Here’s to those who have the wisdom to see that (as management guru Peter Drucker once said) “We are getting better and better at doing the wrong things. We must do the right things, even if we do them poorly at first.” My mentor in Systems Thinking, Dr Russell Ackoff of the Wharton School, loved to quote Drucker while advocating a “redesign of society”. This is something desperately needed due to the current design of society being so corrupt it is no longer capable of giving us a sustainable future. American politics is no longer part of the solution, thanks to having been corrupted by authoritarian influences from outside, but also from within. So… What does a redesigned society look like? It starts with recognizing the fundamental truth that we are one human family living on spaceship earth… That the concept of separate nation states is killing us. Separate cultures will always exist and are a delight for those who enjoy diversity of food, music, and other forms of the arts. But separate nation states create wars between political ideologies that are totally unnecessary when you see the world as people like Buckminster Fuller saw it. I call on the sustainability profession to champion a whole system based model of the future that puts the UN sustainable development goals in the past where they belong… A world based on improving separate parts of the system rather than transforming the whole. The transformation we need is as much as spiritual one as it is an intellectual one. And I will be advocating for the spiritual aspect of the process in a speech I’ll be giving in September at the annual conference of the Oklahoma Museums Association.
You're welcome, John. I really wish these iconic figures were alive today to guide humanity forward through the current insanity.
I'm applying for a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. They are soliciting applications for innovative approaches to "reduce the risk of nuclear war". Their "reduce" (not "eliminate") mindset comes from a world in which nuclear weapons will always exist. But of course, Bucky (and Deming, Ackoff, Drucker and all other systems thinking masters) understood that risk can be reduced to zero... by eliminating the root cause of why nuclear weapons exist in the first place (mankind's believe that "war will always be part of human existence"). Wish me luck convincing them to approve my round one grant application submission. I'm gonna tell them there's a way to reduce the risk to zero but they'll have to pass me to round two to learn the details. I'll mention systems thinking and say "You want innovation? Here's where to find it." Applications are due July 31st, in case you know anyone who wants to apply...
Who will guide these business leaders as they attempt to make radical changes? Seems to me these leaders have not yet developed the physical muscles, emotional intelligence, or awareness. Will experts from Sustainability Inc. or the ESG Industrial Complex suddenly be able to abandon their limited focus on metrics, indicators and measurement of emissions. Given that these are the folks with authority and closeness to business leaders, I am not hopeful.
GlobeScan, the ERM Institute and Volans are developing plans for a series of regional roundtables around the world to explore what such radical solutions might look like.
We at Paragon Impact Alexforbes would love to be a part of the roundtables, being able to represent experiences from South Africa and UK / Europe. Please do get in touch if you would like our views kinga@alexforbes.je
Here’s to those who have the wisdom to see that (as management guru Peter Drucker once said) “We are getting better and better at doing the wrong things. We must do the right things, even if we do them poorly at first.” My mentor in Systems Thinking, Dr Russell Ackoff of the Wharton School, loved to quote Drucker while advocating a “redesign of society”. This is something desperately needed due to the current design of society being so corrupt it is no longer capable of giving us a sustainable future. American politics is no longer part of the solution, thanks to having been corrupted by authoritarian influences from outside, but also from within. So… What does a redesigned society look like? It starts with recognizing the fundamental truth that we are one human family living on spaceship earth… That the concept of separate nation states is killing us. Separate cultures will always exist and are a delight for those who enjoy diversity of food, music, and other forms of the arts. But separate nation states create wars between political ideologies that are totally unnecessary when you see the world as people like Buckminster Fuller saw it. I call on the sustainability profession to champion a whole system based model of the future that puts the UN sustainable development goals in the past where they belong… A world based on improving separate parts of the system rather than transforming the whole. The transformation we need is as much as spiritual one as it is an intellectual one. And I will be advocating for the spiritual aspect of the process in a speech I’ll be giving in September at the annual conference of the Oklahoma Museums Association.
I loved Drucker back in the day - and adore this quote, Steve. And thank you for keeping the spirit of Bucky alive!
You're welcome, John. I really wish these iconic figures were alive today to guide humanity forward through the current insanity.
I'm applying for a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. They are soliciting applications for innovative approaches to "reduce the risk of nuclear war". Their "reduce" (not "eliminate") mindset comes from a world in which nuclear weapons will always exist. But of course, Bucky (and Deming, Ackoff, Drucker and all other systems thinking masters) understood that risk can be reduced to zero... by eliminating the root cause of why nuclear weapons exist in the first place (mankind's believe that "war will always be part of human existence"). Wish me luck convincing them to approve my round one grant application submission. I'm gonna tell them there's a way to reduce the risk to zero but they'll have to pass me to round two to learn the details. I'll mention systems thinking and say "You want innovation? Here's where to find it." Applications are due July 31st, in case you know anyone who wants to apply...
I hope you're doing well.
https://www.carnegie.org/news/articles/call-for-proposals-grants-to-support-reducing-nuclear-dangers/
Who will guide these business leaders as they attempt to make radical changes? Seems to me these leaders have not yet developed the physical muscles, emotional intelligence, or awareness. Will experts from Sustainability Inc. or the ESG Industrial Complex suddenly be able to abandon their limited focus on metrics, indicators and measurement of emissions. Given that these are the folks with authority and closeness to business leaders, I am not hopeful.
GlobeScan, the ERM Institute and Volans are developing plans for a series of regional roundtables around the world to explore what such radical solutions might look like.
Let me know if you welcome input and participation in those regional roundtables.
We at Paragon Impact Alexforbes would love to be a part of the roundtables, being able to represent experiences from South Africa and UK / Europe. Please do get in touch if you would like our views kinga@alexforbes.je