Humanocracy

 

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The Power of Openness

Institutions and societies thrive when they’re open and stagnate when they’re not. The resilience of cities like New York and London is the product of openness and diversity. Residents of New York’s five boroughs speak eight hundred different languages, making the city the most linguistically diverse in the world.¹ On the other side of the Atlantic, 30 percent of London’s residents hold a non-British passport.²

In a vibrant city, one encounters a multitude of differences in how individuals think, dress, worship, work, love, and play. This diversity creates an immense combinatorial space—a nearly limitless number of opportunities for mashing up ideas, talents, and resources in new ways.

Openness is also the secret ...