This document discusses how those trying to solve systemic problems and crises are often looking in the wrong places and asking the wrong questions. It notes that innovative responses often come from "the edge" rather than the center, where most resources and established organizations are located. The document introduces Edgeryders as an organization that works with a global community to harness collective intelligence and help clients address complex challenges in new ways through an "open consultancy" model rather than traditional consulting.

1. "I want to stay as close
to the edge as I can
without going over. Out
on the edge you see all
kinds of things you can't
see from the center."
-Kurt Vonnegut

2. 2
Global unrest, rapid climate
change, mass
unemployment, outdated
governance structures.
We reviewed thousands of
pages of ethnographic data,
first hand accounts of HOW
people are realising
innovative responses to
systemic crises and
instability.
We found that the actors you
would expect to be there, are
nowhere to be seen.
Why is that?

3. People experimenting with
alternative responses to new
problems exist on the edge.
People looking for answers
and who have resources live
in the centre.
From the centre the edge is
stormy, noisy, messy and
painful. There are no good
maps to the edges....

4. ...so the people with
resources ask mainstream
consultancies to help make
sense of what’s going on.
Like the clients they are
trying to help, they too live in
the centre.
The centre asks the wrong
questions and tries to solve
the wrong problems.
4
x

5. Einstein had a great line
about the insanity of
repeating the same process
and expecting different
results...
5

6. 6
We are undergoing fast and
unpredictable changes. Out
of these changes will come
winners and losers.
Schumpeter gave the classic
description of this process
when he called it "creative
destruction".
Anyone who doubts the
destruction part need only
look at what has happened to
Blackberry and to Nokia.
So, "Business As Usual" is now
totally last century and the
incumbents in the consulting
industry no longer have all of
the answers.

7. 7
Edgeryders Lbg is a company
that lives in symbiosis with an
online community of about
2500 hackers, activists,
radical thinkers and doers, in
40+ countries.
What we have in common is
that we are all engaged in
getting radically innovative
projects off the ground.
We are experimenting with all
kinds of initiatives to address
the consequences and root
causes of systemic crises:
economic, social-ecological
and political.

8. 8
We do not employ full-time
consultants.
Instead we use advanced
techniques and software to
induce and harness collective
intelligence dynamics in a
global, incredibly diverse
community.
We call this open
consultancy, and we think it
is superior to vanilla
consultancy models.

9. 9
Disposition Capability Behavior Esthetics Status
Designer Intellectual Aggressive Stylish Leader
Inspired Intelligent Obtrusive Innovation Important
Adaptive Rational Dynamic Western Friendly
Careful Realistic Stable Traditional Good partner
Obsequious Simple Predictable
Ultraconservat
ive
Average
We are very grateful to
Edgeryders' "founding clients"
which include the United
Nations Development Program,
Unesco and Comitato Matera
2019.
They decided to give a chance
to a new, edgy, relatively
inexperienced startup.
We compensate them by
over-delivering.
Want to explore how we can
work together?
Write to nadia@edgeryders.eu
(our CEO) or call her at
+32485079163

10. 10
Image credits
Clockwise from left
1. Image by Austin Kleon, a.k.a
“Steal Like An Artist”. Modified with
quote from Kurt Vonnegut.
www.steallikeanartist.com
2. Protestor holding army bullets,
by Jonathan Rashad. CC BY 3.0
3. Two men, by Jasmin Cormier.
4. Network render, by Alberto
Cottica.
5. Edgeryders, by Medhin Paolos.
6. “Who we work with”, by Daniel
Vaarik.