Where is all the wealth?

A healthy world would undoubtedly have sufficient resources to feed every person, to provide health care and to give each individual a decent living. But success continues to elude the global community.

The situation of poverty in many countries is deplorable and expecting impoverished countries to get themselves out of poverty is an extremely unlikely scenario simply because there is a causal loop. Poverty removes the possiblity of adequate education, health care and proper nutrition for billions. Each of these factors reduces the probability that children of the next generation will have incomes sufficient to allow them to pay taxes. WIthout taxes, the governments are unable to pay back billions in loans that have accumulated over the years. While they strive to provide security and a minimal form of governance, they are saddled with crippling  interest payments on loans of prior generations.

How should wealth be re-distributed?

Many, throughout decades have called upon the World Bank to cancel the loans and the World Bank has refused arguing that it could not based on its own  laws. If the World Bank is unable to cancel the loans, and donor nations seriously want to help, they must give sufficient amounts to help the countries pay off their loans. But donor nations themselves are also struggling with debt, leading back to the original question, where is all the wealth?

It occurred to me that the one place where wealth accumulates is with families in the upper echelon of society. When we think about the reality that being born into this life is a random process, there is no one individual who deserves to be born into wealth any more than another. As such, the passing of wealth to new generations gives an unfair advantage to those who were lucky enough to be born into wealthy families. While ensuring the future of our children is a reasonable goal, it is in no one’s best interest to have vast accumulations for some while other starve.

Some families recognize this injustice and choose to create trusts through which the money is redistributed to charitable causes. This is laudable and a reasonable form of monetary redistribution. However, for those that choose to keep the money in their families, the following generations continue to be advantaged in every way and the money and wealth continues to accumulate in the form of stocks, bonds, businesses and properties. But children of the wealthy aren’t any more deserving than the poorest child.

Should extreme amounts wealth be allowed to pass from one generation to the next? Is this fair?

While it may not be politically popular with the few that have unearned wealth passed to them, or those who have vast amounts that they wish to pass to their children through inheritances, it seems fitting that some share of inherited wealth should be used to create a more equitable life for all children. Redistribution through higher estate taxes would be one of the fairest forms of taxation to raise money. Once a person has lived their life and has had a fair and reasonable opportunity to use the wealth they’ve earned, it seems only fair that more of the money should be re-distributed after their passing.  Funds raised in this way could then be used to meet current donor commitments to impoverished nations.

This would benefit the greater good both within a country and and globally.

While I’m not necessarily suggesting that every family be subject to the same percentage tax, it would be reasonable in the case of estates in the billions to be heavily taxed after each generation has passed. Exemptions could be made in the event that a Charitable Trust has been formed, provided that such trust are confirmed to be genuine. By passing more of the assets of wealthy individuals back to the state, a redistribution of wealth would be possible and donor countries could then begin to look at increasing their commitments to impoverished states to the degree necesssary to meet the Millenium Development Goals. Similarly, it would also be reasonable to formalize legal liabilities for nations to ensure the redistribution from one nation to another to ensure that no country suffers excessive poverty while others benefit.

At very least, it would be interesting to model this approach of wealth redistribution to see how it might impact society as a whole. Far from making countries or people worse off, it is has been proven that equitable wealth distribution benefits rich and poor alike. (Click to see a TED video on inequity)

One might look at donor money as priming the pump of an economy. As long as there is insufficient money in the economy, it is unable to effectively create its own wealth. Insisting on payments of past debt cuts off the priming impact of donor money.

Other possibilities exist.

If the World Bank is unable to cancel the loans, then perhaps they might at least consider cancelling all interest and payments for several generations, long enough for these societies to recover. Once an economy is producing sufficient income through taxation it may be able to pay its debt.

Assessments have also identified tax evation by multinationals as being a major drain on poor nations. Global regulation of multinatoinals needs to ensure proper distribution of taxes to the various countries as well as maintaining standards for environmental sustainability and the rights of workers. (Click here for more information)

The issue of Governance and Corruption

While it may be true that impoverished nations have governance challenges, one might question the source of such challenges. If a police officer, responsible for enforcing laws, is unable to earn a living wage, how can they be expected to do their job? If they are hungry, how will they be able to make sound decisions and keep their emotions in check? While corruption is far from desirable, its likelihood increases when survival is threatened. The sooner the underlying causes of poverty are addressed, the more likely that corruption will be minimized.

While I begin to dive into this effort, I hope to share with my readers some of the learning and insights I gain. This learning will focus primarily in one or more threads of articles, but I’ll be certain to ensure that all entries will be listed in the category of Human Security, Peacebuilding or both, along with the category on Personal Learning.

Learning at the best of times has been provided to us in the form of classes that are taught to us by our Teachers and mentors. In post school years, much of our learning is in books and for those who don’t read, it has been filtered down to a form of entertainment through news media and other forms of educational programs and documentaries. But excellence is ultimately developed through an on-going effort of learning through personal investigation, the application of learning in action, and the refinement of learning through reflection.

As I go through this program, I will periodically share thoughts on the learning process as well as the specifics of what I’m learning about.

My initial learning to date is opening my mind to the many contexts of globalization.

These include: economic, military, peace efforts, humanitarian efforts, water security, food security, industrialization, logistics, ecology, climate science, climate change mitigation, war, terrorism and other interdependencies which impact our current world situation.

Further to this is the consideration of formulating research questions in areas related to human security. What constitutes a good research program, how is it structured, how is it focused and what are the applications of it’s outcomes?

For now, I’m just started in the program (this is really my first day of immersion) so I’ll stop here.  There will be many more related entries to come over the next few years.

As I proceed, I will make an offer to any organization, be they business oriented, religious, social (NGO) or governmental, who are interested in learning more about human security or peacebuilding to share questions they might like to be researched in related areas, especially if they are willing to sponsor that research.

