The Triffids are coming...

Dear Ezri,

The question raised by our recent LinkedIn poll was, ‘how can science fiction help people and businesses tackle sustainability?’ Sustainability attracted more votes than AI, which might seem a more obvious ‘fit’ for an SF-based approach. But surely the point of using SF to tackle business issues is that it can be applied to anything, not just the (increasingly common) issues that remind us of SF.

On a science fiction and environment note, I can’t help but conjure up the brilliant John Wyndham novel, The Day of The Triffids. Published back in 1951, the story features an aggressive species of plant that starts killing people, and – as some people claim about Covid – the plants were bio-engineered and accidentally released. In a similar way to our current quest to save the planet, the story ends with the lead character determined to destroy the Triffids and reclaim their world.

One of the biggest challenges business leaders are asking me about at the moment is the need to make sustainability challenges easier to understand – particularly for customers and employees. The current focus on technical language and regulatory issues can detract from simple messages. Storytelling, especially through the lens of science fiction, could help make sustainability more engaging.?

?Most large organisations have defined their net zero strategy, but apart from reducing plastic usage, many employees still find it difficult to articulate the role that they need to play. Yet we know people are keen to contribute.? According to the Office for National Statistics, most adults report making changes to their lifestyle for environmental reasons.? Sustainability really matters to employees and customers alike, and, of course, to investors, as the ‘ESG’ agenda demonstrates.

Making communication interesting, easy to understand and simple to act on will help employee retention and customer relations, as well as improving sustainable business results. Using science fiction to find new, imaginative approaches could be the compelling and unique solution business leaders are seeking! Can you share a practical example of how SF could be used to help in this context?

Best wishes

Larraine

Dear Larraine

From The Day of The Triffids to 1972’s Silent Running, in which all plant life mysteriously disappears from Earth, and Pixar’s 2008 animation Wall-E, SF stories have a great deal to say about humans, technology, business and the environment. In the classic tradition of SF, these stories pose ‘what if…?’ questions.

Most business leaders are familiar with the benefits of ‘what if…?’ scenario planning, but in a way that is often conceived within narrow parameters. The wider the scenario net is cast, the more likely it is to catch the possible and the plausible, as well as the probable future.

So here are some practical steps everyone can take, whatever kind of organisation, community or group they’re in, to unleash the power of SF.

1. Identify the core issue to be tackled. Be clear about the relevance to your business or organisation. In a well-managed process, the more diverse the viewpoints of those involved in choosing, the more valuable the chosen issue is likely to be.

2. Identify current trends and drivers relating to that issue. This can be done using a number of models, and will include social, economic, technological and political considerations, as well as environmental. All will have some impact, and they’ll interact in unpredictable ways too.

3. Map out the uncertainties from step 2 that you think pose the greatest threat or risk to your goal(s).

?So far, so standard. This is where the SF kicks in…

4. Hire a science fiction writer, or someone who can help you write your own SF stories, to interrogate the uncertainties you have mapped and their possible human consequences. Imagine if John Wyndham were available… or Isaac Asimov, who invented the Three Laws of Robotics… or Octavia Butler, whose 1993 novel Parable of the Sower is unsparing in its description of a world wracked by environmental degradation, social breakdown and uncontrolled greed. And it’s set in 2024!

What we’re advocating here is simple – use your imagination. Make it part of your thinking and planning. Then leverage the output, however wild or unlikely it may seem at first, to turn an intense spotlight on your decision making. Because a vital element is all too often left out of ‘what if…’ planning. What if we build a nuclear power plant on the moon, as the US military reportedly intends to… what happens next? What if OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever is right, and AI can become conscious… what happens next? And what if NASA scientist James Hansen was also right when, after more than thirty years of studying climate change, he declared it’s “game over for the climate”… what happens next?

Only if we exercise the muscle of our imagination will we become strong enough to answer questions like these meaningfully, and use the same principles to find the best solutions to business challenges

Live long and prosper!

Ezri

Is there another business or organisational issue you’re dealing with that you’d like the SF angle on? Let us know in the comments!