What is the Unreasonable Time?
It’s October 11th 2010, a day when an idea has been sent to me from Zero Generation… Next to a vimeo link to a nebulous Unreasonable Institute project, came the question: “What can we do with all the talents we collate?”
The mail was sent at 6:15 AM by the way.
More than my words, I think they are the best to explain who they are, what they do and why they do it.
Later on, October 11th 2010, 10:40 AM, I posted this: Thx to @salmaansana I disovered today the Unreasonable Institute (http://ht.ly/2RvVh ) on Episode 1! Awesome concept!
After many discussions, exchanges, a lot of time, and in our quest to develop and enhance the LSS learning experience, an idea about an activity has been submitted for the edition 2012: The Unreasonable Time.
“The Unreasonable Time is an opportunity for LSS participants to actively make use of the network of LSS, which sometimes happened in the past, on a more sustainable way.
LSS attracting over 60 ppl from different profiles from 25 different Organisations from a dozen field of higher education in Europe and the world.
We would unite them, trained in a similar location for 10 days, given time to develop solutions that could impact many.
Instead of mentoring, we could facilitate the process by providing a frame and feedback to their ideas.
Trainers would help participants not only in realisation, also in building and strengthening their ideas along with all LSS actors.”
All that said, the idea has been presented before the event, inviting participants to bring (im)possible ideas for collective implementation and, throughout the event, 1 hour was daily allocated for group work development.
“I’ve failed over, over and over again in my life that is why I succeeded.” Michael Jordan
As you can imagine, it didn’t work out as we planned:
– No responsible was initially attached to the activity as this was meant to be a free and uncoordinated time
– Low level of participation at first
– Frustration raising from the ones interested though not supported
– The follow up on the idea is very weak
Though, by failing fast, we managed to get the idea back on track.
Filipe Pereira, our Entrepreneur minded Trainer, took over to facilitate the process. He took part of the daily check-in of the Unreasonable Time.
Participants also took their part in by providing themes for the different Unreasonable Time: Open Space Technology, LSSx2, NGO Cooperation.
Together, trainers and participants organised and took part in a full day Project Creation Workshop (illustrated below) during which over 100 ideas were generated, about 20 of them were refined and made it through to a Business Model draft. By the day of today, a dozen have raised interest. As mentioned before, follow up should be improved.
We are still following the Unreasonable Institute project, learning from its failures as well as its numerous results and impacts. We will combine them with our own and improve the actionability of LSS actors ideas fulfilling one of the fundamental objective of the Leadership Summer School Project: to set an environment and a frame in which the organisation’s members will network and uncover possible new or better ways of cooperation.
If given the opportunity, would you join us?
