If you point out the market is amoral, then you find that you are demonized on Fox News and in the WSJ for questioning the premise of capitalism.
October 1, 2016
I was initially drawn to this book by a talk on complexity by Brenda Zimmerman that I watched on YouTube. I was hoping the book would expand on the topics discussed by Dr. Zimmerman, which I found very interesting. The book (co-authored by Zimmerman) does discuss Complexity Theory, but just briefly, in an initial chapter. The rest of the book is composed by a series of chapters that contain recommendations to social innovators and facilitators of social innovation (e.g. policy makers).
I think the book is well written and contains a lot of interesting ideas. However, it failed to interest me enough to actually engage with those ideas.
The book is definitely useful for people who are already social innovators or social entrepreneurs. So, if you belong to this group, go and read it: you will get a lot out of it. If, however, you are just looking for a book that can give you an introduction to the complex world of social innovation and can inspire you, this might not be the ideal book to read.
I think the book is well written and contains a lot of interesting ideas. However, it failed to interest me enough to actually engage with those ideas.
The book is definitely useful for people who are already social innovators or social entrepreneurs. So, if you belong to this group, go and read it: you will get a lot out of it. If, however, you are just looking for a book that can give you an introduction to the complex world of social innovation and can inspire you, this might not be the ideal book to read.
August 14, 2016
With the emphasis on complexity science, parts of this book reminded me of Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise. There are nuggets of wisdom in this book that I found useful, especially that it's useful to reflect on the underlying "rules" of a given system that give rise to the nature of the phenomena within that system. Other design principles cited are not particularly new, but that doesn't mean that they aren't useful. That said, there's a lot of fluff in this book, and I found that I was skimming most of it. If I were part of a funding organization, I think more of the book would have felt useful to me.
October 26, 2015
Wanna change something important? Read this first.
I love stories and this book provides a framework for engaging in what they call social innovation through the stories of people's successes and failures in trying to do the same. Some people everyone knows, others not. I'm still seeking to determine how this book is applicable to the big problems of racism, for instance, that span local or even national contexts. But I think they authors would say that is probably the wrong way to think about it. Hmmm. Just finished reading so perhaps I'll have more to say after, as the authors suggest, I've "sat still" with it for a while.
I love stories and this book provides a framework for engaging in what they call social innovation through the stories of people's successes and failures in trying to do the same. Some people everyone knows, others not. I'm still seeking to determine how this book is applicable to the big problems of racism, for instance, that span local or even national contexts. But I think they authors would say that is probably the wrong way to think about it. Hmmm. Just finished reading so perhaps I'll have more to say after, as the authors suggest, I've "sat still" with it for a while.
September 6, 2016
Yet another take on managing change in a complex world, this time from the vantage point of social entrepreneurs and activists. Complexity theory serves as a (metaphorical) background to illuminate and deepen concepts. The book is littered with case studies, the vast majority of them from a North American realm. There are some interesting bits on 'developmental evaluation', a theme that is elaborated in much more detail in Michael Quinn Patton's eponymous book. I'd give it 3,5 stars.
May 20, 2014
I would recommend this book to anybody who has ever wondered why things have to be the way they are and what they can do to make it better. I really enjoyed this book because it wasn't one that sells you false hope about your personal ability to change the world, but rather it provides guidelines an
May 31, 2015
A good companion book to books and reading material on systems theory and complexity theory. Lots of cases sited and examples which can be useful real world references.
You will not learn systems theory or complexity theory by reading this book. It is more about how those theories are used in real world situations.
You will not learn systems theory or complexity theory by reading this book. It is more about how those theories are used in real world situations.
July 12, 2009
A bit longer than it needed to be, but lots of wonderful examples of how people bring about change by using not-the-usual tactics in highly complex situations where linear, strategic planning just doesn't work. Really enjoyed it, lots of good things to think about.
December 2, 2009
I think this book would be a lot more valuable for someone who is actually trying to take an innovative non-profit idea off the ground. Otherwise, it presents a lot of interesting ideas in a very lose framework, and I found most of it difficult to retain.
April 4, 2016
Getting to Maybe was a good, inspiring introduction to social innovation. I particularly found the stories used to explain complexity theory useful. It is a good summary and overview of social innovation and systems thinking.
May 21, 2008
rocking my world. deep and sharp and gentle and inspiring.
no time to elaborate.
no time to elaborate.
December 7, 2008
Bits and pieces of inspiration for the community organizer, non-profit crowd. But structure is poor and the examples become unnecessary after awhile. Would have made a better essay than book.
February 15, 2009
去年の夏頃に買った本
社会の改善・革新がひとりの強いリーダーが行ったというのではなく、どこにでもいるような人が適切なタイミングで社会を変える「流れ」を作ったんだという感じの話。社会の改善は誰にでもできるというのが主旨。「複雑系」「ティッピングポイント」などのキーワードを社会革新（ソーシャルイノベーション）に適用して話を展開しているところが面白い。
社会の改善・革新がひとりの強いリーダーが行ったというのではなく、どこにでもいるような人が適切なタイミングで社会を変える「流れ」を作ったんだという感じの話。社会の改善は誰にでもできるというのが主旨。「複雑系」「ティッピングポイント」などのキーワードを社会革新（ソーシャルイノベーション）に適用して話を展開しているところが面白い。
January 9, 2011
Interesting, but only relevant if you're a philanthropist or leading a social welfare non-profit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews