Renaissance 2011

After a three year haitus Intersticia is back, with a newly designed livery, a revived energy and commitment.

The reasons for both?  The last three years have been full of challenges and insights, frenetic activity, and the privilege of working with a few incredibly inspiring people.  As always it is people from whom we learn the most, about both ourselves and the society within which we live, and I am forever in their debt for their patience and trust.

The concept of Intersticia, I have realised, is at the heart of who I am and what I do.  It represents not only the value that I hope to bring to those with whom I work in its many guises, but it is also my workspace within which many challenges and possibilities exist much of the time.  The space in between is where everything is possible, nothing is fixed, and it can be both a healing space but also one of great fear and anxiety.  As humans we need a sense of direction and certainty about what will happen next, but in this space nothing is predictable because the old ways of doing things are gone but new ways have not yet been determined.  I recognised many years ago that I seem to be in that space much of the time as I transition from one thing to another, always seeking what is over the horizon, and impatient to gain more knowledge.  But I have gradually learning the value of “masterly inactivity” when and where required, and of just taking time to sit and think.

As with Pooh bear sometimes I just sits and thinks, other times I just sits.

Just sitting is of enormous value, but it is increasingly hard to do in our “always on” globally connected and information addicted world.  In order to do this we need to disconnect at times, and, instead of seeking the safety of “doing” we need to allow ourselves the space just to “be”.  Sometimes the intersticial space can last for minutes; sometimes days and years.  All too often it is seen as a curse, whereas it is in fact a gift – an opportunity to mourn the past, embrace and internalise key lessons learned, and to carefully ponder and craft the options for the future.

So, within this blog I am going to explore this space from the perspectives of my personal transition on many levels.  For those who have had the patience with me around my research this space will become my journal of thoughts as I complete my PhD; as this takes shape it will be reflected in the work that I do, and the projects I undertake as I seek to improve my own skills as a practitioner; and at all times the biggest challenge will be the constant balance between work and place, home and family, and doing and being.

I shall begin this next phase by exploring a number of key themes which have been a constant throughout my life, and about which I have learned much since 2008.  These themes are at the very heart of the new Intersticia branding and include:

• the evolving interplay between the physical (analogue) and digital (data) worlds
• the tension between technology, society and the polity
• changing concepts of governance and trust in an age of unprecedented transparency, and how this is translating to how we govern ourselves
• group, system and tribe dynamics – how are these evolving and playing out in a twenty first century world with unprecedented connectivity, collaboration and knowledge networks, and, of course,
• the changing role of leadership

I hope to explore these and chronicle my musings as I go, and with this ask for your patience but also your feedback.  I have deliberately put the settings to “no comment” as in this instance I would rather have a direct conversation with anyone who would like to, and so if you would like to comment please email me.

We begin with the changing role of public communications.

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