At Openfields we are committed to helping leaders imagine and implement a more creative and just future. Here are five ways Capita's conversation Solidarity in the Age of Social Distancing: COVID-19 and our Stretched Social Fabric, can challenge you to work differently on behalf of children and families in need.
1. NO MORE OFFICE
What if your organization never returned to a traditional office environment? Now is a moment to assess whether you really need all that overhead. Beyond saving resources, could your work be more engaging? Your team more effective? Could it all be more human with less office?
2. ABUNDANT, MOTIVATED TALENT
If the sudden shift to remote work opens up a new global labor market, how
will your organization tap global talent? OR, How will you engage the displaced workers and students who are rethinking their place and purpose? Beyond displaced workers, many people have gained new perspective on what matters most and will be motivated to contribute in new ways.
3. LOCALLY-SOURCED
In what ways was your personal or organizational "economy" disrupted? From grocery store shortages to supply chain disruptions, the future may not be delivered by Amazon Prime. How can your organization be better prepared to source local food and supplies in the case of an emergency? Or better, how can you invest in local people, networks, community organizations, and businesses to ensure your community is more resilient, healthy, and sustainable?
4. CIVIC INNOVATION IN A VACUUM
As governments flounder to meet the dramatic and rapidly changing social needs caused by the pandemic, we see an opportunity to step up, mobilize concerned citizens, and make new policy. This is a moment for civic innovators to lead and to set new expectations for social and civic engagement.
5. NEW NARRATIVES FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM
In Capita's conversation, Ian Corbin notes "Rugged, macho individualism is a disease of sorts. Everyone's need is now undeniable and out in the open." If you have ever struggled against a culture or policy or system driven by an individualistic, bootstrapping worldview, now is a moment to offer a new narrative. What stories can you tell? What impact can you demonstrate? What ways can you show that solidarity and community make all the difference?