HOW TO INVENT A SUPERSTRUCTURE:
Q: What's a superstructure?
A: A superstructure is a highly collaborative network that's built on top of existing groups and organizations.
There are four traits that define a superstructure:
- • A superstructure brings together two or more different communities that don't already work together.
- • A superstructure is designed to help solve a big, complex problem that no single existing organization can solve alone.
- • A superstructure harnesses the unique resources, skills, and activities of each of its sub-groups.
- • Everyone contributes something different, and together they create a solution.
- • A superstructure is fundamentally new. It should sound like an idea that no one's tried before.
Q: What kinds of groups can come together to form superstructures?
A: Any kind of group at all. For profit and not-for-profit, professional and amateur, local and global, religious and secular, online and offline, fun and serious, big and small. Any existing community can be added to a superstructure! Check out this wiki page with some examples. You will probably think of others, so please add them to our list!
Communities that can come together to create new superstructures:
- • Companies
- • Families
- • People who live in the same building or neighborhood
- • Industry and trade organizations
- • Non-profits and NGOs
- • Annual conferences or festivals
- • Churches
- • Local or national governments
- • Online communities
- • Social networks
- • Fan groups
- • Clubs
- • Teams
Q: How do I create a new superstructure?
A: Start by picking a community that you already belong to. What could your community uniquely contribute to solving one or more of the superthreats? And who else do you want to work with to make it happen?
- When you're ready to share your idea, create a new wiki article.
- Use the wiki fields to describe your new superstructure. Feel free to ignore some fields and add new fields. The only fields that are required are the name, mission, and superthreats addressed. You can save your article and come back any time to add more ideas, or you change what you've written.
Q: I've made a superstructure. What next?
When you have a basic description of your superstructure in place, invite other SEHIs, and your own friends, colleagues, neighbors, and networks to join.
Since you created the superstructure, you can decide who can join and what is required for people to join. If you're not sure what to ask people to do, take a look at other superstructures to get ideas.
If you've made your superstructure public, keep an eye on your wiki to welcome new members and to see how the superstructure evolves. If you've made your superstructure private, be sure to check back often to approve new members so they can help you build your superstructure!
Together, your superstruct members can keep editing the wiki until it describes exactly the way you think your superstructure should work.
DON'T STOP NOW!:
Once you've created your first superstructure, there's lots more to do. You can create superstructures for other superthreats. Or you can design spin-off superstructures from your original superstructure. You can invent competing superstructures, or bigger superstructures to swallow up superstructures that already existing.
Keep superstructing, and surprise us with your big ideas!