In addition, I would be very happy to speak to any organization on learning related to either my own research, my others areas of expertise in coaching, relationship development or leadership, or any other related topics. Not only will speaking act as a compliment to my studies but as an implicit contribution to my work as Executive Director at Partners for Prosperity whose goal is to create the capacity for global prosperity individually and within communities. Hopefully, it will also serve the dual purpose of supplementing my personal finances (which are limited while I study) while contributing to your organization’s collective wisdom and capabilities.

While I’m not yet in the position to adopt a specific research question, having access to a specific application of research outcomes certainly makes the effort more interesting.

Keep reading and keep learning,

Garth Schmalenberg

As always, if you wish to share this article, please feel free to do so.

Although most of my past articles have been addressed in some way to Business leaders who aspire to create sustainable value in their organizations, my readers have come from a wide array of people, some business leaders, some professionals in various fields, and many others.  I wanted to acknowledge all of you and hope that you continue to enjoy reading.

In my last article, I talked briefly about an organization called Partners for Prosperity. You may remember a Remington Shaver commercial where the President came on the television and said “I liked the product so much I bought the company”.  Well, in my case, I didn’t “buy the company” but when I understood what Partners for Prosperity was striving to achieve I “bought” the message and when they found themselves with an opening, they invited me to join them as their Executive Director and I accepted.

Does that mean the end of my coaching practice? Well, no. There are still individuals and organizations that can benefit from my coaching right here in the Cowichan Valley or in Vancouver or other locations and as long as some of my time is available, I’m still willing to serve those needs. Having said that, I’m very much looking forward to my work with Partners for Prosperity.

Since I’ve started with them, I’ve had a lot of questions about what Partners for Prosperity does and what it stands for. In order to explain that, it’s worth getting an understanding of what we mean when we talk about prosperity.

In the traditional sense, prosperity has been based on an economic perspective. When you run a business, prosperity is usually tied to making money. It means having assets or financial ability and that in turn translates into having the freedom to do whatever one chooses.

For us, prosperity is a little different. It’s still about freedom and the ability to choose but not quite so much in an economic sense. It is more about freedom to express culture diversity, to have food security, descent housing and infrastructure, gender equality, availability to education, fundamental freedom of choice with regard to religious belief (or not) without persecution, freedom to investigate and learn, and freedom to develop and share arts and culture.

While economics does play an important role, there is a much greater emphasis on development of the the higher human nature, the virtues which make us what we are, and building of capacity from within a community itself rather than having one community trying to develop another. When we talk about “developing” vs. “developed” countries, it has the potential to belittle the contribution of the inhabitants of the so-called “developing” country to their own success. Prosperity for us involves recognizing diversity as a positive element of life that contributes to the whole, rather than holding to the belief that our way is the best way. It also recognizes the historical impact of certain cultures dominating others and seeks to heal those relationships through love and respect of all people. It strives to root out influences which have bred dependency on aid, recognizes individual and community rights to self-determination, and believes in our growing, albeit early, collective maturity. True prosperity seeks to demonstrate our collective ability to get beyond the historical abuses of power on the part of individuals, groups or governments which have so often lead to hopelessness for those who have suffered oppression and have likewise destroyed the humanity of those who oppress.

Partners for Prosperity’s goal is not to create development projects independently. Rather, it is to listen deeply to communities that are wanting to develop in their own capacity and in their own way. It seeks to partner with them to understand the environment necessary for that development to take place and it engages participants to facilitate the creation of that environment in ways that are respectful of the capacity of the community to develop itself and to contribute back to the greater good of society.

Our goal in Partners for Prosperity is to work closely with Volunteers to help them to develop new understandings of Social and Economic development which take into account the higher nature of humanity and accompanies them in their own development. When we help others to develop, they also help to develop us. When we look around, we find literally millions of people who are willing to serve others, to give of their time and energies, to try to make the world better place for those who follow in their footsteps, but who lack the skills or the means to apply their generosity of spirit. There are also many organizations who have successfully operated in the realm of Social and Economic Development who have valuable skills but who have limited capacity to replicate their successes. Partners seeks to play a role in creating partnerships with these various participants by developing a systematic approach to learning and expansion through research, outreaching to communities, reflecting, planning and applying our collective learning through action. We are developing a systematic approach for sharing and accompanying new Volunteers, for attracting new partnerships with NGO’s, Governmental groups and Businesses, and to make it easier to establish new programs of development lead directly by the communities we are working with.

I’m inviting everyone to participate, whether you are a:

• Business Leader who wants to develop a socially active business or are willing to contribute financially or through your resource pool,
• Volunteer who is willing to take on a development role while adopting an attitude of humble learning,
• Student who seeks to expend your energies while learning new skills, developing deeper insights and creating your own future world,
• Community member or leader wanting to celebrate and share your culture and uniqueness, while developing new capacities and sharing with us,
• An NGO already working toward a better society and have skills or partnerships to contribute,
• Friend willing to share this message with others and you believe that we can create a prosperous world together,

Initially, we are aiming to maintain and develop our projects and capacities in Haiti and Ghana, to maintain existing partnerships such as OUR Ecovillage and others, and to establish or share in other projects on Vancouver Island using these as our learning ground. But we also need to expand and have many connections elsewhere. As we further establish our methodology, we will have many opportunities to help facilitators across the globe in assisting groups of Volunteers in their own locations to establish their own Social and Economic development projects, all of which will be designed to develop the richness and capacity of the communities and individuals involved.

Please take the time to share your interested in helping us or learning more about Partners for Prosperity. Please contact me at  garth@partnersforprosperity.org . Share your vision, your experience, your learning, your hopes and your offers of time, resources or even money and please, share your name and phone number so I can call you back. I look forward to sharing our goals and working with you directly.

All the best,

Garth Schmalenberg

Since arriving here, I have also had the great privilege of participating with and offering my assistance to a wonderful organization called Partners for Prosperity which I’ll speak more about later and provide a link to for those who are interested in learning more.

