... a beginner at something

The Culture Game

Daniel Mezick's new book for the agile manager due out in March. He was so kind to offer me a preview, from which I quote.

 

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION

Everything is changing, and changing more rapidly than ever before. The rate of this change is increasing like never before.

In 1978, Chris Argyris & Donald Schön published Organizational Learning.

In 1990, Peter Senge published The Fifth Discipline.

In 2001, a tribe of pioneering people in software wrote The Agile Manifesto.

In 2008, Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright wrote Tribal Leadership.

Crowdsourcing to improve a standard. The ISO 9001 survey.

Here is a rare chance to experience and get insights into how an organization approaches their audience that buys and reads their kind of short books: standards.

Millions of organizations use ISO 9001, for example as a contract supplement for business-to-business transactions. The standard specifies generic requirements for a quality management system, aimed at enhancing trust a company can deliver what they promise. It mainly does this through specifying a few generic processes, through internal and external auditing and by continual improvement. The standard comes on 35 pages for some $120. No, I do not sell it and I do not benefit from its sales.

If you or your company is using or influenced by the ISO 9000 series of standards in any significant way, please take the ISO 9000 Survey. It takes about 30 minutes. The time you save may be your own, whether you read for interest, apply for improvement, get certified, audit for compliance, or consult for others. How? Imagine the ways this collaboration shapes the next revision of the standard.

Getting into the open innovation revolution

Do you like to figure out gadgets before you open a manual?

If so, then treat this book as a gadget. I mean, do not follow instructions like read from front-to-back. Just experiment. Use this book like you use your gadgets. Try a page 56 on it.

Scores of employees submit ideas and expect others to deliver.

Linchpins Meetup 2010 Plan B: we met virtually

One of the meetups had a virtual venue. Here is the story that began on the meetup.com site: 

When: Monday, 2010-06-14 20:00

Where: #Junto (alpha) emergent discussion platform  
  Yokohama City, Japan

After after quick round of introduction, first meeting topic:

“Wouldn’t it be great if . . . ”

inspired by Linchpin Magazine We can then take it from there.

So you want to read "Linchpin" ...

Each book is an experiment. Big time on the author's side, small time on each reader's side.  There it is, the work; for you to decide whether you invest your precious time and money. Will it be worthwhile?  WIIFM? 

Well, if you already have made up your mind, read no further. Go get the real thing - Linchpin - in your bookstore, on-line, from a true friend, your library and so on. Or leave it for later, or ignore it forever. Up to you.

Loose connections get to co-author

If you accept Seth Godin as a planetary diagnostician, and you work with his triiibe (triple-i, by invitation only), you can imagine how it may feel to be a planetary midwife or godparent.  Watch great potential emerge, grow, and spread. Lend a hand. Help it into this world.  And have more fun than the speed limit of light officially permits.

So it happened that SG (same guy) got together planetary super-luminaries to co-create a fantastic eBook: What Matters Now

Its format and message inspired a lighthearted hardcore group of triiibesters (said group SG founded) to join hands and create an eBook of their own.

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Looking for tools to model a business?

These elegant visual business modeling tools reflect more than the work of two accomplished authors. They came to life by applying an innovative business model and production process.  Alexander Osterwalder and Ives Pigneur wrote the book on Business Model Generation together with 470 co-creators (hey, I am one, p.5, 4th name). The book is a brilliant work of art and the making of...  is a fine case study all by itself.

Definition: 

A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value

Find answers and straightforward visual thinking tools on questions like:

What value do we deliver to the customer?

Which one of our customer’s problems are we helping to solve?

Which customer needs are we satisfying?

What bundles of products and services are we offering to each Customer Segment?

Or definitions like:

A Value Proposition creates value for a Customer Segment through a distinct mix of elements catering to that segment’s needs. Values may be quantitative (e.g. price, speed of service) or qualitative (e.g. design, customer experience).
Elements from the following non-exhaustive list can contribute to customer value creation. ...

Could that be working for you? Teaching that lasts? 

But wait, the complete toolset will be available on 2009-09-26. Or don't wait: Special Pre-Order Pricing. Need more info? Preview now. Free.

Disclosure: As a cocreator I donated some time and a few ideas. I am obviously  biased.  I declare no conflict of interest as I receive no compensation other than a copy of the book.

The value is all yours and in what you create for a business dear to you. Get one of the tools right now, the Business Model Canvas, with kind permission from the authors. And if you like it, spread the idea and share your successes.

Tribes? Answers in a free ____. Here is the trailer.

Watch this...

 

Tribes Q&A Promo

View more documents from Blazonfire.

About modern tribes: Do you wish to lead a tribe, build a movement, but have some concerns? Do you know why tribes are important for business in a connected customers 2.0 world?

Here is the thing: If you got 20 minutes, watch this TED talk. Seth Godin on the tribes we lead. It comes with transcript in many languages (faster to read, but more fascinating to watch) and the transcript is interactive, so you can jump right into that place in the TED talk.

Then check out this tribes Q&A ebook. It is full of questions with answers, and its authors like it if you question its answers.

How do I know? I was one of 156 who co-authored it.

Ah, and if you like the trailer, cast your vote for this best presentation on slideshare. Thank you.