How to Design Virtual Places with James Mahoney

When exploring a new place, it is common to try to recreate what is already known, instead of asking what could be done that is unique and meaningful in this new space or what can this new place enable. Therefore, what is unique about virtual spaces is that things that are done or that happen in the real-world can´t necessarily be replicated such as the sense of touch and other out of body experiences, but through imagination other new actions, representations and activities may emerge and be More »

Register for the LILA Summit: Placemaking - Designing Organizational Attractors

Although location and place are sometimes used interchangeably, “location describes a particular point on the surface of the earth. Place on the other hand, refers to the physical and human characteristics of a spot on the map. In other words, location focuses on where: place focuses on what it is like there." National Geographic As we have learned from the past few years, life as we once knew it has changed. The global pandemic, social injustices, ecological concerns, and humanitarian conflicts have profoundly affected us and propelled us to reconsider the “why” and the “how” of many aspects of our lives. In our work lives, we have been experimenting and innovating with new forms of work. While our past conceptualization of work included a physical location as an anchor as well as leadership models that reflected more hierarchical organizations and cultural norms that constrained individual identity, new forms of working are emerging and evolving. During times like these – times of transformation - leaders must find ways to create possibilities. This requires leaders to disassemble current structures of various kinds (physical, cultural, digital, and more), experiment with temporary structures, and reassemble a new set of attractors that in turn shape organizational practices. One way to experience the LILA community is to join us for the upcoming Summit which will be held on June 7th.  This year we will be hosting the summit in a virtual format with two-2 hour segments – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  The LILA Summit will feature a More »

Summary of March 2022 Member Call : Mastering Community

What makes people thrive, and what makes them feel connected and engaged? Christine has surveyed hundreds of thousands of people and concludes that to help people thrive, we should focus on these levers: (1) unite, (2) unleash, (3) respect, (4) radical candor, and (5) provide More »

Power for All with Julie Battilana.

During the October gathering, we explored what agency looks like and what practices might lead to greater agency for all.  Among the puzzles we identified was the connection between agency and power.  To help us deepen our understanding, we invited Julie Battilana to share her research with the LILA community.  Julie is a scholar, educator, and advisor in the areas of social innovation and social change. She is a both a Professor at the Harvard Business School and Professor of Social Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.  Julie has recently published a book titled Power for All: How it Works and Why it's Everyone's Business with her co-author Tiziana More »

Trust - Harnessing the Power of Agency and Belonging

People have an inherent need for belonging and agency, which can be fulfilled by trust in different ways. But just what is trust? It is the willingness to be vulnerable—to take a risk—in a relationship based on positive expectations of the trustee. And in the workplace belonging and agency matter because of their impact on job performance, commitment to the organization, and well-being. Mike’s research suggests that feeling trusted and having an opportunity to trust others can increase employees’ sense of belonging and agency. By a wide margin, the three biggest predictors of trust are ability, benevolence and integrity. (There is also trust propensity – a personality trait where someone is more willing to believe that others are reliable – but this can go away.) A few examples of trusting behavior include the supervisor’s willingness to rely on the employee’s skills and abilities, to disclose sensitive information or feelings to the employee, and to reduce monitoring of the employee. What are your thoughts? When have you experienced trust that led to your feeling a sense of agency, belonging and More »