Today we hosted a "Transform Health Meetup" at Merchant.
We wanted to hear how a non-health crowd would approach the goals of the new grant from a lens of social innovation and entrepreneurship.
So we cast a wide net in some new ponds (with the help of a prominent post by Capital Entrepreneurs)... and caught three entrepreneurs, a software developer, a creative director, a sculptor, an advertising account executive, an "alternative" realtor, a insurance actuary, and the manager of an employer healthcare coop.
Our entrepreneurs are communicating medical records to patients, helping citizens vote on issues facing their community, and using mobile phones to track inhaler use.
Pretty fascinating folks.
We kept the brainstorm loose and informal, wandering through questions like:
1) What does a healthy city look like?
2) How would $200K be spent to make a community healthy?
3) What type of organization could make it happen?
2) How would $200K be spent to make a community healthy?
3) What type of organization could make it happen?
4) What values would they operate with?
5) How could a state team or incubator assist those communities?
6) What can health learn from your field?
There were a gazillion ideas (and Post Its) generated... ranging from a statewide Google Fiber-like health competition, to citizens demanding nutrition QR codes on food products like expiration dates, to focusing on a central garden or community gathering place, to a Shark Tank health investment firm, to a credit card that rewards health purchases. (just to name a few)
One highlight for me was a metaphor... the "IKEA Effect". Apparently it's a research-based effect where people have more value for things they have helped make. Even though with an Ikea table, you're given all the pieces and follow patterns, you're still building it... and that matters to us humans. A related phenomenon, another participant shared, is called the "Vice President Part" where planners deliberately leave out a critical part of a plan so a team member (like a meddling Vice President) can add it in, which builds their buy-in for the whole plan because they helped create it!
Thanks to Sara for her planning and documentation assistance and Shirley, Sarah, and Christy for their communications brainstorming!
Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteAny plans for follow-up or tapping into this group again?
ReplyDelete@Sarah Not sure. What would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes that emerged for me was definitely how social good is an incentive we inherently have to attract and leverage in-kind contributions from across sectors. Nearly everyone was asking how they could stay involved our help more. How we structure the project and its grants to provide meaningful ways for people to donate their time seems key.
A gazillion kudos on the "Meet Up" outcomes! Now I just want to know who that meddling "Vice President" is...
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Meg Wheatley's Walk Out Walk on...much of what she is sharing is the power of communities to come together and use their resources and strengths to solve their "problems"...because you support what you own and because it is the only way solutions will be sustainable. thanks for sharing Kyle!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for the meetup. It looks like everyone had a good time sharing ideas. Dig the Ikea effect...I think we have all recognized the concept, but it's awesome to have a name for it. A clever one at that.
ReplyDelete@Nancy: Thanks. William didn't note a specific Vice President :)
ReplyDelete@Julie: Would love to see a Loop Me In post about your lessons learned (or if there is another way you like to share your lessons while reading?)