Curiosity – a catalyst for action

This month Paper Frogs joined a group of individuals and organisations who will work together as a steering group. Over the next 6 months we will explore the evolution of Catalyst as it works towards its vision of collectively realising a digitally enabled and resilient social sector.

I’ve kept up to date with Catalyst’s work over the past year, intrigued and inspired by their approach to levelling power. The prospect of working more closely with them gave me an opportunity to reflect on what excites me about their values — in particular curiosity.

Through working with the Federation and the Responsible Tech Collective over the past 18 months, I’ve seen examples of how curiosity sparks collaboration in digital ecosystems. The ethical enterprises involved in these two programmes question the status quo in ways that lead to new possibilities — such as Open Data Manchester (ODM), Dsposal and others partnering on creation of a new standard for plastic packaging. ODM and Dsposal initially met by chance in a co-working space. They had one of those fortuitous water-cooler conversations that resulted in them both looking at recycling and waste management through a new lens. The impact of that work is continuing to grow, with work underway to explore value chains for all packaging materials.

Image: A dinosaur footprint I discovered on the Isle of Skye this summer, following a chance conversation with a local shopkeeper who spotted a dinosaur on the shirt I was wearing.

Curiosity-driven conversations were one of the themes I reflected on with the Catalyst Producers when I went through their interview process. Whether it be in shaping an operating model, developing a standard, or finding dinosaur footprints in obscure locations, it is genuine and shared curiosity that opens up new possibilities, enabling authentic connections to form and leading to new understanding and experiences.

All of that can only come about through listening and caring about other people’s ideas and perspectives. For me, whilst it all starts with curiosity, it’s Catalyst’s commitment to love, collectivism, equity and reciprocity that unlock the potential that comes from being curious.

From our initial onboarding workshops, it’s already clear that as we explore the transition of Catalyst, we’ll be challenging ourselves and the systems and structures that we’re a product of, working from a shared anchor that the Catalyst values provide. I’m genuinely curious about where this might lead — for Catalyst and its community, and for myself and Paper Frogs.

Catalyst Producer, Jo Morfee, talks more about Creating a structure, holding it lightly in her post that describes the purpose of the steering group. Read more about Catalyst’s work here.