We have been working on a project for a while now that we are very excited about. It is called OpenIDEO and it is launching today. We are hoping that we can create a platform for you to work with us on some important social innovation projects. Don't worry if you are not a practicing designer. There...

It did not go unnoticed that there was some irony in having several hundred people assemble in Dubai last week (see my previous post) to discuss how to make global institutions and systems more sustainable, especially given this week's announcement of delayed debt repayments by Dubai World. Despite...

This is the fourth of a series of pieces originally posted at Fast Company. In the U.K. in the 1940s, Sir William Beveridge designed what became known as the welfare state. In an ambitious program, the post-war Labor government attempted to put in place a series of services designed to ensure that ...

This is the second of a series of pieces originally posted at Fast Company. It follows from an earlier post called A post consumption economy. When I consider bidding for something on e-Bay, the first thing I do is check the reliability rating of the seller. When I want to meet a hard-to-reach exe...

This is the third of a series of pieces originally posted at Fast Company. A significant difference between those of us fortunate to be living above the poverty line and those unfortunate enough to be at the "bottom of the pyramid" is that the 'wealthy' can afford to consume. Being a "useful" membe...

This is the fifth, and last, of a series of pieces originally posted at Fast Company. Those who have stuck with me all week, know that I believe that participation is key to the next big wave of innovation in business and society. Whether it is in the fundamentals of how we think about wealth or th...