December 10, 2007 Shoshana Zuboff
Pioneers in the support space are appearing all over the world. The first generation efforts to take baby steps into the new space are pretty well known. In distinct ways, businesses like eBay, Amazon, and Craig’s List begin to prototype some aspects of support economy principles. But there is a rapidly growing group of second generation pioneers, moving more deeply into this new space.We are writing about them, and we’ll be sharing that material here as it is compiled. In the meantime, you can explore the innovations of some of these pioneers by just checking them out on the web. No one of them has it all. Each one tends to embody different aspects or subsets of support economy principles. Their work is deeply original. You can begin to see the building blocks of a new enterprise logic in these innovations. These are just the tip of the iceberg. We learn about more all the time. For a start, go see:
– The Specialty Schools and Academies Trust in the UK for its work on deep support and building federations.
–TutorVista: a pioneer in the new economics of distributed coordination.

–TENUK: pioneering distributed systems built around the individual.

– Others we find fascinating include: GetFriday, YOurManinIndia, SliversofTime, KIWorking.

Please watch an interview with Shoshana Zuboff here

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Check the contact post below here if you have more questions.

You can also contact us at zuboff_maxmin@thesupporteconomy.com or contact our Speakers Bureau — Tom Nielssen at The Bright Sight Group tom@brightsightgroup.com or 609 466 0077.

* Each organization and each leadership team is unique. That is why we develop collaborative relationships of deep support to meet the varied needs of our clients.

* Ours is not a traditional consulting service offering off-the-shelf products, seminars, and preconceived methodologies. Instead, we establish a unique relationship and dialogue designed to promote each Sponsor’s strategic learning about the support economy and its implications, opportunities, and potential.

* Our activities may include a unique series of one-on-one conversations, learning-intensive discussions with top management and directors, tailored learning with nominated senior managers, and advisory support for lifeboats and new ventures.

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Today there is a growing chasm between consumers’ needs and the business organizations they depend upon. Too often people must confront a wall of cluelessness and indifference—a commercial world still fitted out for the old mass order. This chasm can be seen each time someone spends the evening checking her phone bill for bogus charges, finds his routine insurance claim rejected or spends hours on the phone trying to fix a malfunctioning new computer. The chasm is expressed in these brutal facts. Only 4 percent of U.S. adults say they trust their HMO; 7 percent, their health insurer; 11 percent, their life insurer; 12 percent, their telco. And the numbers don’t get much better. Seventy-four percent say corporate America’s reputation is “not good” or “terrible,” and 83 percent say that big companies have too much power, according to recent polls.

Jim Maxmin founded and is Chairman of a private investment company, Global Brand Development. He is Advisory Director of MAST Global Ltd., the investment-banking arm of the Monitor Group. Dr. Maxmin is the former CEO of Volvo UK, Thorn EMI Home Electronics, and Laura Ashley PLC. He has been a non-executive director of British Airports Authority PLC, Guest PLC, Progressive Insurance, Scottish Provident Insurance, Dawson International PLC, and many private venture companies. He advises Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies around the world.