Great scott

October 25, 2012 by
Filed under: The RSA 

Several years ago (yes I have been around that long) I posted on the importance of small acts of kindness, since when (although no thanks to me) this idea has gained ground. Being today on the receiving end of such an act I wanted to share it:

This is an extract from a letter I received from one of our Fellows, Alister Scott.  In it, he writes by hand (which somehow makes it even better):

Dear Matthew

I have been meaning to write to express my appreciation for your talk on 21st century enlightenment for some time; further events at the RSA have crystallised my good intentions in action.

As a relatively new Fellow, I was deeply warmed when Babs [the RSA's long serving receptionist] welcomed me by name today – quite extraordinary for someone who must see so many people.  What an asset to the RSA.  I thought you would like to know.

My colleague and I have spent some hours here (at RSA) today between meetings and bumped into an extraordinary collection of staff, Fellows and others.  It strikes us that this is exactly the sort of organisation and meeting place that you are seeking to create, so again we thought you would like to know; it’s sometimes difficult to see clearly from the top.  We have met and talked to Matthew [not me!] (staff, brainy and engaging), Rachel (Prisons Transitions project, warm and intelligent), a TV presenter, a Fellow interested in transport and Irene Campbell (Fellowship Council). What a mixture – hard to get any work done!’

Earlier this week a group of German civil society leaders came to the RSA and one of their questions caused me to pause and reflect (usually I don’t know what I think until I hear myself say it). They asked how I saw all the different attributes of the RSA coming together. My answer was that the RSA becomes an organisation in which – wherever it operates (which means wherever we work or wherever Fellows gather together) good things are simply more likely to happen. This may sound a bit vague but Alister’s letter captures this sense of benign accident which occurs when great ideas, great people and a shared vision come together in the context of an organisation committed to helping change happen.

Thank you Alister

 

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3 Comments on Great scott

  1. Matthew Mezey on Thu, 25th Oct 2012 4:31 pm

    2. Hi Matthew,

    You highlight the RSA as being – or at least becoming – “an organisation in which – wherever it operates… good things are simply more likely to happen. This may sound a bit vague but Alister’s letter captures this sense of benign accident which occurs when great ideas, great people and a shared vision come together in the context of an organisation committed to helping change happen.”

    This really reminds me of the fascinating research of Prof Lynda Gratton into ‘Hot Spots’ of organisational creativity, which she talks about in her book ‘HOT SPOTS – Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy—and Others Don’t’.

    The four elements of Hotspots that she highlights are:
    • A Cooperative Mindset
    • Boundary Spanning
    • The Igniting Purpose
    • Productive Capacity

    She even has a formula for it: Hot Spots = (Cooperative Mindset × Boundary Spanning × Igniting Purpose) × Productive Capacity

    An extra fun aspect of her approach is that, if I remember correctly, she uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) and other tools to assess where an organisation is on all those aspects, to identify where the Hot Spots are (and where the Cold spots are).

    She shows how to design for the emergence of Hot Spots (though they cannot be directed, or controlled!), and has a chapter on the leader’s role in Hot Spots.

    As her organisation recently moved a few minutes up the road from the RSA, maybe we can persuade her to pop by some time (for a chat with our in-house SNA guru, Gaia Marcus, and others).

    She’s very good on how important it is for organisations to institutionalise questioning, and allow doubt. Here’s one quote of hers that I found particularly memorable:

    “Most companies have developed an environment in which any form of doubt is perceived as ignorance or weakness and questioning is interpreted as either manipulation or affront. This kills the spirit of inquiry and reduces conversations to ritualised, dehydrated talk. The first task of the CEO in creating good conversations is to institutionalise questioning and expressing doubt as a normal part of the way in which the company operates”.

    You can read the intro to her book here:
    http://www.hotspotsmovement.com/…/Hot%20Spots%20Chapter%201.pdf

    Matthew Mezey

  2. Rebecca hanson on Thu, 25th Oct 2012 10:35 pm

    3. Thanks to Race, whoever Race is be they RSA or otherwise.
    http://cyberrhetoricbyrebeccahanson.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/an-invitation-to-rsa-fellows-and-also.html

  3. Joy Harris on Sun, 28th Oct 2012 5:07 pm

    4. Thank you Matthew enjoyed reading your blog. I have only recently connected with RSA nominated for Fellowship and through our Service Children’s Education partnership. In a short time the RSA has become a real oasis of creativity for me. It is a very special place and the Education Team have greatly inspired my work. Absolutely agree about the warm wecome at reception and from all stakeholders. A successful team and place such as this is also a reflection of your leadership Matthew. Looking forward to Nov 7th my next visit!
    Joy Harris Arts Adviser Service Children’s Education overseas.

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