c o m i n gx i n t ox b e i n g |
part two of six - February 2007
in two sections
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| I am returned to the States on the first of March and will come back to Torino about mid April. Formal transfer of the MG Taylor Method started last Friday with a series of Seminars which I will give during the rest of my stay. These are being captured by video so that they can be turned into products later. The rest of my time here will be focused on six objectives: first, the seminars - EXPLAIN of the 5 E's of Education [link: the 5 Es of education model]. Second, arranging a number of visits to the NavCenter in order to start weaving UniManagement into the broader ValueWeb. Several are being scheduled and will be documented, in this series, as they occur. Third, plan the work with the UniManagement foundations to begin the process of exploring how the NavCenter capabilities can assist them in their work to facilitate cultural and economic transformation in the Torino region. Fourth, working with AI-AE and Permasteelisa on the final punch lists related to finishing - to the desired state for now - the physical portion of the work. Fifth, starting to “dress” the space with art, craft and other interesting objects - things to attract and stimulate people and that they can put their hands on. This also includess beginning to build the Library starting with the 500 books from the ReBuilding the Future course [link: rebuilding the future] and advancing the design of the Leonardo Wing(s) concept [link: leonardo wings]. And last - with the UniManagement staff - developing the broad outline of the first year of development and use of the NavCenter and its synergies with the Learning Lab. None of these will get totally done in the time that is left - the important thing is to get them started properly so that the work can carry on over the next 45 days. When I return, we will be approximately half way through the critical first six months of start up. Progress toward these six goals should be in high gear by then and the first “signature” events should be in the planning process, as well as, the first 7 Domains WorkShop. |
| In consort with this I am working to bring up to date all of my documentation of this project over the last year. This is a huge piece of work involving over two dozen URLs and several hundred pages of text , drawings and pictures if printed out. It simply was not possible to keep up with this task - real time - during the process of doing the work, although a great deal of it was done real time. As the UniManagement NavCenter is the most advanced environment built to date and may turn out to be the most socially significant in the immediate time ahead, it is certainly a worthy objective to document its creation and growth as thoroughly as possible. It is equally important to publish in real time. This NavCenter is a benchmark and, potentially, the first full capability Taylor environment in Europe that will be comprehensively employed on a broad scale. The story of how is comes to be should be told as it happens and done so in a transparent way. Not to do so is to offer a re varnished, PR-based, retrospective that states the vision and what was accomplished from the point of view of what was done. It is more honest and bolder to state the ideal end-state model and report on the ends and outs of the work [creating the problem] of bringing THERE to HERE every day - successes and failures included. This, then, becomes a real record of a transformation [link: organizational transformation]. |
| Starting on the 8th of February and extending until the 19th, Permasteelisa removed the WorkFurniture from the NavCenter in order to sand and refinish the floor. There simply was not time - and the clean environment necessary - to get the floor properly finished and still meet the opening deadline. At the end of this process, one Sunday, I was in the space while it was being cleaned. The floor shines like a bowling alley which is exactly how it is finished. It is beautiful and I think this finish will stand a far better chance of standing up to the very hard use it will be subjected to. We will have full use of it starting the 20th. provide me about eight days in it before leaving for the U.S. I arranged for Mike to return to finish our work early in April. the final goods - minus Wings [link:leonardo wings] - will be done and I decided to ship them by boat rather than spend the funds for air freight. Given the NavCenter’s schedule, it is adequately capable as it is and I rather see the money go for needed items and not jet fuel. This means that Mike will be finishing his work about when I return. He has about a week to ten days of work left to do for this phase of the build-out/equipping process. |
| These are not ideal circumstances for the “taking possession” process. The “first move” of every aspect of the setting up process establishes critical patterns. Patterns that are not easy to change later. At this point, no one but me “owns” the NavCenter - as a system - while various individuals the parts with all going off in scattered ways and bringing old habits to the effort. This will cost us. The best I will be able to do, in the time remaining, is to help people see the whole system and make them aware of the habits - born in other environments - and their possible consequences. There is great effort and good work going on here yet little discipline on the systemic level of recursion. It is, of course, this capability that is the whole point of the NavCenter. |
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...Week Four - 18/Feb to 24/Feb/07
Starting Systematic Transfer |
| The first seminar was given on Friday the 16th and the second on Sunday the 18th. Each of the seminars are about three hours long and there will be 10 given before I return to the States. This will establish a broad body of content regarding the fundamental reasons for, and ways of, a NavCenter and the DesignShop and patchWorks processes. It becomes knowledge, however, only when combined with experience and integrated with action. This can only happen over time. A NavCenter can only to practiced into being. |
| There were six sessions this week. With the fourth one we moved down stairs into the Radiant Room my first use of the NavCenter for its intended purpose. These Seminars are largely presentation of material on my part, with questions and answers as we go. I enjoy doing this although it is not my preferred way of teaching the Method. Circumstances related to attendance make this the only alternative. The other 4 E's of the Education Model will have to be accomplished at another time and the Explain E can be reincorporated in this process. We will schedule a 7 Domains WorkShop for the entire ValueWeb later in the year. The work of the Center, as is starts, will provide the practicum to the EXPLAIN that I am doing now. These Seminars aim only to provide a map and the “map is not the terrain.” |
...Week Five - 24/Feb to 04/March/07
Finishing and Returning to Nashville |
| This week will complete this first cycle of transfer. The transfer process is going well - but slower than I want. This is not impended by attitude or willingness or ability on the part of the UniManagement staff. It is the circumstances that now prevail: a huge facility to set up, staff and start using. An inadequate self-management process that can handel the variety involved - the very issue the Method is designed to deal with and is now impeding the process of learning the method. Catch 22. Because of other demands, every session, thus far, has been attended by a different combination of staff. No one has been to all of them. This means I have to review materials more often than I would otherwise and this has slowed the process. It also means I cannot prepare on the level I want as I do not know who will be able to come and therefore what level of experience-knowledge will be there for any given session. This has limited the time for feedback and interactive exercises necessary even in a seminar situation. The last session, on the morning of the wednesday that I left, we had enough critical mass of attendance, and enough information had been conveyed in prior sessions, that the pieces started falling into place for a number of those attending. This was encouraging for all. |
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| GoTo: UniCredit Handwritten Notebook |
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| GoTo: Unicredit NavCenter Tour |
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Matt Taylor
Torino
February 16, 2007
SolutionBox
voice of this document:
BUILD • TACTICS •
EVALUATION
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posted:
February 16, 2007
revised:
February 27, 2007
• 20070216.378190.mt • 20070219.740112.mt •
• 20070227.090122.mt •
(note:
this document is about 10% finished)
Copyright© Matt
Taylor 2007
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