We-think is a project started by Charles Leadbeater as an exploration of and experiment in collaborative creativity. In fact, mass user-driven innovation is reshaping organizations, with users becoming increasingly involved as co-creators of products and services. We've been talking about it for a couple of days, participation and not consumption or work is the key organizing idea of the present and increasingly the future.
To prove his theory, Leadbeater has made the full draft of his book available for downloading and commenting. The publication date was projected to be this summer. The first concept we encounter is that of the barefoot world, were
demand generates its own supply, because the consumers can become producers, the learners can become teachers,when they are equipped with skills and tools and motivated to help themselves.
You will be happy to know that our educated guesses over new commons were spot on [emphasis mine].
A growing band of organizations in future will resurrect ancient ideas and meld them with new technology. One such resurrection is the idea of the “commons” a feature of village life for centuries: a common resource, like a wood or grazing land, held in loose, self-regulated shared ownership for villagers to graze their flocks on.The likes of Wikipedia and Linux organize their activities around a digital version of the commons. [...]
[...] Innovation is a social, cumulative and collaborative activity; ideas will flow back up the pipeline from consumers and they will share them amongst themselves. That is why the next big thing will be us: our power to share and develop ideas,without having to rely on formal organizations to do it all for us.
To put it with Leadbearer, these barefoot, self-organized and adaptive groups are more akin to rolling creative conversations. Technology has already leveled the playing field for us all, the barriers to entry are almost non existent -- there are many more ears and eyes on the ground now and the tools have given us new voices.
With all these new voices, you might think that there would be cacophony in communication -- noise vs. signal. The opposite is happening. Because there are more voices, there are more conversations that attract more talent and resources in the creative process. In turn, each creator and contributor is taking the opportunity to develop a voice that is distinct and different -- their brand essence. What is your brand essence? That is the subject of my post at The Blog Herald.