The Decade Ahead: Critical
  • The key to our era
  • My contributions/targets
  • Some examples
  • And . . .
    		• It is my considered view that I am entering into the most creative period of my life, so let me put some of my ideas on this before you to see if perhaps some of you may have a few thoughts or suggestions for me as I start to dig into it. Basically, I have with this site launched a continuing process which I hope will define my work and collaboration for the remainder of the decade, not least because almost any of the important things that I would hope to give my attention to will require at least that much time and work to get even a first bite out of the apple. My plan is going to key on a small number of highest quality international partners and projects, with strong mandates and the resources and leadership needed to get the important transforming jobs done.

    As you have amply seen here, I am not a career academic nor a full-time researcher. Nor am I looking for a job, if by that is meant a full time, long term fixed position in a hierarchy. Rather at this stage in my career I feel that my best contribution lies in finding ways to make flexible, targeted, cost-effective contributions in challenge areas which I believe to be among the most important in front of us today. An important part of my usefulness stems from the wide variety - technical, geographic, cultural, sectoral -- and synergies of my on-going associations and work environments. Bringing us to the concept of a portfolio of projects and affiliations. (And, incidentally, the matter of organizing international work in good part via the cost-effective, performing technologies now at hand.)

    The key to our era

    We are today on the brink of a new era with enormous problems looming before us, and equally enormous opportunities. Here in a small handful of bullets is my best synopsis of the high points of the era and challenge ahead. Why do I put this here? Because they simply define the future and the envelope of opportunity.

    1. Sustainable development is the business of business, government and each of us in the 21st century.

    2. We live in an era of transforming technology.

    3. The goals of sustainability and social justice cannot be reached without putting these technologies to work. (And while we will need more than this, the undeniable fact is that without using these technologies, and using them brilliantly, the battle will be lost.

    4. And the only way to achieve this, to turn it from endless words and promises to the near term (a few years max), concrete, palpable results that we need to meet these challenges is by setting clear performance targets which can be openly measured, judged and acted upon by an informed, participatory citizenry.

    If that sounds about right to you, and you could use an extra pair of hands for priority challenges before you, I invite you to keep reading.

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    My contributions/targets

    Here are the kinds of things I am targeting for the years ahead:

    1. Understanding the reality of the epoch-forming process of technological change that is now getting fully underway, and that is going to dominate the leading edge of accomplishment over the remainder of this decade.

    2. Decision counsel to international business, government and the volunteer sector on strategic, high potential impact issues of technology, economy and society in circumstances of socioeconomic stress, rapid technological or environmental change.

    3. Primary sectors/focus areas: Sustainable development; information technology; institution building; work and economic organization; women/equity/leadership; culture, education and learning systems; communications and outreach; mobility, logistics, energy, environment, location and physical planning.

    4. Partners/Clients: Ideally I will be able to attain a creative mix of public and private sector (service, financial and industrial) clients, salted by work with some leading foundations and other able innovative sources of new ideas and initiatives.

    5. Geographic/Cultural: At least half of my assignments should be focusing on issues that are going to be of importance for people, and especially women and children, in the developing world and the Accession countries (and those standing in line).

    6. Support of pattern-breaking programs: Work with whoever has the mandate, funding and courage to create, support and implement pattern-breaking processes and incentives for stimulating social-technical innovation and social justice in a sustainability perspective.

    7. Identifying and finding ways to support "change agents": . How do we spot reward creative individuals and small grassroots programs who are bold and risk taking - including mavericks and others who work outside of conventional reward systems?

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    Examples/Types of assignments


    Here are some examples of the kinds of assignments and areas in which I would like to put my particular skill set to work over the remainder of the decade:

    • Job creation/rethinking work -- especially if I can find backing for putting some of our ideas and experience on this to work in specific areas or target groups (example: very aggressive, properly funded programs to create full employment conditions for males in the 15-35 year age bracket in violent areas of high unemployment. See Rethinking Work for first background on this.)

    • Cities of the Future programs that use strong leadership, public activism, citizen participation, private initiative, technology, and the media to create sustainable cities

    • Working with industrial, resource and financial groups to create and administer true, non-greenwash programs of sustainable development and social activism (all while making an honest buck in part through these actions).

    • Program/project reviews/restructuring: Independent review, (discrete) commentary and brainstorming on socio-technical programs or initiatives, or underperforming business or operational units requiring a review and possible rethink -- whether in the public sphere or in industry and international business.

    • Institution building: Neighborhood, national or international groups concerned with extending their focus, revising their operational structure, increasing their effectiveness in the world.

    • New Mobility Initiatives: Let me cite this as a salient example of the sort of approach that to my mind should be getting highest priority at this time: specific, targeted, visible, checkable, sustainability initiatives with teeth. (See New Mobility Initiative for extensive detail on this.)

    • Support/accompaniment of promising ICT projects/business groups that are going to lead the international wave of transformation of the 'information economy'. sustainability arena.

    • Regional development and refugee programs (a) in de-industrializing or economically troubled areas and (b) that can improve living and economic conditions in 'labor exporting' countries, in an effort to retain both brainpower and workforce in regions of origin.

    • Teaching, Learning, Education, Young People I want to see if I can find ways to work with young people, even children, on problem solving, problem identification learning exercises within the framework of academic institutions or otherwise. I don't see this so much as a drill whereby I stand in front of a group of obedient students who have been brought into the room to hear me dispense great wisdom. Rather I see this as elbow to elbow collaboration and joint work with specific real world (sustainability) objectives in view.

    • South/South, South/North lessons transfer: Look South young man.

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    And . . .


    And, working with others to advance the following concepts by working with others in areas such as:

    • International networking and coordination for sustainability initiatives.

    • Pattern breaks for socio-technical change.

    • Innovative award and prize programs to encourage and support hands-on, independent social-technical innovation and social justice in a sustainability perspective (including from the volunteer and private sector)

    • Validating sharply different alternative futures using new technology (through new techniques of simulation, interactive exploratory tools, striking visual displays, etc.)

    • New ways to deliver needed social services (also but not exclusively via new technology)

    • Harnessing new technology to facilitate higher efficiency, ecologically softer distance work in new and far broader ways.

    • Sustainable mobility - supported by new technology but also through better planning and management of demand

    • New approaches to integrated, sustainable city planning and development

    • Anything to do with programs aimed at concentrating development, educational and health resources on girls and young women.

    • Conflict negotiation, arbitration, adjudication

    • Creation of opportunities and conditions of life in countries and regions now suffering labor/brain outflows

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