Solve Anything! Building Ideas through Design - Mar 2010

I hope this helps moves thinking, understanding, ideas and design onwards. Comments, contributions appreciated.

The intention is to bring together two ideas from the original P2PU conversation and discussion with the goal of attending to the role of organizations – not for profit and the broad role of information as both an enabler and constrainer within the context of internal and external work. Internal refers to organizational planning, management and mandate while external refers to delivery of mandate which usual involves one or more audiences of citizens and a communication plan managing the exchange of varied information .
Increasingly communications involves a strategy comprised of varied media modes including newsletters, mailings, websites, formal and informal advertising and increasingly social media.

OBJECTIVE :
Design a prototype organization representing good practices, especially those related to the flow of information. A key goal is to invigorate the organizational model through a greater understanding of the multiple and inner-related roles information and its dissemination and use can play relative to mandate, audience and stakeholders. The prototype would exemplify both example of good practices but potentially become a clearinghouse for guidance on such good practices.

CONTEXT: brief social and technological (ethnographically informed) trends and developments
Rapidly evolving information and communication tools
Libraries have moved to resituate /redevelop themselves relative to new information and communication technologies and changes in information culture.
Advertising and the dissemination of information has moved beyond geographic and political boundaries creating concerns with regard for those consumers of information who may not recognize such constraints.
Concern with development of information and communication literacies related to new media
Not for profit organizations that are often less well resourced or positioned to take advantage of new and evolving information and communication technologies.
Organizations both challenged and being challenged by change, some of which is related to new information and communication economies and public expectations for transparency and openness.
Pressure is on health care systems and related organizations to attend to and respond to changes around the management of differing health and medical related information.
Perceptions of risk related to increased information and perceived lack of any evaluation that ensures quality.
Concerns with health information literacy in view of greater commercial – product and service driven content in all forms of media without corresponding resources or balanced promotion of information and knowledge dissemination based on public interest, needs and concerns.

BELOW: Should have been a table.

Rapid Appraisal - Key Factors For Consideration:
THE ORGANIZATION: KEY ELEMENTS, FUNCTIONS > GOALS > ATEND TO FLOWS OF INFORMTION:

Mandate : support good information practices / Openness, transparency

Style: not for profit with profit driven partners ?? / Internal information channels and
Virtual, online - limited to or inclusive of / needs in relation to external information flows with reciprocal relations
Board of Directors advisors with
open ? membership voluntary
- founding members / Information uses as generators of information and knowledge
Contribution - in kind (hours of support etc)
Learning organization
Community of practice
Audience(s) ?
Support, resources
Sustainability
Management - decision-making process / decision-making processes - role of determinism (social and technological)