Establishing the Institute for Collaboration, Creativity & Culture

Since my return, I've spent much of my time working with my partners in The Dutch Connection on planning our fall and winter activities. We share a vision of the future where we can contribute our best by establishing a think-and-do tank with relevant purpose for organizations and academically recognized due diligence in research. We recognize a gap in the strategic coordination between people and their networks, ideas, channels and the real messages they are trying to share. I love this mix of Science, Media, Technology and Creativity. It's a way to tie all the loose and wonderful ends together into concrete concepts that will move us forward into preferred futures.

So, The Dutch Connection is evolving into the Institute for Collaboration, Creativity & Culture. We are establishing this foundation to develop and ground strategic insight into the emergence of culture through collaboration and creativity. We are beginning with research projects that will lead to identifying communication and behavior patterns in a knowledge-driven and networked society.

Kids 2020 is one of these projects, where we explore the visions and strategies of kids around the world. Another is building a scientific map of where relationships dwell and how they move into communities of practice.

Many of us have had successful careers in media, communication, technology, academia - and many of us are young, enthusiastic and rich with ideas for future growth. For those of us more experienced, we clear the path for youthful contribution with the richest value. For those less experienced, they help the older ones let go of old ways and learn new ways. Together, we experience the joys of continually learning from one another.

As we move forward, we would like to invite you to join us in some round table discussions online in our Agora.

Off we go, headed into the next evolutionary stage of our development. Hard to believe that we all met online and built a network together that links over 260 people from 42 countries. Wish us luck and join us in a soon-to-be-annouced Pow-Wow here in Amsterdam.

Anyone experiencing GoogleTalk yet?

Being a Mac user, I loved that there was a designated "how to" for configuring iChat.

Please let me know how you experience GoogleTalk compared to Skype.

Indian Harbor Beach & Eco-Tourism

Indian Harbor Beach 8, originally uploaded by Colby.

This was the view from our apartment balcony towards Cape Kennedy - which you can see at dots on the horizon.

What I found amazing was how empty the beaches were. I ran across more people early in the morning around 7 am during my walk than I saw at any other part of the day.

This community appealed to me because it's a combination of scientists, academics, professionals and people fascinated with space and the sea. From what I experienced during 2 weeks there, this community of people cares about the impact of tourism on its environment. They protect the nesting of turtles along the beaches as well as the nesting ground of birds. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the USA and funded by NASA.

The lifestyle culture there appealed to me. I hope that the Florida Institute of Technology really does invite me back as a Visiting Professor.

Sunset on the Indian River

Indian River boatride sunset 6, originally uploaded by Colby.

While visiting the Florida Space Coast, I had the opportunity to join some friends on their boat for a sunset cruise on the Indian River. The Indian River separates the barrier island from the mainland. There are even canals - much like here in Amsterdam - built into the island between houses where people moor their boats.

The sunset was breathtaking that evening as you can see.

Back in Amsterdam after 2 months

Finally returned last week after a hectic 2 months in USA. Over the next few days I hope to catch up and begin once again to post on my blog. I'll also share my experiences and photos from my last stop along the Space Coast in Florida, where I met so many interesting people from Florida Institute of Technology, NASA, and local businesses there looking to expand beyond the US borders.

This trip opened my eyes to many changes going on in the US as well as in business there. Through the coaching that I did, I gleaned quite a bit of insight into issues facing business leaders and the people in their organizations right now - both within the US culture and in global operations.

One note of difference that I immediately appreciated was a genuine offering to collaborate on projects and research. Over the past 18 years here in the Netherlands, I have experienced what I call a protectionist attitude that prevents any real collaboration. Perhaps it's related to how everything here is subsidized. This may be an essential factor in understanding why it is so difficult to grow an innovative culture here. If innovation requires collaboration, how can we address that here to open the climate to the possibilities, instead of all the reasons why we can't do something? Perhaps this insight will help us open a new dialogue.

Has anyone else experienced this as well?

Florida's Space Coast

Have been here on Florida's Space Coast for over a week. This place is full of turtles in their breeding season - so cool.

Will return to Amsterdam next week and once again share thoughts and ideas with you.

Even though this is a technology center, it is very laid back. I have yet to find an internet cafe, so posting to my blog was impossible.

Have some great photos that I'll share next week.