Open value networks & business models

International Governance
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Continuing the discussion from Collaborative governance scheme:

Exchanging values in the OFN network

I just started thinking about how we exchange values and balance contributions in a system like OFN. Some people contribute with money, some with time (on which they use their competences), some with contribution in kind (like offering access to an office for example).
I have not gone very far on that, but I discovered, thanks to @sigmundpetersen, the Open Value Networks initiative, and www.sensorica.co. Maybe there is some inspiration there :wink:

I don’t really know how to apply that on a “commons” that has no aim for profit (even if we want of course to build sustainable business models, so we need the model to generate some profit) but how to reward the different contributions? What is the “counterparty”? Is it the opportunity to build ones own hub and earn a living with that? Is it just the satisfaction of contributing to a project that makes sense? If done on a volunteer base as a side project, why not, but we all need means to satisfy our everyday needs (I’m not saying money because it would narrow down the possiblities of satisfying ones needs ;-)) so if people work 100% on it, how to reward the contribution? Should the reward be of the same nature for every contributor? Should we keep track of the contributions? How to think the interface between local/global? Some of us work for the global community, some for the local…

Open Business Models?

A good friend of mine (Sylvain Le Bon, some of you know him) has studied open source business models for some years. He said we can’t build centralized business models on a decentralized and distributed project. His idea is that we need to identify the different roles and map the internal services, who is doing what for who. And think a business model for each function (developers, admin, “commercial” (I would rather call that function “hub recruitment” ;-)), etc.). There are fucntions, and “flows”. The question is: who bring value to whom in the network?
For example, the developers will have their own business model. An example is: if we are three instances who need the translation brick to be developped so that we can translate the platform for the local languages, we can ask a developer within the community to do it, and share the cost of the development.
It can be an “open model”, not everything rely on one person. The business model of the developers shouldn’t depend on the business model of the admin.

In a hierarchical organization, some non-profitable functions are financed by profitable positions. Like the admin are financed by commercials, etc. Some functions bring money in and pay for other functions.
In an open business model, each function is independant.
Sylvain says “we won’t manage to build a sustainable decentralized product by applying centralized economic models”

That’s what I just started to think about in governance scheme (tab “international trades and value exchanges”) but it is probably a bit more complex :wink: Maybe it should be visually represented thanks to a value stream map? This reflexion is very new to me so I don’t really know… but maybe you’ll have some ideas!

PS: here is an interesting article from Sylvain, and another one here

I have no answers, but I just wanted to share the questions with you :slight_smile:

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Ping @sylvain :slight_smile: Thanks for your contribution in that reflexion :slight_smile:

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Thanks @MyriamBoure for the nice introduction :smile:

IMHO, everyone should get a counterparty for their contribution, and the sooner the better. Because if someone gives a lot of efforts on something and expect to get in return in the future, it can create a lot of frustration as there is no way to lock profit in an open model. So it is true that the commons are not for profit, but it’s not the case of the actors who build it, as everyone has to pay the rent. So I think you have to think of funding if you want to be sustainable.

In the case of OFN, there is money involved, as people pay for their food. So as long as money gets in the network, it’s just a matter of making sure the right streams are activated. For example, if a producer finds new customer thanks to a hub, it makes sense that part of the money they get from these new customers gets to that hub’s manager, and so on.

Let me know if I can help in building your business models.
Cheers!

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I would like to introduce my friend and collaborator, Ampie Barnard. @ampie was working on an open value network platform. Sadly this project has been suspended as we realised that many of the values and functionalities which he was trying to manifest through the OVN platform are inherent or easily reproducible in Blockchain2.0.

Ampie is very well versed in Open Value Network theory and the surviving remnant of the OVN platform is a Value Network Modeling Language which he developed or is busy developing which I think can address many of the challenges and questions raised, particularly when it comes to mapping and accounting for non monetary value such as social good.