It is said that when you set an intention, pray to God, and put your intention out to the world, in some mysterious way it the world assists you to achieve your goals. For me, my personal goal in life is this; that in my work and in my personal activities, in my building of relationships with people of capacity (and all have capacity), in my prayers and in the depths of my soul, that my focus may continue to be on bridging gaps in understanding; between people and organizations, between countries and leadership, between those who find themselves in conflict who are unable to resolve issues on their own, between those who are privileged in the material sense and those who, though needing assistance, share their own wisdom and the hope of a peaceful and prosperous world, between those who believe the world is crashing down with issues related to sustainability and those who see the marvelous possibilities of the future. My efforts to connect with business, community and religious leaders, my personal studies which range from social and economic development to research papers on practical application of high tech solutions to current human challenges, my future aspirations of a Masters Degree in Human Security and Peace building, my recent visit to Vietnam and my earlier visit to India to develop business relations and link foreign opportunities with North American businesses, my keynote presentations to various organizations on developing a culture of Sustainability, my service on various Non-Profit boards aimed at building business, spiritual and community capacity, my aspirations of sharing knowledge and learning through my services, my work with organizations aimed at building a culture of learning and development of leadership capacity, my continued goal of linking those who are involved in business and community leadership and those who are involved in social development, my desire to connect good hearted privileged individuals with those who would benefit from their assistance; all these efforts are aimed at developing human capacity and building a more peaceful and prosperous world. 

My intention is to continue learning, growing and sharing by offer my services (keynotes, workshops, facilitation, training, building connections and coaching) to business, community and social development leaders, or anyone else who would like better understand the forces that are shifting a rapidly evolving world, whether they share in this vision of the world or are simply curious and want to gain a greater understanding from my experience and the experience of the many people that I’ve met along the way.

Now that my own intentions are “out there”, I’ll say a little more about Partners for Prosperity.

Partners for Prosperity is an organization the is in the business of building partnerships. Whenever a need is perceived, be they local or overseas, Partners for Prosperity begins the process of engaging their growing list of partners who are able to share expertise, learning, experience, material goods, and, in some cases, funding. Partners for Prosperity isn’t just another NGO or Charity. They are somehow a little different than any organization I’ve seen before. They’re like glue to Social Development in the world.

They see a very specific need in development. There are literally hundreds of thousands of aid organizations in the world who are spending billions of dollars; funds which are provided by government and business partnerships, but which often end up in “traditional” aid efforts. In other words, the organizations fly in, do their work, consume their funds and eventually leave. As much as their work is necessary and valued by the recipients, it often leaves the beneficiaries in a situation, which though better off than before, have little in the means of capacity for creating a sustainable future. They end up dependent on future aid.

Partners for Prosperity seeks to build capacity of the aid recipients so that they are able to support themselves.

How do they do this? They find organizations who have a very specific approach which are already building capacity on the ground, who have specific experience in developing the local skills and talents. These organizations are deeply involved in educating people not only from a material perspective but from a whole life perspective, building intellectual, spiritual, emotional and material capacities used in community development and infrastructure, agricultural development, commerce and business development. Once they find organizations who are successfully building the capacities of local people and communities, they find out what their needs are and then look for other partners who might benefit from supporting them and who will also benefit by learning from them. They facilitate the conversation, share knowledge through providing direct connections, hold conferences on building capacity and venture out to find new projects, new partnerships and new opportunities for sharing experience. Partners for Prosperity is like glue that helps social development organizations to become less necessary and more beneficial by helping the local communities to become more self sufficient. If you want to contribute to a long lasting solution, either financially or by offering skills, services, expertise or material goods, Partners for Prosperity may be one of your best choices.

Please share this article and blog site with friends, family, business associates, community members and others you feel might benefit.

All the best,

Garth Schmalenberg
http://hbi-leadership.com

While we could have predicted the reduction in price of laptops anyway, as a result of continued exponential advances in technology, targeting $100 was, at the time, aggressive to say the least. Having said that, the only real question was “how long will it take”? At long last, several computer makers are building $100 laptops (netbooks) including Cherrypal and others albeit generally on an Android platform rather than Windows. 

After, more or less achieving the initial goals of OLPC, Negroponte is targeting a new $75 price point for OLPC based on a tough, ultra low energy, solar powered tablet computer with an 8GHz processor by 2012. Immediately critics of his goal cry foul stating the obvious, that he isn’t a technology expert and that an ultra low power 8GHz processer will likely not be available at such a low price by 2012. But they are forgetting the fact that this is a paradigm setting goal and, for Negroponte, I suspect it is more about setting the target than it is about his personal success at reaching the goal.  If anyone reaches the goal, the children and youth of the world are still the beneficiaries and Negroponte wins.

And, not to worry, at the same time Negroponte is announcing his goal, the  Indian Institute of Technology has already announced its’ intention of developing a $35 (about 1500 rupees) solar powered tablet which will be available for Indian students along with wideband networking at it’s 22000 universities. This goal is from a country with a 63% literacy rate and success in developing a $2000 car for the masses. What is beginning to emerge is radical life changing technologies that will not only revolutionize the fortunes of India, but of the rest of the world. Computing power and access to information will soon be in the hands of every child and every person who wants it and, I for one, couldn’t be happier.

What are the impacts on the world?

Access to technology has been life changing for all of us. It has made our lives easier and more interesting. It has connected us and given us collective capabilities never before possible. It has allowed the disadvantaged to access information that they might never have otherwise had and it has given a voice to everyone. It will continue to change the world that we live in in ways that we are currently unable to comprehend or imagine. Translation devices which bridge the communication gap and nano-technologies are only beginning to make their impact felt. And more technologies are distributed to developing nations, knowledge and consequently the power of knowledge will also become more available to each individual. Our collective and collaborative capacities will only continue to increase. As individuals become empowered through greater access to knowledge, the global playing field of capability will rapidly begin to level. Education will become available for virtually all those who seek it.  And once the information is available, the deployment of solutions to many of humanity’s greatest challenges is not far away. Deployment of solutions also means expansion of the global market.

What does it all mean for Global Business?

