A Model for Mapping Meaningful Social Change: The Kade Method

I've spent several years now developing theoretical pieces toward a sustainable future and now seek to apply the theory to effect pragmatic positive change for our region.

Today I'll detail the approach for mapping and laying the foundation for social change, just one part of my current consulting methodology.  This approach is grounded in concepts key to asset based community development (McKnight, Northwestern)  and simple but smart network mapping.  Here we assume a design team or action team (like ours from the Sustainability 2019 Summit [1]) is tackling this work.

THE KADE METHOD :

Maximizing Sustainable Synergy and Value for All System Stakeholders

Core Premise: Community Development and Economic Development are equated and advanced by framing a goal of quality of life and place enhancement (Sustainability)

1.  Identify the sphere of influence you want to effect positive change with (ie. develop community and build synergies)

2. Define the PHYSICAL Civic Space as :  For-Profit (FPO), Non-Profit (NPO), Government (GOV) and Education (EDU).  This refers to the spaces in which we engage and relate to one another in person.  Picture these four domains at the ends of a cross, and connect the cross ends (tips) to form a diamond.  This was the cross-diamond configuration [2] I first conceived of years ago, representing the tight integration of diverse domains.  The idea is to build strong collaborations that are cross sectional, spanning each of these domains to create richer and more robust wholes.   The collaboration between Green City Blue Lake Institute, CWRU, Fairmont Minerals, and the City Office of Sustainability is a good local example of this in real life.

3.  Define the parallel VIRTUAL Civic Space as :  For Profit (.COM), Non Profit (.ORG), Government (.GOV), and Education (.EDU).  Note: These domain names are the most popular for each of our four defined domains in terms of civic space, but there are others that fit for each sphere (i.e. .NET, .BIZ) but for simplicity sake, start here.

4. Now identify the major and key players organizationally and individually within each domain.  List these on a spreadsheet, categorized by domain.  Have the entire group contribute collaboratively and co-creatively to grow this map so it is as rich as possible.

Note:  This is made easier via the Virtual Route - simply find websites for each of the organizations listed, if they have them, and note their domain names, allowing you to place them in the correct category domain.  Simply searching online can help you do this - tap aggregated networks like, for example, the  localfoodcleveland.org [3] network for a themed search.

5.  Identify the key competencies, strengths and assets for each of the players listed.  Also identify the core needs of every player listed. Try to capture the essence of the organization's mission and vision in a notes field.

6.  You want to build lasting collaborations that are win-wins (mutually beneficial and lasting for each party involved). This is best done when complementary assets are matched to equitably mitigate risk and cost to both parties of the partnership, or all parties ( a win to the nth power) comprising the collaboration defined.

Now a richer and even more robust layer of progress representing true quality-of life-enhancement holistically - ARTS, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY.  Note that these very same tags define the top-of-page taxonomy for realneo.us [4] itself, which I developed in order to demonstrate holistic quality of life enhancement [5] via virtual means. 

We want to have a robust representation of organizations advancing these six spheres, and striving to integrate them [5].  The Ingenuity Festival of Cleveland [6] is a great example of this.  This event started as a nexus of ARTS and TECHNOLOGY but when I worked for 2 years to green the festival (bringing in the ENVIRONMENT piece, a richer whole resulted).  The super-nexus (integration point) of these six spheres represents the greatest intersection of value - and truest sustainability in this framework.

Okay, now for the links that help enrich and explain this.  The logo I use on my business card and which serves as my avatar is a good representation of this six sphere integration. This integration allows collaboratives of six to generate six diverse revenue streams from funders or via six diverse stakeholder supply chains [5].  Six great advisors of global expertise, at least one for each of the six domains, would make the 'dream' advisory council to help drive outcomes for the cause or collaborative spanning the six domains.

So this is the essence of the technique.  The spreadsheet should have fields for all of the major ones I mentioned above, and then this can be translated to a database if one wishes.

The map I detail here needs to be robust and representative of all stakeholders of the community - it also needs to universally accessible and  transparent to all stakeholders so everyone has an equitable opportunity to derive value and optimally serve and support the stakeholders of the system.

On a big picture level, if we drive both physical and virtual wheels of social change, we can picture these rotating like the two  spools of a cassette tape, running in parallel, to lift up the whole system where change is being made.  The entire system lifts up like a helicopter with two propellors, moving up an upward spiral of positive change (see OD theory: Spiral Dynamics).

To put this model in action, we need to employ it meaningfully.  This is just beginning to happen with the Local Food Group from the Sustainability 2019 Summit [7], who will use this method to frame and launch its efforts, thanks to my new friend Diane Morgan.  Kudos for her appreciation of this method and allowing me to present it in greater detail to her team next meeting.  This allows direct application of theory to better drive a full-circle, local foods supply chain here in Cleveland.

Theory in Action = Positive Change making.  I am so glad to be part of it, and all of REALNEO are welcome to join in.   Peace.