Human Connection and Relationships

In this episode of the Collective for Social Purpose podcast series, we chat with Prof Ingo Karpen who is a Professor of Business and Design at the University of Adelaide and Karlstad University in Sweden. Ingo is also a Chief Investigator on the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose project, with a strong interest in improving lives and systems, and a desire to work with researchers and entrepreneurs to effect positive social change in various contexts.

In conversation with our host David Pembroke, Ingo explores the role of human connections and relationships in collective engagement, with a particular focus on the importance of compassion.

"When it comes to social change, there is far less talk of compassion. Often, we look at charts, figures. We're interested in performance indicators. We try to assess the way we have performed in various ways, but often we don't put enough primacy on the on the human beings involved. It's a really fundamental phenomenon in society that can make a difference on a on a daily basis." – Prof Ingo Karpen

Also joining us in this episode is Dr. Taylor Wilmott, a member of the University of Adelaide's research team for the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose research project. She provides further insights into building compassionate communities.

"I think in terms of creating compassionate communities, there's two sides. There's the bottom up side to creating a compassionate community where it's really community members that are driving the collective and the change. The other side is the top-down model where policy changes in government or health systems are what further change and potentially what enable community members to feel empowered." – Dr Taylor Willmott

Discussed in this episode:

• The importance of human connections and relationships in collective engagement
• Mechanisms for transitioning from individual engagement to collective engagement to achieve change
• Understanding and practicing compassion in engaging others
• Promoting positivity, purpose, and avoiding blame and judgment in collective engagement.

To access the transcript for this episode: Collective Engagement Ep 5 Ingo & Taylor Transcript