Burning Man is a unique gathering of people in the desert where community, possibility and creative expression are the foundations for an experience unlike any other on Earth. If companies like Google have successfully injected Burning Man principles into their culture and benefited from it, what might it mean for your company's culture? How do we foster new possibilities and build a stronger sense of community within our organizations using guidance from the Burning Man experience?

1. REFLECTIONS ON BURNING MAN
Where community and possibility intersect
JANUARY 30, 2014

2. "Burning
Man
produces
a
concentra2on
of
the
best
aspects
of
humanity
—generosity,
inclusion,
expression
and
crea2vity—quali2es
which
in
our
everyday
lives
are
rare
earth.”
-­‐
hBp://www.good.is/posts/burning-­‐man-­‐more-­‐relevant-­‐than-­‐ever

3. Community

4. Possibility

5. ten principles
1. Radical Inclusion!
2. Gifting!
3. Decommodification!
4. Radical Self-reliance!
5. Radical Self-expression!
6. Communal Effort!
7. Civic Responsibility!
8. Leaving No Trace!
9. Participation!
10. Immediacy!

6. RADICAL INCLUSION!
Anyone
may
be
a
part
of
Burning
Man.
We
welcome
and
respect
the
stranger.
No
prerequisites
exist
for
par2cipa2on
in
our
community.
How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Welcome
and
invite
the
perspec2ves
from
other
func2onal
groups.
• Seek
it
out
new
people
to
include.
Leave
poli2cs
and
red
tape
at
the
door.

7. .
GIFTING!
Burning
Man
is
devoted
to
acts
of
giM
giving.
The
value
of
a
giM
is
uncondi2onal.
GiMing
does
not
contemplate
a
return
or
an
exchange
for
something
of
equal
value.
How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• What
are
the
giMs
you
bring?
• A
giM
can
be
in
the
form
of
mentoring
others,
standing
up
and
leading
when
no
one
else
wants
to,
giving
your
best
effort/
thought
to
solve
a
tough
problem.

8. How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
Decommodification!
In
order
to
preserve
the
spirit
of
giMing,
our
community
seeks
to
create
social
environments
that
are
unmediated
by
commercial
sponsorships,
transac2ons,
or
adver2sing.
We
stand
ready
to
protect
our
culture
from
such
exploita2on.
We
resist
the
subs2tu2on
of
consump2on
for
par2cipatory
experience.
• De-­‐bullshiSng
our
environments.
• Get
rid
of
the
barriers
to
forming
ourselves
into
a
community.
• Don’t
just
recognize
people
with
monetary
rewards.
Deliver
praise
and
honor
people
for
the
giMs
they
bring.

9. Radical self-reliance!
Burning
Man
encourages
the
individual
to
discover,
exercise
and
rely
on
his
or
her
inner
resources.
How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Leadership
• Autonomy
• Taking
ini2a2ve

10. Radical self-expression!
!
Radical
self-­‐expression
arises
from
the
unique
giMs
of
the
individual.
No
one
other
than
the
individual
or
a
collabora2ng
group
can
determine
its
content.
It
is
offered
as
a
giM
to
others.
In
this
spirit,
the
giver
should
respect
the
rights
and
liber2es
of
the
recipient.
How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Be
crea2ve.
• Honor
and
respect
other’s
differences
and
what
they
can
bring
to
the
conversa2on.

11. How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Teamwork,
but
in
the
form
of
a
community.
• Being
responsible
to
each
other.
Communal Effort!
Our
community
values
crea2ve
coopera2on
and
collabora2on.
We
strive
to
produce,
promote
and
protect
social
networks,
public
spaces,
works
of
art,
and
methods
of
communica2on
that
support
such
interac2on.

12. How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Mentor
in
our
professional
and
personal
communi2es.
• Give
back.
Civic responsibility!
We
value
civil
society.
Community
members
who
organize
events
should
assume
responsibility
for
public
welfare
and
endeavor
to
communicate
civic
responsibili2es
to
par2cipants.
They
must
also
assume
responsibility
for
conduc2ng
events
in
accordance
with
local,
state
and
federal
laws.

13. Leaving No trace!
Our
community
respects
the
environment.
We
are
commiBed
to
leaving
no
physical
trace
of
our
ac2vi2es
wherever
we
gather.
We
clean
up
aMer
ourselves
and
endeavor,
whenever
possible,
to
leave
such
places
in
a
beBer
state
than
when
we
found
them.
How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Reduce,
reuse,
recycle.
• Leave
our
clients’
spaces
nicer
than
we
found
it.
• Leave
a
good
trace
(our
work).

14. How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Welcome
and
encourage
par2cipa2on
from
the
periphery.
• This
is
the
most
important
ingredient
for
success.
participation!
Our
community
is
commiBed
to
a
radically
par2cipatory
ethic.
We
believe
that
transforma2ve
change,
whether
in
the
individual
or
in
society,
can
occur
only
through
the
medium
of
deeply
personal
par2cipa2on.
We
achieve
being
through
doing.
Everyone
is
invited
to
work.
Everyone
is
invited
to
play.
We
make
the
world
real
through
ac2ons
that
open
the
heart.

