Ever since I heard the news that I was to be part of the G20voice team of bloggers, my head has been buzzing with ‘nearly ideas’ and questions.

Why do the powers that be want us there? Here’s one theory. I’m old enough to have seen pitifully slow progress in solving some of the planet’s injustices, like child mortality for example. This doesn’t mean that really dedicated people haven’t been working very hard and that there haven’t been some progress. It’s just that these efforts are not enough. Incremental improvements to existing practices are not satisfying the increasing demand for change.

If incremental improvement isn’t enough what options do we have? Well, we need new models, new ways of thinking, innovation. So where does innovation come from?  Generally, it tends NOT to come from the core of established institutions. Does it? Innovation tends to happen at the edges of structures, or sectors or cultures and especially in the places where these edges overlap.

Now, we bloggers tend to be on the edge of things – still regarded by many as ‘a bit weird’. By inviting a bunch of edglings into the core of  the formidable structure that is the G20, some amazing things might happen. That’s what I would regard as an ‘outcome’.

On the other hand, perhaps the G20voice people are simply being creative about how they use a bit of unused space . . . . just like ColaLife is trying to persuade Coca-Cola to do.