Global Village Commons

A: We are a hedgehog company-- we specialize in one thing. We teach individuals, corporations, communities, and nations how to reframe cultures consistent with the values of responsibility and sufficiency. These values are the foundation of freedom and create the mindset required to accomplish unprecedented results. Status quo values stay in existence until acted upon by values of equal or greater power. Responsibility and sufficiency powerfully disrupt irresponsibility and scarcity. Once disrupted, creativity flourishes and new cultures emerge. These new cultures are then free to invest their time, talents and resources in projects that matter.

A: A company that does one thing really well. Hedgehog is a term coined for business use by Jim Collins in his bestselling book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't.

For us, responsibility means one's ability to respond. Authenticity is an outcome of response-ability. We teach individuals to: (1) pay attention to authentic responses to an event, (2) be informed by responses, and (3) embrace the power of responsibility. We have found that a culture of silence--lack of response-ability--profoundly prohibits creativity.

We use sufficiency as the antonym to scarcity. For one to create what is personally meaningful, one must be free to invest one's time, talents and resources. Individuals use a belief in scarcity as an excuse to warrant business-as-usual results and also as an excuse for not risking going for something. Scarcity is a myth. One always has access to time, talent, and resources sufficient to create what is personally meaningful. We have yet to find anyone who can prove otherwise. [Itching to make your case? Email us for a complimentary myth-busting session.]

A: We have found that the tribal way of relating in Kenyan communities is a perfect match to the behavior of siloed corporations. It is always easier to see defended behavior in others before we are willing to see it in ourselves. When clients see the consequences of tribal behavior in communities that live in extreme poverty, they can also acknowledge the true cost of bureaucracy in their corporate life. We find that only when individuals realize the cost of business-as-usual bad behavior will they summon the courage to risk real communication.

A: Our company founder, Nirvana Cable, has been working in Kenya since December 2000. Because of the breakthrough results being facilitated by her Kenyan training company, Global Community Africa, our methodology has the buy-in of key Kenyan leaders. Our corporate clients are partnered with communities for which Members of Parliament, many of whom are government ministers, have asked Nirvana to guide then as they transition Kenya consistent with their new constitution.

Yes!