Agility is the key for tomorrow’s organizations. Recognizing that profits will continue to flow to companies that either lead in research and development, or those that excel in the mass production of newer, smaller and less expensive products that meet the needs of a global market of more than 7 billion people where most will eventually participate due the shrinking cost of being connected to the rest of the world. In countries which are working seriously towards the UN Millennium Development Goals, poverty is being reduced, global commerce is increasing and education levels are rising, at least partly due the introduction of less expensive mobile communications.

The attraction to outsourcing will continue until salaries around the world are much closer to being equivalent and that will only happen when all people globally enjoy a similar standard of living. When I used to predict this more than 15 years ago, many people I knew rejected the fairness of outsourcing, and when I told my Indian counterparts that I encouraged outsourcing and supported their efforts, it seemed at that time that equalization was at least a century away. But with continued globalization and the introduction of extremely inexpensive electronic devices, I believe these goals are now within the grasp of this generation. 

Although part of this equalization process may be as a result of stagnant North American and European economy along with stagnant salaries, the other part is through the introduction of cheap electronics and affordable communication devices which improves not only the living conditions of our developing neighbors but also our own. It continues to introduce both educational and entertainment value into our lives, improves our collective capacities and expands our collaborative initiatives. In addition, the salaries in Asian countries, especially for educated workers, continues to increase as work continues to be outsourced. Countries such as China, India, Vietnam and some of the other ASEAN nations continue to experience unprecedented growth in GDP of between 7 and 9% annually. Currency fluctuation will only stabilize when the outsourcing trend begins to wane or when the need for international currency is eventually recognized and accepted.

In the face of the expanding introduction of technologies, new power demands will arise, and we might question the efficacy of growth in the face of continued use of fossil fuels, but it will happen regardless. No one or no nation can hold back the potential of it’s people once they begin understand what is available to them. The best we can do is to continue to encourage countries, including our own, to become leaders in the research and development of clean technologies.

For now, I have incredible hope for the future of humanity. Though we can always find bad in the world, there are so many positive developments that we only need to look for them to feel optimistic. It is also true that we have many challenges to overcome but I have faith in the nobility of the human spirit and the capacity of human heart and mind to overcome these challenges. Irrespective of our current situation, the education of the minds, the development of virtues, and our growing connectedness as a human race is slowly unlocking the door to our humanity and our collective potential.

If you like these ideas of find them helpful, please share them with others by whatever means you find easiest.

All the best,
Garth Schmalenberg

For example, on reading the World Values Survey, there appeared to be a trend toward individualism and secularism until 1980, after which the values seemed to take a little bit of a reversal at least in most cases. While there was no discussion on this point in the chart, I have to wonder if there was a pause to re-think the issue of continued movement towards secularism and individualism.  

What’s even more interesting is that the Happiness Index taken by the World Values Survey suggested decreasing happiness in the US until 1980 (this same period of trending toward secularism and individualism) after which there was a reversal. The US happiness index also increased from 1980 onward peaking at 2006 during the Bush administration, although perhaps by that point with the anticipation of change on the horizon.

 Still, I have to wonder whether the reversal in trend toward secularism and individualism suggests.

Perhaps it is that people are only comfortable with these trends to a degree and then begin to recognize that human choice is ultimately best served when there is an alignment with the Will of God (or acceptance of higher values as represented by religious belief). In other words, people choose to submit their own will to a greater Will and are subsequently happier when they do so. The reasons for this may be related to feelings of altruism or having a greater sense of purpose but it may also be that our happiness really comes from sharing happiness with others. Serving others who are not grateful generally does little to lift the spirits.

There also seemed to be an overall increase of happiness during the period for most societies as they trends toward global consciousness, an increase of wealth and as their ability to make choices increase. Some of this is contradicted by other studies which suggest that too much choice actually causes anxiety, complexity and a decrease in happiness.  In other words, as we spend much more time trying to choose, we become less satisfied because we are confused by our choices and less satisfied after the fact with our choices because we contemplate all the other choices that we are now living without. With simpler choices we simply make the best choice we can of a few items and then moving on with life.  This would suggest that the increase in choices related to increasing happiness is something else. Perhaps this freedom of choice is related more to what we do with our time, our ability to buy nutritious food, our ability to live in decent homes, have better education and our ability to vote. 

Another interesting dynamic is that societies which consider themselves as less democratic have a higher regard for the importance of democracy and yet are more critical of their own country’s democratic structures suggesting perhaps that the more democracy becomes an accepted norm, the more we also learn to take our choices for granted.  

From a sustainability perspective, the increase in happiness related to collective consciousness and a move towards spirituality rather than secular materialism is undoubtedly a good thing. On the other hand, without spiritual or values based education, the increase in economic freedom of the many billions in developing countries also signals a serious challenge to the global environment. Freedom of choice is good when we are educated to think in ways that are good for the world, but democracy and freedom once taken for granted also lead to a sense of entitlement which lead us to believe that we can enjoy the world’s resources with impunity. So while this may bring us temporary happiness, it has also brought us closer to the brink of environmental tragedy. The carbon economy being the most prevalent example, while benefiting our freedom in the western world, has contributed to untold misery of countless millions who we see only as statistics on our big screen HD TVs. If we were to measure the happiness index of Pakistan at this moment, it is certain that there would be a major dip.  

For businesses what do these trends suggest?  

It is difficult to make any firm conclusions in translating these trends to business directions but we may be able to draw some conclusion.

1) Types of Products

If we are actually interested in serving our client’s true happiness, we would read the trends that suggest a move away from individualism and secularism and create more products and services which help us all to operate together as a society in ways which promote an increasing values base and which serve the common good (sustainability being an example), all while keeping choices relatively limited. Interestingly, companies like GM, with the reduction of the number of brands (i.e. the demise of Oldsmobile and Pontiac)  have actually begun down this path of simplification even if for seemingly unrelated economic reasons. Could it be that too much choice was also too much for the consumer? 

2) Quality of Products 

Quality in products also introduces a form of simplification to the consumer. If you don’t have to keep fixing your car every few weeks, your life is more straight forward. The same is true for any product which is more durable.   

