Thriving at Impact Hub Birmingham & supporting the community to thrive. Version 1. Open to edit, suggestions, improvement
Why are we launching Impact Hub Birmingham? To build a better city, one which is fairer, more democratic and more inclusive.
What does that mean? It means creating an environment, both physical and virtual where people can work together to tackle some of the biggest problems facing the city.
How is that going to work? Well there are a few ways of doing this and each has it’s strengths and weaknesses. Most Impact Hubs operate a ‘Rent +’ strategy in that they look to cover their costs through renting out space and raise extra revenue through programme or accelerator funding.
So what’s wrong with that then? Well in theory nothing but it is very difficult for this model to sustain a highly skilled team or to grow and measure Impact in the community.
Is there another way? Of course there is. We just need to look at some fish.
Wicked system problems arise because we keep trying to apply single enterprise solutions without considering the interdependencies of the complex systems. This is why fishing quotas never really impact of the stock of fish in the sea. To have a real impact in the city we need to think holistically and dynamically. Organising ourselves around a single Domain, eg. Tech Start ups, or Sector, e.g Social Enterprise, would only increase the silo effect and prevent a broader understanding of the wicked problems we are facing in the city.
Placing the city at the heart of the model means the Mission, Building a better Birmingham, is achievable through various approaches. Using a system led approach to tackle problems means utilising skills from across industries and sectors rather than trying to solve individual problems.
So if we decide we want to place the city at the heart of our approach and in effect make the city our customer, we need a suite of tools and assets to enable this to happen.
SYSTEM CODING
Mission, values, metrics
CULTURE CODING
Accepted Biases, feedback loops, behaviours
HARD CODING
Programming, Space Design, Communication channels
SYSTEM CODING Acceptance that biases will form Therefore strong ethics are needed in the creation of mission and values and desired metrics Radical transparency is encouraged to ensure these values are met and tested against metrics
SYSTEM CODING Impact Hub Birmingham
MISSION
Building a better Birmingham
SYSTEM CODING Impact Hub Birmingham HUB PLACEMAKING
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
RESPECT & OPENNESS
BE CURIOUS, PROACTIVE & GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE
We don’t have all the answers, but lets build a safe, diverse and courageous community to seek them out.
By creating a community based on fairness, love and care, we ensure the vulnerability that comes with openness is positive.
CHOOSE OPTIMISM & HOPE
We believe in possibility. We are continually striving for a better, fairer, happier and more prosperous city and community.
GRATITUDE & JOY
‘If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants’ - Isaac Newton.
Collaboration not competition, be generous with time, contacts and knowledge.
We have an influencer structure, not a management structure. Act within these values and don’t wait for permission.
BE AN ENCOURAGER, LEAVE EGO AT THE DOOR Be an encourager, the world already has enough cynics.
DO THE RIGHT THING & FORGIVE
Do the right thing, fix the mistake, wash the extra mug - even when no-one will notice.
SYSTEM CODING Impact Hub Birmingham
Metrics are more than just money, we need to understand our impact on our community and it’s impact on our city. Using the right metrics to measure these things is essential. We don’t know what the right metrics are yet and these will change. Sharing these metrics and letting others interrogate them will help us learn faster. That’s why we intend to be radically open with our data, financial, operational and organisational.
CULTURE CODING Impact Hub Birmingham
Crowd driven and enforced Acceptable behaviours in relation to system coding. Feedback from these behaviours into system coding
CULTURE CODING Impact Hub Birmingham We already have a culture but this will need to change, we can let this change happen organically or we can be more intrusive. Set our culture and align it with our values. It means we are all part of the community, we all share the same values and we all set the benchmark. Wash up your own mug and others will follow your lead. Engage with making the space better and others will feel able to do so. Continue to help build the community, don’t let issue fester and be humble.
HARD CODING Impact Hub Birmingham Physical interpretation of mission and values Curation and creation for programming Will always reinforce the biases of Culture based upon the values of the system code