Tag Archives: Sustainability

Shared Situation? Try This!

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You probably have some shared situations with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors or others. This video shows you how to access and start using the Shared Situation Guide on your desktop or mobile. Your shared situation can be whatever your group is dealing with or considering. A shared situation might be a problem, challenge, opportunity, place, set of circumstances, something you’re managing or working on together, and so on. With smartphones, we have new possibilities. For more, see http://ss.proxthink.com.

Process Graphic Helps People with Shared Situations Use the ProxThink Growth Model

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Do you and some other people have a shared situation you face together? Your shared situation can be whatever you are dealing with or considering. This graphic shows a process you can use, by starting at the top left and following the arrows (see 7-step overview below). The graphic leverages the ProxThink Growth Model, which makes the proximity more of a tangible thing. As a result, people can better relate to the proximity of their shared situation, which can help them deal with it. This can also help create more sustainable proximities and sustainable variety. You can click the graphic for an enlarged view.

Here’s a very brief 7-step overview of using the graphic.

  1. Adopt one or more RelatePoints for your shared collaboration. I like the Quip app.
  2. Consider and define your shared situation.
  3. Decide what valuable differences you are attempting to create, adapt and/or maintain.
  4. Create at least a simple Vadi Agreement.
  5. Consider needed or wanted proxri which can help your situation and sustain your valuable differences, and then proxri as appropriate. ProxPatterns may be helpful in considering needed or wanted proxri. Note that proxri can take many forms, including money, things, services, ideas, tasks, relationships, actions, and so on, as well as a combination of these.
  6. Create, adapt and/or maintain ProxMonitors.
  7. Use ProxMonitors to assess and reassess your proxri, situation, valuable differences and Vadi Agreement, looping back through steps as shown to make adjustments as needed.

I’ll provide a longer 7-step description of the graphic later. Or, perhaps I’ll make a stretched version with more details and definitions. However, if you click through to the definitions, I think you should be able to use the brief overview above. I’m also working on some Quip templates with brief descriptions to use with the graphic, which I hope to present in workshops presented in-person and online. But I wanted to get this out there now in case I get run over by a bus or something! You can find more about the growth model here and proximity thinking here.

A little about the development of this graphic: I had been working on some new examples to demonstrate the ProxThink Growth Model, as part of making a template for people to use with the Quip app. While doing that, I was also trying to better involve other parts of proximity thinking in an integrated way, which led to this graphic and some new insights, four of which are: 1.) It made me realize how considering a situation and creating a Vadi Agreement are related. 2.) It also made me realize that developing ideas for a situation can be proxri. 3.) And it made me look again at how the process of using the four growth model processes are related. One result is this new graphic. On the ProxThink site, I had presented the four processes in the order I thought they were easiest to learn. But this graphic shows it may be better to use them in a different order. 4.) I also realized that one person can use the growth model on their own!

Questions? Contact us via proxthink.com.

As you find this rewarding, please proxri with the proximity in mind via proxthink.com.

Public Collaboration: What are some elements in the proximity of climate change?

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Climate Change Collaboration

As part of our Let’s ProxThink Hangouts On Air, let’s think about climate change. You can comment here with elements you think are in the proximity of climate change. I’ll define proximity and two other terms below. I’ll add some of your elements to the mind map above. You can click on it to see a larger version. Then we can discuss it in future Hangouts On Air. Remember, by participating, you might get proxri as part of our collaboration deal.

A situation is whatever you are dealing with or considering. In this case, our situation is climate change.

Loosely, an element can be anything. Any person, place, thing, idea, feeling, time, group, relationship, situation, proximity, etc.

The proximity consists of elements related or potentially related to a situation, in physical, mental and other ways.

Putting the terms together with our situation, elements in this proximity could be people, places, things, ideas, feelings, times, groups, relationships, situations, and proximities that are related or potentially related to climate change.

So, what are some elements in the proximity of climate change? Please add your comments below.

Thanks and check our upcoming events page and/or follow ProxThink for announcements about upcoming Hangouts On Air, when we may work on this climate change collaboration!

And remember, by participating, you might get proxri as part of our collaboration deal.

Networks Transfer Information Better than Markets in Some Cases

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(r] proxthink.com

Networks can transfer some information that markets and money used to transfer.

One thing markets do is transfer information. Greater demand tells producers to make more. Lower demand tells producers to make less. Higher prices tell buyers to consider shifting to alternatives. Higher prices also tell new producers to enter the market.

Markets were invented before technological networks existed. Markets are a kind of network themselves.

It makes sense that networks may now be able to transfer information better, in some instances, than markets.

So, we should be doing that. Yet, the inertia of markets may prevent it sometimes.

Part of the problem may be that we need new mental models, and practical systems, for utilizing the potential of networks.

I believe that is where ProxThink, the ProxThink growth model, and a sustainable proximities approach based on the ProxThink growth model come into play.

For more, see sustainable proximities.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Technology Plus New Processes Mean Better Collaboration for Dealing with Major Challenges

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(r] proxthink.com

If we want to deal better with this recession/depression and with climate change, just for starters, we need to collaborate better.

Networks, such as the Internet, provide the technology. I believe the ProxThink growth model, used in a Sustainable Proximities approach, can provide new processes for using the technology of networks. Together, networks and the growth model can allow better collaboration.

As things are now, we’re acting a lot like helpless victims. We’re humans, and we have the power to change. We need to be experimenting with a number of new approaches.

Want another opinion on the need to experiment with different approaches? Check out this great article by Thomas Homer-Dixon, and don’t miss the last paragraph.

Let’s do it!

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Networks Plus the ProxThink Growth Model

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(r] proxthink.com

Before networks, markets were a way for people to relate to proximities. But now, networks can allow us to more directly know about and relate to proximities. Especially networks such as the Internet.

But we need updated ideas, tools, models and standards for relating to proximities via networks. ProxThink provides these. Especially the ProxThink growth model.

Given what we’re facing, such as the effects of global economic linkages, the limits of markets, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and other challenges which relate to proximities, we need to begin putting the ProxThink growth model to use in combination with networks. This Sustainable Proximities proposal is a guide for doing so.

See also Networks, Nature and New Possibilities.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.