Global Pulse 2010 and "Open-Source Collaboration"

Since the formation of greaterthan > in 2008 and the accomplishment of our extremely rewarding inaugural conference in 2009, international interest in collaborative work, partnerships and alliances has grown dramatically. The mission we have undertaken is to promote awareness and understanding of cross-sector collaboration, to explore and advance approaches that make collaboration and partnerships successful, and to introduce people and organizations to a resourceful community, willing and able to support–and join–collaborative efforts to address specific challenges.

In her address to the Global Philanthropy Forum in 2009, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton heralded a new era of public-private partnerships to address urgent and complex global challenges:

"(It is) absolutely essential that we recognize our interconnectedness as we grapple with the difficult challenges sweeping the planet...I’m even more convinced now than I was when I became Secretary of State that the problems we face today will not be solved by governments alone. It will be in partnerships – partnerships with philanthropy, with global business, partnerships with civil society."

In a well-publicized essay, Google’s chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt said, “Collaborate or perish!” And in keeping with both this sense of urgency and the rapid expansion of global and local cross-sector partnerships to address complex issues, it is exciting to see another ground breaking example of innovative problem solving and what might be called, “Open Source Collaboration.”

Through this 3-day international virtual event called Global Pulse 2010, the U.S. Government hopes to engage, and partner, with the international community in a “meaningful” way. They are inviting the public, albeit through a reviewed registration process, to participate in a unique event to, as the promoters say, “help shape the future.”

Global Pulse 2010 will bring together “individual socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world.” According to the website, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the Global Pulse 2010, in partnership with the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services.

Ten individual discussions will take place within forums and will focus on designated topics:

• Inspiring a New Generation
  
• Empowering Women and Girls
• Enabling the Essential Education
• Building Stronger Partnerships
• Exercising Political and Civil Rights
• Promoting Global Health
• Advancing Entrepreneurship, Trade & Economic Opportunity
• Fostering Science, Technology & Innovation
• Supporting a Sustainable Planet
• Pursuing Grand Challenges

Each topic area will have recognized leaders in the related field of interest facilitating the conversations. The forum gives people ideas the opportunity to present innovative ideas, to voice their opinion, learn from one another, and “speak directly with those who have the desire and resources to take action.”

The Global Pulse 2010 is a hosted online event using IBM’s Innovation Jam ^TM solution. In the words of the event promoters, the platform is:

“Similar to the collaborative spirit of musical ‘jamming,’ participants gather online to collaborate on ideas around real societal issues, build on each other’s contributions, find shared solutions — or simply connect. The Web 2.0 platform provides for a meaningful brainstorming environment where groups of individuals ranging from a few hundred — to hundreds of thousands — can join in. Based on the concept of crowdsourcing (also knows as “wisdom of crowds”), the Jam platform is especially adept at bringing communities together to discuss social issues.”

For more information or to submit a registration application, see Global Pulse 2010.

Collaborative Innovation: Big Challenges, Bold Solutions

At its founding, greaterthan > undertook the mission to serve as a catalyst for new models of partnership across all sectors. We set out to help organizations benefit from the power of collaboration in addressing complex challenges in our society, and in our world.

Three goals were established for the first greaterthan > conference:

· Promote awareness and understanding of cross-sector collaboration

· Explore approaches that make collaboration and partnerships successful

· Introduce people and organizations to a resourceful community, willing and able to support–or join–collaborative efforts to address specific challenges

The inaugural greaterthan > conference was enormously gratifying and enlightening. A new, 4-minute video has been posted on the greaterthan > conference site: http://www.greaterthanconference.com And there are videos posted for 17 of the presentations from the 2009 conference.

The National Advisory Board of greaterthan > met just before Thanksgiving and will meet again in January. The Board has taken up such key issues as setting goals for the outcomes of the next greaterthan > conference, reviewing the greaterthan > mission, defining the overarching themes for 2010, developing specific recommendations for topics, issues and speakers to engage in with the greaterthan > community, and suggesting venues and formats for programming.

As we look ahead to the work of greaterthan >, we invite you to join in the discussion of big challenges, big ideas and bold solutions. We are focusing on issues that have both global and local implications (e.g. environment, sustainability, food, water, poverty, economic opportunity, social justice). We are also mindful of approaches that make meaningful progress, all the while addressing a topic that was raised at greaterthan > 2009: “Absolutism” vs. “Incrementalism.” And we are inspired by the opportunities that collaboration and partnerships bring to younger or emerging leaders in all organizations. In short, we see great possibilities when organizations work together to produce the benefits of collaborative innovation.

Happy New Year!