Shared Thoughts
Frank Wennin

Thank you Frank ... Some thoughts about the progress and performance of a community

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Thank you Frank ...

I have looked at the link you provided, but cannot find very much that moves my process forward. I wish it were otherwise.

The marketing image (attached) they use (the Strategic Initiatives Tree) is an attractive image, but difficult to link with the TVM framework for how the metrics (numbering) can be made to be coherent and work efficiently.

The ideas they embrace in this image. that is: (1) Health Wellness, (2) Bioregional capital (3) Infrastructure (4) Food, Fiber and Water Sheds, (5) Education and Media (6) Technology cover a wide range of elements, but they are somewhat incoherent and difficult to analyze. Where ideas are difficult to measure and analyze, they usually are not measured and analyzed, but merely talked about.

I prefer the image (attached) from Integrated Reporting (IR) that shows very clearly how ACTIVITY flows change the CAPITALS. In the case of IR, they use 6 capitals: Financial Capital; Manufactured Capital, Intellectual Capital, Human Capital; Social and Relational Capital and Natural Capital. In the case of TVM, we are looking to consolidate our analysis for ALL the capitals into just 3 numbers. (1) Social Capital ... all about people; (2) Natural Capital ... all about the environment; and (3) Economic Capital ... essentially everything normally measured with money.

In the case of IR, Financial Capital; Manufactured Capital, Intellectual Capital map to Economic Capital, Human Capital and Social and Relational Capital map to Social Capital and Natural Capital maps to Natural Capital. This gives the potential to report up and out using just 3 numbers.

In TVM the 3 summary numbers are supported by many underlying numbers ... around 60.

Social Capital (comprising Human Capital and Relationship Capital) includes a collection of numbers that describe quality of life, cost of living, contribution, risks and potential.

Natural Capital includes a collection of numbers that describe various aspects of Land, Air, Freshwater, Ocean Water, Mineral Resources, Energy Resources, Climate Systems, Biodiversity (Fauna), Biodiversity (Flora)

Economic Capital (comprising Physical Capital, Financial Capital and Intangible Capital (which includes Knowledge Capital, Institutional Capital, Cultural Capital, Locational Capital) includes a collection of numbers that describe all of these elements,

The TVM framework uses a concept of framing analysis that is almost identical to what is used by conventional double entry financial accounting. In TVM we apply the core concepts in a way that embraces ALL the CAPITALS rather than being simply about FINANCIAL CAPITAL.

As TVM emerges, it will become more and more apparent that almost everything in the modern world is seriously unsustainable ... and worse, the conventional goals used to describe improvement ensure that this unustainability becomes worse rather than better. This is an existential crisis in the making!

I don't see evidence that this organization has the capacity to number in the way that I am looking for ... but I would be delighted to be proved wrong.