3) Conceptual Freedom

When people are free to use their time in service to others, especially those they choose to serve, they tend to be happier. This suggests that while challenge at work is important, finding the right work environment is critical for both the employee and the company. Free time after work is also necessary. Creating a working environment where people are free to learn and interact with others in the work place and which limits their working time so that they are also free to spend time with friends and family will ultimately contribute to a happier society. Creating freedom to interact, however, is generally not enough in a working environment. Often there is a need for education on team work, values based consultation and respect for the contributions of others. Placing a team challenge in front of an aggressive group of competitive individuals (i.e. not a team) is often a recipe for backbiting, smears, conflict and other forms of disunity which contribute nothing to the overall happiness of the organization, nor in the end, to the service of clients.  

4) Social Contribution

Employers do well to make part of their organization about contributing to the common good and allowing employees to participate in socially oriented endeavors. While suggested by recent trends away from individualism, this concept is also supported by studies of what employees value in companies where they are employeed. Salary is important but it’s not everything. Economic studies have proven that people are willing to sacrifice money both for justice and for altruistic reason. And there is no doubt consumers will also be swayed towards companies that hold high values. Ikea is an interesting example of a company which has grow partially as a result of it’s environmental orientation. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my conclusions and please share these ideas and  articles with others if you like them, either by e-mailing the link or though the share button. 

All the best, 

Garth Schmalenberg

Among the many brilliant presenters was a young lady who is working on her PhD thesis whose presentation was entitled “What Can Justify Duties of Global Economic Justice? Individual Responsibility, Human Consciousness, and the Oneness of Humankind”. Her name is Shahrzad Sabet. In asking the question, she began by sharing with us the globally accepted UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights. She the began to dissect the responsibilities for the implementation of these rights. To be fair to Shahrzad, I will state that the remaining text is my perhaps feeble understanding of the arguments she so simply and brilliantly presented and perhaps, at some point, I will have a chance to speak with her further to clarify or to refer on-line to her thesis work, but I can only say that after hearing what she had to say, I was completely overwhelmed by her convincing arguments recognizing that there really isn’t a minute to lose in beginning to bring this argument forward on a wide basis, and I am also quite convinced that someday this young lady will be amongst the Nobel Peace Prize winners because these same arguments will force all nations and all people of conscience to take action. Such action will come in the form of adopting laws and practices which will require all citizens of the world (or at least those who have the freedom to vote or make buying decisions), all business leaders and all government leaders to act forcefully in upholding these Human Rights by taking practical, direct and personal responsibility for implementing Global Economic Justice through their votes for responsible government representatives, those who will make the necessary revisions in government institutions, and in turn, through laws which will require all people to make these Human Rights a reality.

In nations such as Pakistan, Haiti, India, Indonesia and many others, billions suffer under the oppression of poverty, the lack of a suitable infrastructure, and through catastophic environmental impacts, while much of the world continues to enjoy their freedoms without paying much attention and governments pay immense amounts of money towards military spending and the expansion of environmentally destructive practices which only serve to further human suffering.

Her arguement goes something like this:

The majority of all nations on earth have accepted the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

A “Right” as opposed to something else (e.g. an idea or a privilege) is essentially the entrenched global and national liability of society to provide something to each individual. As the majority of nations, and their electorate, having elected their representatives, have accepted that this right exists, then the responsibility to implement this right also exists.

She then asks the question “whose responsibility is it to implement these Human Rights?”

Since it is ultimately the responsibility of global agreement and therefore global and national institutions, including national, (as well as regional and local governments) and global (as well as national and local) businesses, and since those government and business institutions are made up of individuals who have power to vote, to make their voices heard, to individually make decisions within businesses, and to take actions such as deciding what goods to purchase and what institutions to purchase from, thereby supporting and upholding these institutions, we also must understand that as individuals we have a legal liability to make decisions which support Global Human Rights (including our own).

While I may not do full justice to her argument, it was too powerful to ignore. And, while it would certainly be better to hear this argument directly from her, owing to the fact that, while my statement of the argument probably has holes in it, she covered off these holes masterfully and it is a message that needs to be heard by everyone and it needs to be heard now, especially by business and government leaders who have yet to act on this responsibility. Any human being who enjoys these essential Human Rights must also acknowledge that if, for some reason, they lost the benefits which are bestowed by these fundamental Rights, they would very quickly be calling for own government to impose laws and regulations to restore them. Since these institutions are the result of our personal choices, we also have the legal and ethical responsibility to make the appropriates choices on behalf of those who have not had the benefit of these Human Rights.

Practical Applications

In writing this article, I am making an appeal that all readers contemplate what they are reading to the depths of their heart, with full consiousness, to recognize their own nobility of spirit and to understand the very real obligation it imposes on them. The responsibility for Global Human Justice is as much yours as it is mine.

What might our actions be?

For one, we can all be making these responsibilities known to every elected government official that we know by writing to them, by speaking to them, by holding sessions with them and by educating them. We can tell them that we expect them to implement these rights Globally. How otherwise can we truely protect our own Human Rights? We can simply present the same arguments to them as were presented to us. The implication of this responsiblity is profound. It would require that all Governments meet together, not just about global economics and not just about global security as in G8 and G20 meetings, but about informing all citizens of the world about their legal responsibilities. Our Government officials would be morally obliged tell the world’s electorate that they are also ethically responsible to vote for those who are best suited to implement these Human Rights regardless of which party affiliation they may hold. The elected officials might in-turn, take efforts to share these concepts with their fellow officials, and to encourage the position of their respective governements to also begin making these Global Human Right their top priority and to initiate a global discussion on how to most effectively implement them.

We might also invite our neighbors to share this message so that each person has the opportunity to deeply understand the implications and to begin to take action on addressing this liability and acting with ethical responsibility. We can do so using all our resources, in our homes, our schools, our government council halls, our churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other centres of faith.

For those who have the skills to do so, we can speak in public or in business gatherings inviting consultation on the implications for each of us individually and collectively. For those who have the skill to invite, we can invite others and host meetings. We can call upon our business leaders to invite speakers to speak about this approach to every employee.

