Constructive Disruption: Is this Our Great Fire Moment?
September 2 is the anniversary of the Great Fire of 1666 here in London. The blaze started accidentally in a bakery kitchen on Pudding Lane and burned for four days, incinerating nearly all of Central London including the original St. Paul’s Cathedral. The City government had a unique opportunity to replan and rebuild differently but opted to retain much of the original street layout. Although they did make some awesome improvements (my favorite being the "new" St Paul’s Cathedral designed by Christopher Wren) the government might have done much more to prepare the City of London for the future.
Disruption presents opportunity. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social upheaval surrounding racial inequality highlighted by events in the U.S., what will we choose to change? What will we choose not to change (but should)? What shouldn’t we change? Many industries and companies are having their Great Fire moment.
Over the past six weeks I’ve learned a lot more about two transformations that I believe deserve serious consideration for constructive disruption. The first is our university system. The second is how we measure business impact.
University Education needs Renovation: Watching the frustration consuming the many parents I know of students aged from kindergarten to university coping with the chaos that COVID has created leads inevitably to the question “Is this the best way to educate the next generation?” With my career-long focus on developing effective, respectful global leaders I believe universities could do a much better job at preparing future international leaders. One of the most intriguing ideas I’ve seen is being tested by the Minerva Project. I had a chance to talk with Founder and CEO Ben Nelson about it last month. This new model for education is built on experience-based learning principles and takes students out into the world. Their approach is to apply 21st Century adult learning methods that enable students to develop advanced cognitive capabilities in three areas, what they call "Fully Active Learning, Cross-Contextual Scaffolding, and Systematic Formative Feedback." With no physical campus to maintain, leveraging their own virtual learning platform to connect students and faculty, and using different global locations each semester, Minerva has a model that is far more flexible and much lower cost than traditional schools. It promises to accelerate the readiness of a new generation of talent for working in an increasingly interconnected, interdependent global system. I hope the Minerva concept spreads. If it does it may present a serious challenge to our extensive existing college-education system.
Companies Need to Measure Success Differently: Traditionally business is measured by the bottom-line: how much money do we make? With the urgent needs for addressing climate change, improving inclusion and diversity, and attracting a next generation of talent that is far more concerned about these issues and social purpose than earlier generations, renovating corporate measurement is suddenly a relevant topic. B-Corps, now growing in acceptance and popularity, offer one alternative. The movement seeks to re-align and expand measurement to include purpose, transparency, support for employees, support for the community, and environmental impact. The number of companies applying to become B-Corps is growing rapidly. I had a chance to talk with Chris Turner, the Executive Director of B Lab U.K. last month. (B Lab is the international organization that certifies companies to become B Corps.) He tells me the number of firms interested in becoming registered B Corps here in the UK and Europe is exploding. Though not suitable for all organizations (the registration process requires the full commitment from leadership teams and Boards of Directors) B Corp offers a tangible path towards future-readiness for many firms.
Ten years from now when we look back on what we did (or did not) change to prepare ourselves and our organizations for the future, what will your story be?
partner at MELP
4 年Hi David, this is first time I am reading your post (I don't know why I've not seen them in the past), very interesting things are happening now and your thought about "disruption presents opportunity" is so spot on!! I know from my personal experiences about the diversity and inclusion when I came to this country - I never heard of those words being part of the conversation! Your parents, especially your mom, were the only ones that I knew believed in me. Actually your mom took me to UCLA telling them "you need a student like her even though her English is not good enough according to your standard" when they questioned whether they should admit me or not to their film school. That was almost 30 years ago!! Thank you David! Hi to your parents when you talk to them.
Experienced Leader | People & Culture | Author of Unpretentious: A Pathway to Authenticity | FT Qualified NED | Vice-Chair TALK HK |
4 年I always enjoy your thinking and perspectives, David. Thank you for sharing!
Wellbeing at Work, Emotionally Intelligent Work, Authenticity
4 年David, your observations are so important and those that are in charge of responding to the disruptions, including the consumers will do well to engage with your ideas. Very interesting read and the idea of B Corps - may they live long and prosper because some things really ought to finish.