The Upside

Good afternoon and thanks for making the trek to the Computer History Museum this morning.  Hope you had fun.  Nothing will ever replace face-to-face. Not this blog. No Email or Video can create a caring, collaborative circle.

Here are a few follow-ups:

1.)   A video of John Hagel III and John Seely Brown, authors of “The Power of Pull: How Small Moves Smartly Made Can Set Big Things in Motion.”  Great book. Check out the Chapter on Shaping Serendipity.

2.) Gartner, Inc. predicts the nature of work will witness 10 key changes through 2020.  ”Organizations will need to determine which of the 10 key changes will affect them, and consider whether radically different technology models will be required. Work Swarms, Working with the Collective, Hyperconnectedness and more!

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1416513

3.) Got an idea for a Dialogue session?  joan_price@gensler.com, laura_crescimano@gensler.com or gervais_tompkin@gensler.com

Wikipedia says the word serendipity is one of  the top 10 hardest English words to translate. …!

Joan

Once upon a time there was an oriental and exotic Kingdom called Seredip.  It was located on an island that many, many years later was called Ceylon and known today as Sri Lanka.  As the story goes, there were 3 Princes of Serendip, gifted by noble origin and with a  very unique talent: the gift of casual discovery. Very cool.  These 3 Princes of Serendip  were able to find answers to mysteries, questions and problems they were NOT in search of.  Basically, they had the ability to solve unexpected dilemmas. The story of the 3 Princes of Seredip was told for hundreds of years before someone invented the fun and expressive little word, “serendipity.”  You wouldn’t find the word, “serendipity” in  English dictionaries until 1974.  ser-en-dip-ity  “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.”  Its meaning fits perfectlywell with the accidental nature of scientific discoveries, innovations and loves-at- first-sight–made by chance, found without looking for them.   What’s serendipity’s role in the workplace?  How can collective entreprenuership ignite and inspire?

We’ve assembled 3 Princes and a Princess from Seredip for January 26^th’s  Dialogue with Gensler at the Computer History Museum.  Take a look at their bios below.

“You don’t reach Serendip by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings serendipitously.”

See you there!  Joan

Jeremy Neuner, Co-Founder & CEO of NextSpace

In addition to being the CEO of NextSpace, Jeremy is also the comedic relief, the tragic hero, and the getaway car driver. Jeremy began his career as an officer and carrier-based helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy. Jeremy also worked as a management and strategy consultant in Washington, DC, helping clients create partnerships between the public and private sectors. Before starting NextSpace, Jeremy served as the economic development manager for the City of Santa Cruz. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in business and government policy from Harvard University. But he’s learned the most from playing LEGO’s with his kids. Jeremy tries to live by this rule: take your job seriously, but not yourself. Fun Fact: Jeremy can juggle flaming torches. Cool, no?

 Ryan Coonerty, Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of NextSpace

Mayor Ryan Coonerty is serving his second term on the Santa Cruz City Council.  As Mayor in 2008, he led successful efforts to reach a historic agreement with UC Santa Cruz, pass a Clean Oceans, Rivers and Beaches initiative and bring a new generation into civic life through the creation of Santa Cruz NEXT. 

Additionally, he is the Cofounder and Chief Strategist of NextSpace Coworking + Innovation, a lecturer on law and government at UC Santa Cruz, and the Associate Dean of the Monterey College of Law’s Santa Cruz campus.  Prior to be returning to Santa Cruz, Coonerty served as Legislative Counsel to two national commissions, including President Carter and Ford’s National Commission on Federal Election Reform. 

He graduated from Santa Cruz’s public schools, the University of Oregon Clark Honors College, received a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.  He is the author of Etched in Stone – Enduring Words from our National Monuments (National Geographic, 2007). In 2009, Coonerty was selected by the Aspen Institute to be a Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership – for being one of “the nation’s most promising young elected officials.”

Joyce Shimizu, Vice President of Innovation, Plantronics

Joyce Shimizu, Vice President of Innovation, Plantronics, is responsible for seeding the company’s growth pipeline across its enterprise and consumer business groups. 

 Ms. Shimizu joined Plantronics in 1983, and has held several key positions in product management, marketing, sales, and general management.  She established and led the Mobile Communications Division from 1998 to 2002 before taking on worldwide portfolio and product management responsibility for enterprise and consumer solutions from 2002 to 2005.  From 2005 to 2009, Shimizu was the Vice President and General Manager of the Home and Home Office business unit. 

 Gervais Tompkin, Consulting Principal, Gensler

Equal parts teacher and student, Gervais’ passion for research has led him down a multidisciplinary path in the world of interior design. Throughout his career at Gensler, he has directed architectural, interior and consulting projects, driven by a desire to understand how work and its settings affect people and their productivity. He leads the Gensler Consulting practice and sees each new client relationship as an opportunity to change the world for the better.

Thanks again for joining us at Open Source City at SPUR.  Bay Area RE blog had a few things to sayabout the program:  

 http://bayareacomre.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/the-new-landscape-of-commercial-real-estate-a-discussion-on-the-future-of-office-space/

Stay tuned because the conversation is just beginning….

You might want to check out the Hub SoMa at the SF Chronicle Building.  Hub SoMa is part of Hearst’s plan to create a four-acre ‘Innovation Campus’ between Mission and Howard.  It’s a mash up of event space, art gallery, a place for radical collaboration with toolset for changemakers.   more here: 

 http://bayarea.the-hub.net/public/