We might begin to insist that our tax dollars be spent on the reconstruction of our global society by first addressing the most serious Global Human Rights infringements. After all, some day those infringements may be against us. As I am currently sitting on Vancouver Island, which is beautiful but which at some point is destined to experience a severe earth quake, I can only contemplate the rights which have been denied the people of Haiti as a result of a similar force or, perhaps more potently, the Human Rights denied the millions that have suffered at the hands of climate change, and for which we all share the burden of responsibility. What would it mean if all the world’s available resources were spent in solving the most grievious problems first? How quickly would we be able to address our relatively minor local concerns if the world’s government and business leaders would learn how to work together? And at the same time, rather than placing the responsiblity of our relatively minor local concerns on our elected officials, we could work together as neighbors to begin to address our local concerns in service of each other, and encourage our elected leaders to think globally to address the most serious of our personal legal liabilities (i.e. the oppression and poverty of countless millions) on our behalf.

We might insist that our elected officials vote on laws that require our countries’ taxes to be diverted away from military spending, to require that military only serve the purpose of implementing Global Human Rights rather than causing violations of Human Rights. Imagine, for example, that only 50% of global military expenditures went directly into implementation of these legal responsiblities to relieve Human suffering, provide education, protection of personal rights, provide the right to work and to provide adequate food and shelter. How quickly would things change? And in finding global agreement on our personal resposibilities, how quickly would governments be able to jointly resolve issues such as terrorism?

We might ensure that, until these rights are imparted in action to every citizen in the world, we would continue to insist that this be top priority for all governments and businesses that we support.

We might take some time to educate ourselves on the causes and sources of these violations and expose sources that we are aware of (e.g. environmental and other violators of human rights), not for the purpose of condemning them, but for the purpose of raising the awareness of those involved in either actions or through neglect of action, that they (and we) are responsible and help them to make the necessary decisions, providing all assistance we can muster, to rapidly revise their course of action. It is not so much that people wish to do harm, rather that due to human weaknesses, a lack of awareness of the harm we cause, and a lack of discipline (i.e. the lower part of human nature), that we fail to make the efforts required of our higher nature (read that again, it is “required” of our higher nature for what is is after all to be “Human”?)

This is a very deep topic and, I can only hope that others will go deeper than I have and present this arguement with more accuteness and more forcefully than me. I am deeply hopeful and recognize that inside each of us is seed of a higher nature which can grow and which through our collective efforts will grow into a fruitful and beautiful tree bearing many fruits.

I’d love to hear your comments and questions.

Please spread this message in any way you can, by e-mail, by your voice, by inviting people, by speaking on it, by letters, by referal.
Please call if you have any questions.
Please invite me to speak to your group or organization on this vital subject.
Please keep your eyes open for the brilliant potential of the higher human nature wherever it may arise.

My best wishes to you all,
Garth Schmalenberg

http://hbi-leadership.com
http://twitter.com/gschmalenberg
Ph: 416-919-6598

Paul Ehrlich and John Holdren developed a formula for examining environmental impact stating that I = f(PAT) where I is impact, P is Population, A is Affluence, T is Technology. In other words, if we increase global population, which is inevitable, in order to maintain environmental impact, we must reduce either the Affluence, or create Technologies that reduce individual and collective impact. Brown and Garver changed the formula to I = f(PATE) and added the influence of Ethics. They also conclude that each of these variables have an influence on the others. Without going into a deeper description of the variables, we can generally agree that from a world population view, this view of human impact of the planet seems fatalistic because we know that the planet is already stressed beyond limits and on average, Population and Affluence are both increasing.

This would seemingly leave the entire hope of humanity resting upon the ability of Technology or a sudden swell of Ethics to decrease our net impact on the planet. Recent flooding in Pakistan disrupting the lives of 12 million people and leaving 4 million with food shortages, the worst in 80 years, mudslides in China, and a massive block of ice (260 square km and half the height of the empire state building) which recently fell off the ice shelf in Iceland into the water suggest that our climate is still shifting in uncontrolable and potentially dire directions. Ice falling off a land based shelf, by the way, does contribute to elevated ocean levels, cooling of oceans in the immediate vacinity of the ice, and vast amounts of fresh water (i.e. desalination) being dumped into the ocean and affecting ocean flows.

So here’s the question: Can we solve the issues facing us with only Technology and Ethics before our planet is irrepairably damaged and forces our hand on the factors of Affluence and Population?

The short answer is “probably not”! But there are ways in which Technology and Ethics can have an a positive impact on affluence and ethics and here’s how one idea of how a solution could unfold from an individual, business and global perspective.

The Influence of Technology and Ethics

Can technology alone solve the complex issues of planetary degradation? At first glance technology does not seem to have the answers to our current dilemma. We know that technology has vastly improved our ability to communicate, upgraded efficiencies of business through applications like ERP and supply chain management, improved our ability to service customers, enhanced our quality control systems leading to more durable goods and provided the ability to reduce travel costs through collaborative software. Our ability to harness more power from less fuel is also benefitting our automotive technologies and air travel per mile is benefiting from lighter materials, advanced engines and cleaner fuels. But have we actually used these technologies to reduce our net power consumption and CO2 production per capita? Well, perhaps just a little.

Technologies such as “LED” televisions for example, which at first glance might seem much seem more efficient than older CRT technologies, actually use about twice the power for the same screen size or three times for plasma TVs ( although these too are improving with the latest generation of Energy Star ratings). In addition, brighter more beautiful pictures, the requirement for digital boxes, the addition of channels and the larger screen sizes (which also require more power) might tend to increase viewing hours. The power consumption due to newer technologies, in some respects is going up, not down, thus increasing our impact on all fronts. And the effect of having more perceived efficieny leads us to use power more freely.

And let’s face it, if all the other three factors are creating a greater impact on the environment, we would have a  tough time claiming that our ethics are improving.

I = f(PATE) suggests that we currently have a failing grade.

