Ships Passing in the Night

by Nathaniel Whittemore · 2009-10-23 08:37:00 UTC
Topics:

An observation.

I've been at two conferences in the last two weeks. More or less equally remote (Maine and Mexico), relatively similarly sized, both relatively expensive to get to (but with a lot of support and flexibility there), and both equally committed to breaking silos. Most importantly, they're both equally committed to changing the world.

Yet after a quick straw poll, I'm the only person who is attending both.

The Opportunity Collaboration had an immense amount of ground level expertise, experience with the philanthropic world, and a community organizing background. Pop!Tech has a huge number of designers, brand strategies, innovation consultants, technologists and corporate actors. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a Pop!Tech speaker) to see how powerful the collaborations between these two groups could be.

So why aren't they? There are a lot of logistical reasons of course, but there is also something deeper. For all our talk of collaboration and breaking out of silos, we still live in a professional setting that stuffs us into boxes and denies us the ability to really go out and seek connection and strength in new places.

I think it's further proof that we have to institutionalize a culture of professional experimentation and exploration.

(Photo: joiseyshowaa)

Nathaniel Whittemore is the founder of Assetmap. Previously he was the founding director of the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement.
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