Radical Listening

Work, cities and economies for the common good

Radical Listening happens at SPACE, in Vancouver, Canada. This is what it’s about.

Holding space for radical listening and presence to reveal what is already here, for the purpose of increasing the impact of a city wide network acting toward the common good around the domains of work, cities and economies.

We assume: listening is the best place to start, action is already happening, more connected action will emerge.

Goal — To create a robust city wide network acting toward the common good around the domains of work, cities and economies. (i.e. Get to figure 4)

Methodology within the listening space, nurturing emergent connections: Connections will emerge through being radically present to each other. (i.e. current state in Vancouver is Figure 1. The Radical Listening cohort becomes the hub in figure 2).

Methodology outside of the listening space, nurturing intentional connections: Intentional working groups drawn from within the listening space, will act outside of the listening space. The first working group is the “network weaving” group. Using network mapping methodologies the group will facilitate the network’s transition from scattered and fragmented to deeply interconnected, robust and impactful. (i.e. move the network from figure 2 to figure 4)

Assumptions

— We assume holding space to listen is the best place to start. We hear from our city by hearing from each other. While the disposition is listening, we all have opportunity to speak.

— We assume action is already happening. By hearing from each other we reveal what is already here. Like jazz musicians, we are all playing our own instruments. By listening as we play, resonance will naturally emerge.

— We assume connected action will emerge. We assume the emerging resonance created by our listening will mobilize new collaborative action which will happen outside of this listening space. We trust the emergence of something larger than ourselves. Like surfers, we can’t control the waves, but we don’t have to be helpless either. We share, listen and are present to each other so as to ride the wave well, together.

— We assume everyone matters. Harder to do than to state, but worth trying. We are engaged in action with our neighbourhoods and communities, rather than doing things for our neighbourhoods and communities. Everyone deserves dignity and agency.

You will be interested in this group if you are interested in:

Work: Open Coworking, Cooperatives, Teal Organizations, Zebra Organizations, For-purpose organizations, Wholeness (at work), Deliberately Developmental Organizations, Self-Organization, Holacracy©, Humanizing work.

Cities: Human flourishing, Sustainable future, Urban planning, Community building, Community engagement, Community Asset Mapping, Context mapping, Art Based Community Development, Humanizing cities, Network weaving.

Economies: New Economies, Triple/quadruple bottom lines, Social entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, Conscious capital.