Imagine Chicago’s Organizational Challenges

Imagine Chicago is a tiny organization. Our maximum staff size has been six people (this summer). We function primarily as a catalyst and external partner in networks that share resources and lead to social innovation. They encourage learning by bringing together different discourses, practices and understandings around common goals.

Just as knowledge is not fixed, Imagine Chicago as an organization is flexible, with a multi-skilled work force held together with information technology and a wide network of partners. Structure follows vision. What this means in practical terms is that projects (as well as Imagine Chicago as an organization) are first constituted by organizing a "design team". Imagine Chicago does not formalize institutional structure and then decide what to do. Rather, it invites interested individuals, and those they recommend, into brainstorming sessions to explore ideas.

Imagine Chicago as an organization did not apply to become a legal entity until 18 months after the first design team was constituted and had field-tested a pilot project worthy of public support. Subsequent initiatives have emerged only when there has been enough interest, commitment and support to move forward. Then projects formalized and sought funding.

As in many effective postmodern organizations, Imagine Chicago depends on relational factors — including a spirit of giving and volunteerism (manifest not only in its active board, but also in the many highly experienced volunteers who contribute invaluable professional services and ideas). Permeable boundaries allow for responsiveness, variable work roles, and a high degree of production, innovation and diversity. Authority resides in the ability to add value through knowledge creation and application in a changing mosaic of project teams.

Boundaries are permeable and relationships continually expand, so the mission must be clear. Challenges of managing diverse and loosely coupled projects include developing and maintaining a coherent sense of purpose; effective communication (for example, in gathering information about ripple effects); and decision-making in the absence of clearly defined roles.

At Imagine Chicago, the role of the organizational leadership team has been to:

· Anchor the organization with a clear mission.

· Communicate the mission and build ownership around it from diverse constituencies, who then devise unique implementation strategies by working in partnership with the organization.

· Prioritize opportunities for creative involvement.

· Manage tasks that weave various voices and projects together.

· Secure necessary organizational resources, including staffing and funding.

The success of organizational leaders depends on their abilities to inspire trust and engagement, to speak multiple languages (of the diverse communities that constitute the organization), to model the mindset, and to weave meaningful connections between people and ideas.