This document outlines Julian Stodd's research on informal learning and organizational change in the social age. It discusses foundations of the social age and tensions between dynamic change and resistance. It also explores how organizations change, the landscape of trust globally, and characteristics of socially dynamic organizations. Additional sections cover the role of communities and social leadership, influences on change processes, and reasons why organizations can fail to change effectively. The goal is to build an evidence base, tools, and approaches to help organizations better leverage social dynamics, earn trust in leadership, and generate engagement in an era of new technologies and social connections.

1. Informal Learning &
Organisational Change in the
Social Age
Julian Stodd: Author & Explorer at Sea Salt Learning
www.julianstodd.wordpress.com
www.seasaltlearning.com
@julianstodd
@SeaSaltLearning
Building the Socially Dynamic Organisation

3. Introduction: WARNING
• A #WorkingOutLoud session
• Co-Creative

4. Our Journey
• Part 1: Foundations of the Social Age - dynamic tension & power
• Part 2: How Orgs Change - resistance, constraint, dynamism
• Part 3: The Landscape of Trust - a global view
• Part 4: The Socially Dynamic Org - diversified strength, resilience
• Part 5: Community and Social Leadership - social authority
• Part 6: Resisters and Amplifiers - dynamics of change
• Part 7: How Organisations Fail - frames, scripts, power

5. Part 1:
Foundations of the Social
Age

37. Part 2:
How Organisations
Change

65. Part 3:
The Landscape of Trust

66. This is a
#WorkingOutLoud
session
• Sharing the evolving research
• Earliest stage of analysis
• Earliest applications

67. Prototype study
2016
• 5,000 participants
• 120 narrative accounts
• 15 open questions

74. Research
Structure 2017
• We are gathering 1,000 open narrative accounts of Trust
(2017)
• Currently at 155
• We are signing up 30 Research Partners (2017)
• Currently 3, and 12 in discussion
• Each of which will contribute 100 plus narratives
• Building a global Explorer Community

75. What are we
exploring?
• The nature of trust between individuals
• The nature of trust in communities and teams
• The nature of trust in Organisations
• Impacts of technology
• Impacts of gender, culture, ethnicity etc

76. What we will
build
• An evidence base
• Diagnostic tools
• Developmental approaches
• Tied into broader aspects of the Social Age:
• How we earn trust in leadership
• How we generate engagement
• How communication can be authentic
• Etc

79. Analysis

80. Landscape of Trust
General Demographics
So far: 155 complete responses (More partial responses, but less useful for analysis)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
18-24 25-34 35-49 50-69 70+
35.3%
10.8%10.8%
1.3%
9.5%
13.6%
4.7%
0%
Male Female

81. Demographics
Other demographics collected are:
• Field of work
• Work Status
• Position Level
• Nation
• Size of company

82. Analysis #2
1 is Strongly Disagree, and 5 is Strongly Agree (Ages 24-35):
Women: 2.56
Men: 3.85
“Those devoted to unselfish causes
are often exploited by others.”

83. Analysis #1
1 is Strongly Disagree, and 5 is Strongly Agree (Ages 24-35)
Women: 2.31
Men: 3.42
“There will be more people who will not
work if the social security system is
developed further.”

84. Analysis #3
• (With more numbers, men are currently more likely to use mis-trust!
• No other factors so far are interacting with this to a statistically significant way
• Having seen it swap, awaiting further numbers before drawing further conclusions on the
why of it (All ages)
Women: 1.2
Men 1.38
Use of the word ‘Trust’
and ‘Mistrust’ in narratives

85. Themes

91. My Intention
• How i intentionally seek to
work with trust
• Is founded upon my individual
Landscape of Trust
• Is framed within context or
Org experience of trust
• Shapes my actions

93. My Action
• The way i express my trust
• Shaped by my intent
• But also filtered through my
understanding of the
Landscape

95. My Impact
• How others trust me
• How that trust relates to trust
in the Organisation itself
• Dynamic tension between
Individual and Organisational
trust

100. Scaled up to culture

101. Culture
• Co-created through all actions
• Two dimensions: trust and mistrust
• Held concurrently, but balanced differently

103. The Trust Sketchbook

106. Part 4:
The Socially Dynamic
Organisation

114. Part 5:
Communities & Social
Leadership

135. Part 6:
Resisters & Amplifiers of
Change

148. Part 7:
How Organisations Fail
Frames, Scripts, Power

149. Bringing Together 3 strands
of work
• 'Black Swans and the Limits of Formal Hierarchy'
• The Socially Dynamic Organisation
• Emergent Technology and buffering

163. STAY IN TOUCH
@julianstodd
julian@seasaltlearning.com
www.julianstodd.wordpress.com
www.SeaSaltLearning.com

166. Copyright Julian Stodd 2013