Best of INC

This slide show provides a summary overview of the how networks can be used to achieve social impact. It is based on the content in our book: Connecting to Change the World — Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social Impact.

Presentation on city best practices prepared for the State Department international cities climate exchange.

An overview of city strategies to achieve 100% renewable energy use.

A framework of how cities can plan for deep carbon reduction across multiple sectors, prepared for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance.

An overview of how U.S. cities are demonstrating leadership on climate mitigation and adaptation, prepared for Bloomberg Philanthropies.

An overview of how electricity markets work in Massachusetts. A great introduction to electricity regulation and pricing in general.

Background on strategies for large energy users to purchase renewable energy, locally or nationally.

A report developed by Pete Plastrik for the Ford Foundation that looks at best practices in the scaling of social innovations focused on asset building for low income communities and individuals.

A discussion of three kinds of social innovation strategies typically pursued by foundations – development of individual innovations; development of professional practice fields; and development of places – and how they are different and require different investment approaches.

An overview of INC’s approach to influencing change in large complex systems.

This report for the Walton Family Foundation explores ways to advance the use of industry standards that incentivize sustainable water management practices.

A January 2013 report for the Rockefeller Foundation that provides a comprehensive “map” of the sustainable water landscape in the United States and a set of recommendations for future philanthropic investments that could accelerate the development of sustainable water systems and maximize the economic impacts of pursing greater water sustainability.

A framework for integrating social, environmental and economic capital development in the design of business enterprises.

An overview of the strategic planning framework used by INC for strategy development.

An article developed for (but not published by) the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) on how to promote social innovation in places.

An article written by Pete Plastrik of INC and Geoff Mulgan, President of the Young Foundation in the UK, on strategies for how to accelerate the development of social innovations in the US.

A framework for organizational learning based on the work of Nonaka and Takeuchi, as described in their book, The Knowledge-Creating Company.

This PPT document provides an overview of the science of complexity and its application to organizational design.

A presentation on the design of development of networks to increase business competitiveness and collaboration.

A comprehensive look by John Cleveland at what it takes to achieve “operational excellence” in innovation in mid-sized manufacturing firms. It includes a review at the end of several leading books on innovation.

An overview of the philosophy of Ken Wilber.

This report was developed by John Cleveland for the West Michigan Manufacturers Council. It provides a “systems map” of the health care market, and ideas about where employers can leverage change.

An article by Pete Plastrik and Doug Ross on the UPA charter school model and why it produces significantly different educational outcomes.

An overview of learning theory and its application to school design.

A comprehensive approach to integrating sustainability and economic development strategies for multiple bottom line outcomes. Developed by James Nixon of Sustainable Systems and John Cleveland of INC.

A summary of the Energy System Transformation framework.

This report examines the potential use by cities in the United States of mechanisms for pricing carbon emissions. Carbon pricing has occurred almost exclusively at “higher” levels of government: national, multi-national, state/provincial, or multi-state/provincial scales. Nonetheless, as more U.S. cities adopt ambitious long-term goals and strategies for deep reductions in carbon emissions, there is growing interest in understanding the feasibility and potential impact of city-based pricing and in how the design and implementation of pricing mechanisms at scales that encompass cities might impact cities’ carbon-reduction efforts. The project’s research, interviews, and survey of 26 cities in the U.S. identified a set of Background Items, Findings, and Implications. Funding for this project was provided by the Summit Foundation.

This background paper discusses equity issues related to the causes and impacts of climate change, and how they can be addressed.

This report presents a framework for urban climate adaptation that identifies seven essential capacities that cities need to develop so they can effectively implement climate adaptation actions in the short- and long-term. This framework is based on an extensive review of current adaptation practice and is different from most available frameworks, which focus primarily on processes for adaptation planning and specific actions to take depending on which climate hazards a city faces. Identifying the new, enduring capacities that cities need builds on the current knowledge of urban adaptation. The report was supported with funding from the Summit Foundation.