15. How
do
we
apply
to
our
work?
• Give
immediate
praise
and
construc2ve
feedback.
• Act
on
an
idea
to
make
it
happen,
versus
lip
service.
• This
is
an
important
ingredient
to
discover
what’s
possible,
versus
problem
solving.
immediacy!
Immediate
experience
is,
in
many
ways,
the
most
important
touchstone
of
value
in
our
culture.
We
seek
to
overcome
barriers
that
stand
between
us
and
a
recogni2on
of
our
inner
selves,
the
reality
of
those
around
us,
par2cipa2on
in
society,
and
contact
with
a
natural
world
exceeding
human
powers.
No
idea
can
subs2tute
for
this
experience.

16. STRUCTURE OF BELONGING

17. 5 conversations for the
structure of belonging
› Possibility!
› Ownership!
› Dissent!
› Commitment!
› Gifts!

18. Possibility!
Possibility
is
not
a
goal,
but
a
future
condi2on
that
is
currently
beyond
reach.
Change
our
conversa2ons
to
what’s
possible
and
not
just
problem
solving.

19. Ownership!
People
are
the
most
resourceful
and
crea2ve
when
they
own
something.
Working
together
(co-­‐owning),
in
a
community
environment,
breeds
accountability.

20. dissent!
Invi2ng
dissent
shows
respect
for
all
beliefs.
Protect
this
dissent.
Once
people
can
safely
dissent,
they
will
fully
join
the
community.

21. Commitment!
This
is
a
promise
without
the
expecta2on
of
return.
A
true
giM.
No
room
for
lip
service
–
ac2ons
speak
louder
than
words.

22. Gifts!
Focus
on
people’s
giMs,
not
their
deficiencies
and
weaknesses.
Bring
the
giMs
of
others
from
the
margins
to
the
center.

23. WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY DO YOU WANT?

24. Principles for building a community
› Possibility!
Radical Self-expression * Participation * Immediacy!
› Ownership!
› Dissent!
› Commitment!
› Gifts!
• What
is
the
crossroad
where
you
find
yourself
are
this
stage
of
your
work
at
your
company?
• What
declara2on
of
possibility
can
you
make
that
has
the
power
to
transform
the
community
and
inspire
you?
• What
do
we
want
to
create
together
that
would
make
the
difference?
• What
can
we
create
together
that
we
cannot
create
alone?
Source:
Community-­‐
The
Structure
of
Belonging,
Peter
Block

25. Principles for building a community
› Possibility!
› Ownership!
Radical Self-expression * Civic responsibility * Participation !
› Dissent!
› Commitment!
• How
valuable
an
experience
do
you
plan
for
this
to
be?
• How
much
risk
are
you
willing
to
take?
• How
par2cipa2ve
do
you
plan
to
be?
• To
what
extent
are
you
invested
in
the
well-­‐being
of
the
whole?
• What
is
the
story
of
your
company
that
you
hear
yourself
most
oMen
telling?
› Gifts!
Source:
Community-­‐
The
Structure
of
Belonging,
Peter
Block

26. Principles for building a community
› Possibility!
› Ownership!
› Dissent!
Radical inclusion * radical self-expression * Participation !
› Commitment!
› Gifts!
• What
doubts
or
reserva2ons
do
you
have?
• What
is
the
no,
or
refusal
that
you
keep
postponing?
• What
have
you
said
yes
to,
that
you
no
longer
really
mean?
• What
is
a
commitment
or
decision
that
you
have
changed
your
mind
about?
• What
forgiveness
are
you
holding?
• What
resentment
do
you
hold
that
no
one
knows
about?
Source:
Community-­‐
The
Structure
of
Belonging,
Peter
Block

27. Principles for building a community
› Possibility!
• What
promises
am
I
willing
to
make?
› Ownership!
• What
price
am
I
willing
to
pay?
• What
measures
have
meaning
to
me?
› Dissent!
• What
is
the
cost
to
others
for
me
to
keep
my
commitments,
or
to
fail
in
my
commitments?
› Commitment!
• What
is
the
promise
I'm
willing
to
make
that
cons2tutes
a
risk
or
major
shiM
for
me?
Gifting * communal effort * civic responsibility!
• What
is
the
promise
I
am
postponing?
› Gifts!
• What
is
the
promise
or
commitment
I
am
unwilling
to
make?
Source:
Community-­‐
The
Structure
of
Belonging,
Peter
Block

28. Principles for building a community
› Possibility!
› Ownership!
• What
giM
have
you
received
from
another
at
your
workplace?
• What
has
someone
in
the
group
done
today
that
has
touched
you
or
moved
you
or
been
of
value
to
you?
› Dissent!
• What
is
the
giM
you
currently
hold
in
exile?
› Commitment!
• What
are
you
grateful
for
that
has
gone
unspoken?
› Gifts!
• What
is
the
posi2ve
feedback
you
receive
that
s2ll
surprises
you?
Gifting * decommodification * participation!
• What
is
it
about
you
that
no
one
knows
about?
• What
is
the
giM
you
have
that
you
do
not
fully
acknowledge?
Source:
Community-­‐
The
Structure
of
Belonging,
Peter
Block

29. “
”
– Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging
By
Ian
KluM
-­‐
Wikimedia
Commons

30. “In this great expanse of emptiness, every
person is a pencil or a paintbrush”
– Tom Price, TEDxBlackRockCity 2011
By
Ian
KluM
-­‐
Wikimedia
Commons

31. FIN