REPLY Society Strategy Development (SD7068)

[SDMAIL peter Luttik]

Posted by  "peter Luttik" <peter.luttik at dotank.nl>

I have followed the discussion on the strategic direction of the SD 
society with great interest.     From 25 years involvement in strategic 
transformation processes - often in the public domain, i fully recognize 
the trackrecord Jack quoted Kotter on.  

My favorite system thinking rule is, that if a problem is resistant to 
change then the common solution could well be part of the problem.  So 
maybe strategic change processes are part of the problem of making 
organisations respond effectively.  

I just spend some time on the website of a 170 year old NGO anti slavery 
international.  Interestingly enough their old mission still works.  
After successfully contribution to the abolition in the UK and US they 
later found that new forms of slavery recurred.  

So why not build on the great story of SD over the last thirty years: 
starting the sustainability debate.   It  will still be around in 50 
years )if not nobody will'.  In new forms and structures and a continued 
albeit higher level of confusion and misunderstanding. Who needs new SD 
goals with collapsing ice shelfs, new coast lines (e.g. in my 
place/holland), potential mass migrations, more resource (food, water, 
energy) focused world conflicts and a 35 trillion energy transition. So 
we got a great goal.

And focus on what I believe to be the most promising  long term 
strategy: introducing SD starting in primary education, allowing the 
birth of a generation of minds able to deal with more facility with the 
emerging complexities.   Modern technology is unthinkable without 
calculus, modern business without accounting and a sustainable world 
with systemic thinkers. It meets the key requirement for a solution to a 
long term problem: its long term in its impact.

The main problem in this is that its all more of the same.   And since 
we are a group of change agents, we don´t like that.  But then
our own personal bias for birthing new ideas may well be our biggest 
trap: not getting the basics right and making sure that the essential 
hard work is continued.

Maybe terribly boring, but it may stop my kids from having to move due 
to flooding risks.   Maybe we can try to reframe things in such a way 
that they become current, challenging and interesting again.   Instead 
of I told you so and more of the same.  
/
By the way, Anti-slavery International (set up in 1837) still inspires 
and does great work for the 12 (ILO) or 27 (NGO's) million people used 
and traded as slaves today, which at an annual turn over of 10 billion 
(FBI) to 32 billion (ILO) is now the third largest criminal enterprise 
in the world (after illegal drugs and illegal arm trade).  Like slave 
trading, abusing the global common stocks of energy, water and other 
resources is likely to remain highly profitable and therefore resistant 
to any common intervention, requiring dedicated citizens to continue to 
work on the issue. /

Peter Luttik
the Netherlands
Posted by  "peter Luttik" <peter.luttik at dotank.nl>
posting date  Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:39:22 +0200