Having said that, many companies have made concerted efforts to implement colaborative technologies. I have personally worked with many individuals and some companies who use skype or conference call technologies to meet rather than meeting face to face thus reducing travel and CO2 emissions. At this stage in technological evolution, meeting in person is still far better, but technology, according to Ray Kurzweil, is continually growing in it’s capability, power and scope of application and, at some point in the not too distant future, meeting virtually may provide an experience which is close to that of meeting in person. The fact that virtually all technologies have continued to advance exponentially and appear to be continuing on this path (despite suggestions of those that hold that Moore’s law will break down) might suggest that solutions are closer than we currently perceive.

Simple examples of recent advances in solar technologies include panels which can catalyze hydrogen from water using only sunlight and CO2, essentially mimicking photosynthesis, as well as new coatings that allow heat to be used advantageously in the generation of solar photovoltaic energy rather than wasting it, making solar cells cost competative with energy developed through burning oil. Carbon nanotubes have proven valuable for many applications including storage of energy and high speed computing, and wireless signals. Communications using quantum attributes such as quantum entanglement are leading to smaller and virtually instantaneous communication approaches. AI (Artificial Intelligence) approaches constantly advance our abilities to understand each other and share information (e.g. through automated language translation devices) and new applications of context based search enable us to more rapidly find relavent information for expanded research sharing. Neural interfaces are already being used for some applications which could theoretically make our ability to access an ever expanding ocean of knowledge almost instantaneous. Google’s CEO reported that in two days we now produce as much information as we previously did through all of recorded history up till 2003. And our ability to mine this information is also rapidly advancing. Although many of these more recent technologies are not yet at their production phases, they are making their way to practical applications through the advanced business practices and through the internet which allows for rapid prototyping and less-expensive mass implementation.

Our challenge is to use technology in an ethical way that recognizes the global environment as the foundation for all of our business and commercial advances and for human life in general. No amount of technology will help if we use it only to mine marketing data to market more products and encourage more consumption. How to use information is an ethical issue which companies like Google and Yahoo are struggling with. Just because you have the information doesn’t mean you should use it for marketing every product. CEO’s of major corporations will need to make major strategic decisions to take global ethics into account and to take an oath similar to the medical oath “do no harm”.

As greener technologies make their way through the business world, production expenses can be “theoretically” reduced through lower resource needs and using renewable energy devices. By lowering consumer prices of green technologies and communication technologies, business leaders can put tools in the hands of consumers which will help them to save energy and resources (e.g. faster implementation of technologically advanced solar cells, electric cars, etc.), thereby encouraging less resource consumption and a greater focus on services. Business leaders who have adopted good ethical practices see the benefit of sharing profits with their workers because it encourages them to become promoters of their products and services. Good economic practices suggest that well paid workers help the economy by providing customers.

Naturally, some problems with new technologies can be anticipated, but according to Kurweil, as more and more of our daily lives become technology and information related and as the power of technology continues to advance expoentially, our ability to become more green through technology could begin to take the same exponential path that other technologies are already benefiting from.

Another trend in technology that may lead to greener outcomes is that of convergence, where cellphones and other mobile technologies begin to occupy more and more of our time, thereby reducing the need for other devices in our lives. Convergence of devices can theoretically reduce our production and energy needs. This, however, also depends somewhat on our ethics and our awareness that reducing production and resource usage is actually a desirable end result. If all we do is continue to add more devices to our already vast collection, we will have gained little.

The implications of exponential technological growth are not well understood by most people. Kurzweil argues that most of us tend to think linearly, not exponentially. If you double capabilities each year, in 10 years you get a 1000 fold increase in capability. If we can make most technologies energy neutral and begin to use the exponential growth capability of new technologies, especially those that are specifically designed to reduce our energy requirements and to supply our energy needs, a 1000 fold improvement in our green technologies over the next ten years may not be out of the question. Technological paradigms such as nanotechnologies which will help us to put more power into smaller devices, artificial intelligence will enhance context based search capabilities, and continued enhancements in solar power collection will benefit from both our growing ability to rapidly market and implement green technologies through mass communication. 

In addition, each year the number of social justice organizations and businesses leaders that support positive social change is growing. As the cost of technology decreases, it also provides new capabilities and a means for educating developing nations, which incidentally has an impact on reducing population. Educating women especially tends to help them set up a family support system that doesn’t depend on having large families to provide for future security.  Technologically advanced devices can lead to vast increases in affluence and education without an enourmous demand on planetary resources.

While Ethics and Technology aren’t the only factors that will play a part in the solution, they are an important component. And if we are to use the technology to reduce our consumption, we must also change our values and elevate our ethical conscience to include global as well as local concerns so we don’t just add capability without changing our ways.

All the best,

Garth Schmalenberg

If you enjoy this article, please share it by clicking on the share link, e-mail, by telling someone about this site or by calling and arranging a speaking engagement.

It’s fairly clear that people are just not ready to give up their holidays, their retirement freedoms or their independent modes of transportation. Even those of us who are aware of the severe issues have difficulty giving up our carbon habit. A book called “Right Relationship” by Peter G. Brown and Geoffrey Garver discusses how we have, for the most part, failed to maintain a right relationship with the planet and suggests how we might re-establish such relationships. But if we are going to maintain “Right Relationship” with our planet while maintaining “Right Relationship” with our friends and our families (who often live some distance from us) and our own sense of well-being which requires exercising some level of freedom, we will need to take a different “tack” than just sitting at home. For those not familiar with this use of the word “tack” it is a method used by sailors when sailing against the wind, whereby they zigzag diagonally across the line of the opposing wind in order to reach their up-wind destination. Ironically, the other way of going up-wind is to motor. Even though sailboats for the most part are powered by the wind, most have on-board diesel motors for travelling in harbors where using wind power is unreliable. Yet another source of CO2.

If we imagine Sustainability as our up-wind destination (i.e. the wind of our personal freedoms seems to blow in the opposite direction). What are the “tacks” we might take in order to reach our desired destination? We want to arrive at a place where we are in “Right Relationship” with our planet and where we have the freedoms we desire. We want to get their without having to motor all the way and creating a problem for the planet and for future generations.

