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Interview Questions

By Betsey Merkel, Co-Founder and Director, I-Open

Introduction to the I-Open Interview Questions

We're operating in a new time and what used to work before, simply doesn't work
anymore. I-Open interviews share stories of insights, ideas and new ways of
doing things differently to accelerate positive change.

For example, Peter Gloor, Research Scientist, MIT Center for Collective
Intelligence contributed an interview about Swarm Creativity and ‘Cool Farming’
– trend finding and predicting. For example, which film will win the
Oscars award this year? Peter adds personal stories describing how he got the
idea for his award winning software: from his Dad who is a Bee Keeper!

June Holley, Network Weaver, teaches people how to weave networks – a neat
way to think differently about how to strengthen future opportunities focused on
your interests.

I-Open interviews,
• Build knowledge networks between deep research investment and
industry practitioners, establishing relevance to local and global
challenges
• Create context and content in new areas of inquiry
• Act as a meta filter to improve our understanding of how all work fits into a
global economic picture
• Share insights and connectivity to people whose work focuses on
discovery
• Address an individual lack of time and access to a diversity of networks
from a trusted, quality source
• Illuminate new opportunities

We encourage you to contribute a brief interview about your work, your interests,
your passions - all the good stuff that makes up economic development in
communities and their regions.

All content is published under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-

Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.

Please email questions to Betsey Merkel at betseymerkel@gmail.ccom

Thank you for your time and we look forward to learning more about your work.

Copyright 2009 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-
Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)
4415 Euclid Ave 3rd Fl Cleveland, Ohio 44103 USA
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Interview Questions

A. CATEGORY
Open Source Economic Development working in networked economies
requires us to make cognitive shifts, to view whole systems and to
determine our relevance as individuals. This work takes place at the
peripheries of networks. Based on your interests, your cultural history and
experience,

1. What are you passionate about now?

2. What would you like people to know, think, feel and do?
3. What do you see for the future?

B. TOPIC
Innovation Framework helps us to identify where we place our attention, our
relationship to others and the value our activity brings to a larger picture of
economic development. Work here takes place in a loose hub of people
with shared interests.

1. What category of the Innovation Framework do you primarily invest

your time and attention? Brainpower? Networks? Quality, Connected
Place? Dialogue and Inclusion? or Branding Stories?
2. What secondary categories are you interested in?
3. Which category would you like to collaborate with next?

C. ACTIVITY
Strategic Doing requires a behavioral shift in our focus away from Strategic
Planning (3 - 5 years) to continuous, iterative, and incremental cycles of
strategic activities (30-60-90 days) by aligning, linking and leveraging
networks and resources resulting in transformative initiatives and creating a
culture of "Enterprise Collaboration" focused in a core team.

Explore and Research

1. What research areas interest you? Why?

2. Who would you like to be connected to that you are not?
3. How will your research serve the sustainability of communities and
their regions 50 years from now?

Focus and Networks

1. What networks are you building? Why? How?

2. What criteria do you use for mapping knowledge networks?
3. What criteria do you use to identify best practices in those networks?

Copyright 2009 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-
Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)
4415 Euclid Ave 3rd Fl Cleveland, Ohio 44103 USA
 3

Execute and Enterprise

1. What is the next enterprise opportunity that you see? Why?

2. How much time would you like to spend on this opportunity, from
idea to execution?
3. Whose insights and guidance do you/would you engage?
4. What benchmarks and measurements do you use in your work?

Performance and Education

1. What information do you share with others?

2. Do you participate in collaborative leadership? With whom? Why?
3. What next steps do you envision to pro-actively respond in
education, economic and workforce development?
4. What next steps do you envision to pro-actively respond to the
powerful topics affecting communities and their regions, such as:
climate change, green job creation, water, land, energy, technology,
and health care?
5. How will your research/business serve the sustainability of
communities and their regions 50 years from now?

Closing
Is there anything you would like to add to this interview information?

Feedback
How would you improve this interview?

Background
I-Open:
http://i-open.org/

I-Open Overview and Background:

http://www.i-openeducation.net/wiki/i-open-overview-and-background

I-Open Interview and Conversation Research:

http://www.i-openeducation.net/wiki/interview-and-conversation-research

Maps
Link for Open Source Economic Development:
http://www.i-openeducation.net/file/show/i-open-asset-map.jpg

Link for the Innovation Framework:

http://www.i-openeducation.net/overview/welcome

Link for Strategic Doing:

http://www.i-openeducation.net/file/show/strategic-doing.jpg
Copyright 2009 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-
Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)
4415 Euclid Ave 3rd Fl Cleveland, Ohio 44103 USA