A Case for Creativity - Larry Quick
For most of the time we tend to treat creativity as a given. Like a favourite well-worn sweater – we wear it as it suits, ignorant of its value, and most times without consciously being aware of its presence. In this rant from the 21st Century Capability Series, Larry Quick asserts that we need to ‘raise the bar’ on creativity, to consciously promote and leverage ours and other’s creative capability, and to strategically apply it to the problems and opportunities we and our organisations and communities are facing.

13 Mega Forces to 2010 - Larry Quick
It is the intent of this paper to provide clues, sign-posts, probabilities and possibilities surrounding the question: ‘What are the key forces and factors of change in the future business environment?’

Getting Results from Meetings - Robert Leaver
Robert Leaver provides his recommendations on what is wrong with meetings today, how to re-structure the meeting format in order to achieve results, and rules to ensure that the meetings produce the proper outcomes.

Visioning - Robert Leaver
This work defines vision as well as giving a strategic way to think about vision and suggestions on how to use visioning. With a vision, a future is imagined so that one can be created. Vision is achievable and not timeless like purpose. Thus, vision is both imaginative and concrete.

Using Planning Scenarios to Create the Future -
Robert Leaver
The world alters on a moment’s notice. What was once clear and consistent becomes murky or obliterated -- gone from our description of current reality. Dramatic change makes the future uncertain. Uncertainty is now a given. Scenario planning teaches us to live in and learn from uncertainty by helping us see, but not predict exact futures. Each scenario is “an imaginative leap into a possible future.”

Strategic Planing and Restructuring in Real Time -
Robert Leaver
Strategic planning can help grow your organization or community if you want to grow beyond what has happened in the past. If you sense you, are prisoners of the past or know what is “planned” next, will only replicate past processes and limits then strategic planning can make a difference. Strategic planning takes off the blinders.

Customized Structure - Robert Leaver

Leader as Maestro - Robert Leaver
This paper is not about the practical side of leadership, there are more than enough good practices that can be used. It is a call for unleashing images and untapped powers. It is a call for reframing leadership through the window of the mythic.

Disorientation Can be a Costly State - Larry Quick
In this brief read from the 21st Century Capability Series, Larry Quick looks at what happens to organisations when their capabilities go out of whack with their operating environment and they become ‘disoriented’ – with very costly consequences!

Call to Action: Building Providences Creative and Innovative Economy

Creating 21st Century Capable Innovation Systems -
Larry Quick
This article from the 21st Century Capability Series, goes in depth about the Creative Economy, Open Platform Innovation, and details the changing role for institutional policy and strategy makers.

Entrepreneurship & the Next Economy - Robert Leaver.
This publication is about the problems that are currently facing the world and a call to action for the creative entrepreneurs of this planet to tackle them. Entrepreneurship is not just about start-ups; on the other hand it describes all different types from the social, civic, and business perspectives.

Strategic Leadership- Larry Quick
Strategy and leadership have dominated organizational language for the past ten years. Whether you sit in one, the other, or both camps, the recommendation implicit in this document encourages you to re-visit the context, the definition, the process and the practice of strategy and leadership – perhaps in a new, more integrated and inclusive manner.

The Plexus Imperative - Larry Quick
Though we may be unconscious to it at times, we live and work in a ‘network of networks’, or ‘system of systems’ defined by social, economic, environmental, social systems, and built-environment systems. All of which play a part in a greater integrated ‘whole system’ – a ‘plexus’.

Soul Talk

21st Century Civic Power - Robert Leaver
Our local and regional cultures need more civility and civic mindedness. Historically, nonprofits have led the way. But, the current system of nonprofit, third sector is not structured to get us what we need: civic minded power among diverse citizens to foster the common good. There is not enough capacity to respond to pressing social needs. A growing mountain of social issues overwhelms most civic leaders and they feel there is not enough time and resources to effectively respond.

Common Wealth Organization - Robert Leaver
The Commonwealth organization begins with basic questions: What does the community want? What time bombs are embedded in this community? What antibodies are lying in wait ready to heal this community? These questions shift our attention away from individuals and move us to becoming curious about the psyche of the world.