Turning the Tide on Authoritarianism
Are we on the cusp of a global age of authoritarianism? You could be forgiven for thinking so.
3TT: Risk-taking in Real-time
Last month, more than 140 feedback enthusiasts gathered in Washington DC at the second annual Feedback Summit – Feedback Summit 2016: From Talk to Action. This year’s conversations centered on concrete, practical steps towards closing feedback loops in our work.
3TT: Your Donor is Not Evil
At the Feedback Summit 2016: From Talk to Action, we convened 80 different organizations that spanned from domestic service-providers and governments, to international aid agencies and practitioners, to US and UK funding organizations. The two days were filled with conversation around how to make the closing of feedback loops a feasible practice.
3TT: For the community – Not for scrutiny
A lot had changed since my last support visit to _Utarpradesh– the project team had now fully embraced the feedback mechanism. They were thriving: listening and being responsive to community questions, suggestions and concerns. A stark contrast to my first visit, where I’d left feeling in a spin, overwhelmed by the diversionary tactics that thwarted my scheduled plans to help the team set up a feedback system.
3TT: Why Feedback is crucial for Inclusive Decision Making
When people ask about the vision of Insights.US – I can hardly describe it in one sentence. I could start with a sentence like: Inclusive decision making is about integrating stakeholder knowledge into the decision making of an organization. People get this – but the vision is deeper.
3TT: Closing the Garbage Can Loop
Lack of civic engagement is a source of fragility and the potential demise of any democracy. Many governments and organizations have tried to solve this problem by pumping more information and more data at citizens in the name of transparency and engagement. What the government expects in return is feedback and engagement from citizens. But what if that doesn’t work?
3TT: Underestimating ICT
The potential for new technologies to bolster feedback loops is game-changing. Over the past two decades, a growing body of research suggests links between ICTs and economic growth, social development, and higher levels of democratic participation.
3TT: From Cynicism to Trust
Public consultation is an essential component of a well-functioning democracy. Governments at all levels (municipal, state, federal, etc.) should consult with residents and meaningful engagement can enhance citizen’s ability to affect public policy development and decision-making in their communities.
3TT: From Perfection to Prototype
As Vice President of Development and Impact at vizzuality, I help connect-the-dots between our environmental and social impact clients and our project teams who design and develop engaging digital tools that tell stories through data.
3TT: The Fear of Feedback
“Feedback is great but if you just lived and breathed it – it’s hard to hear.”This insight from one of my clients perfectly captures a major barrier to closing feedback loops. Hearing feedback is hard. Accepting the feedback someone gives you, really considering it and then incorporating it into your actions, is a scary and deceptively difficult thing to do.