Principles-driven work | Example #1: Impact Hub Birmingham Maker Manifesto

The CoLab Dudley Team are beginning to explore principles, and the development of effective principles which can be evaluated in relation to our work. As Michael Quinn Patton explains in his Principles-Focused Evaluation book:

principles are the primary way of navigating complex dynamic systems and engaging in strategic initiatives.

Nudged by one of the litte exercises in the book, I’ve started drawing together examples of principles from social change work and movements I’ve been involved in and inspired by. I’m also searching for more examples and warmly welcome your suggestions.

Impact Hub Birmingham Maker Manifesto

The first bit of principles-based treasure I dusted off was Impact Hub Birmingham’s Maker Manifesto (below). I remember loving this when it was first compiled, and in particular the way explanations and narratives around the principles elegantly weave strong threads between day-to-day individual behaviour and an audacious mission.

Here’s an overview of the principles, do dive into the document for a little more narrative.

• Humble Placemaking | We don’t have all the answers, but let’s build a safe, diverse and courageous community to seek them out.
• Collaborative Effort | Collaboration not competition, be generous with time, contacts and knowledge.
• Respect and Openness | By creating a community based on fairness, love and care, we ensure the vulnerability that comes with openness is possible.
• Be Curious, Proactive & Give More Than You Take | We have an influencer structures, not a management structure. Act within these values and don’t wait for permission.
• Choosing Optimism and Hope | We beleive in possibility. We are continually striving for a better, fairer, happier and more prosperous city and community.
• Be an Encourager, Leave Ego at the Door | Be an encourager, the world already has enough cynics.
• Gratitude and Joy | Show more gratitude than you need to, understand that often the smallest tasks can be a huge achievement sometimes.
• Do The Right Thing & Forgive | Do the right thing, fix the mistake, wash the extra mug — even when no-one will notice.

I’ve no doubt that the Impact Hub B'ham team have much more to share in relation to guiding principles across their emergent mission areas; Creative Reistance, Radical Childcare and Demo Dev. I hope that we can explore this a little with some of them.