One thing that sailors learn is that if they have to tack, it will also take longer to arrive at the destination. If you’re a business owner or someone who would like your business to be more sustainable, ask yourself some questions:

What would it mean for a company, a city or any service or manufacturing industry to find a “tack” that takes them to their sustainable destination without motoring?

It might imply slowing down and it might also imply using more manpower and technology. Sailboats use a lot of technology in the design of their hull, their materials, their sails, and in their navigation systems. They also use solar powered fans and panels or wind generators for charging their batteries. But sailors who rely on the wind must still develop patience and find serenity in stillness. If the wind stops blowing, sometimes they just wait and enjoy the view. True, if they have no food on-board, they may not have a choice other than motoring, but they prepare for these contingencies by stocking up and many also learn to fish so they can live along the way.

What are the lessons for business leaders? As a business leader, imagine that you have to plan to survive for 1 day without oil (metaphorically: fully under sail).

• What preparations might you make?
• What are the things you would need to store up if you were to take a small leg of the trip under sail?
• What new navigational skills would you need to learn? 
• What heading would you take?
• What kinds of attitudes might you need to adopt in your organization and leadership styles that would help you to relax with the potentially slower pace of progress and yet still find ways to compete?
• What might you do with the stillness when the winds of sales disappear?
• Who would you be competing against?
• Would your market change?
• How might you elicit support and “wind power” from your market, your customers and competitors?
• How might you learn to ”enjoy the journey”, and not be entirely focused on the destination?

If we where all metaphorical sailors in our businesses (i.e. powered by wind or solar) how might we share the ride with others who know less about sailing but would like to learn? After all, once under sail, there is very little cost to keep going.

Don’t get me wrong, sailing is expensive. Similarly, moving towards sustainable solutions costs money in the beginning and it may potentially represent a tremendousshift in pace. But if we do it correctly, that shift in pace will be a welcome one. One of the most amazing parts of the island culture is that it takes the time to enjoy life and the bounties of nature, music, arts and creativity. From that perspective alone, it has something to teach company leaders.

What is one “tack” any company or organization can take as a starting point to becoming more sustainable? Hire a CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer)! Alternatively, and here’s a little shameless self-promotion for a good cause, you can outsource the CSO function by hiring a company like HBI Leadership (and btw, I’m now supporting and speaking to mainland BC and Vancouver Island businesses and organizations) where experience with leadership development and an understanding of sustainability already exists.

Enjoy your summer,

Garth Schmalenberg

Please share any thoughts or ideas from this article with friends, colleagues or other business/organizational leaders that might benefit from insights on Sustainability.

Have you ever noticed how much the structure of Business Clustering and Global Innovation Networks resemble the formation of neural nets in the brain? Just as there is a certain randomness in the brain’s learning process where dendrites create random spikes to other neural paths, some of which survive and other of which don’t, businesses create collaborative ventures and, likewise, some of these serve the needs of the market and others don’t. Just as the brain has compartmentalized functions and specific neurons that play different roles in the functioning of the brain, businesses have specific roles which they play and each cluster serves a different market segment.

So what does this similarity teach business leaders about the creation of Sustainable Businesses?

While the brain expands by developing random connections, only those connections which are meaningful create lasting neural paths, lasting capacity and long term memory. The others are swept away over time. In addition, the sustainability of a circuit in the brain is related to repeation through some type of learning function, although the mechanisms of such loops are still the object of considerable research.

The question is, what aspects of this knowledge can we apply to create lasting businesses, developing collaborative connections, and acheiving sustainability from the perspective of the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit)?

In neural research, it has been identified that visualization strengthens neural nets in the same way that experience does. The difference is that experience is real and visualization is only real if it leads to a real result. An athlete visualizing must base their visualization on real experience. The sooner we are able to test a concept and experience the real results of an idea, the more quickly we are able to form neural nets that are lasting. Similarly in business, grand schemes and designs and even M&A activities which lead to the wrong results and wrong business collaborations ultimately fail, no matter how much we visualize them as succeeding.

Testing results early in business depends on using processes that are designed specifically for creating early and continuous value while incorporating a learning function as found in methodolgies such as OpenAgile. As one of the early Champions of OpenAgile and other earlier cyclic methodologies which combine the steps of planning and action with reflection and learning, it is easy to see the benefits to client organizations. Such processes focus on learning from early successes thereby strengthening real connections, building lasting capacity, and dispersing those activities and “Visions” which have little value.

In addition, while it wasn’t possible in the past for the business world to have an integrated view of the world, it is now. We are still early in the process of understanding our global connectedness and the negative impact that unsustainable processes have. While some business leaders are still in the very natural stage of denial or blaming, ultimately the world will impose itself and acceptance will be inevitable.

As we are in the process of developing a worldview (a global vision) which requires businesses and the society as a whole to be sustainable and which imposes principles of sustainable development, and as we hold that vision in mind, what does it tell us about the long term success of our own businesses and what does it suggest about Business Clusters and Global Innovation Networks that will achieve that vision?

For certain, at least part of the vision is a Global Innovation Network that sees every country as it’s market and the strengths of each nation as clusters. They are all part of that network and each of it’s members contribute their unique culture and values to the global wisdom which eventually results from such connections. The strength of such a network is in findng the unique capabilities and contributions that each country will bring. Only when each part of the world is fully functioning will the network achieve it’s fullest success.

What does this mean for your business? Only you know that for certain, but if you can’t visualize how your business fits into a sustainable future global network, you may wish to start thinking of new opportunities. No doubt this does not rule out local business. Each business plays a unique part and a vital role in the health of the overall network. And just as some neurons are connected only to those immediately surrounding them, and other cells and organs play other specific supporting functions, many businesses will provide for the health of the local clusters without much interplay on the grander scheme. But denying the need for these connections makes no sense. Outsourcing will happen and will only strengthen where it makes sense in serving human needs and the common good.

On the other  hand, businesses which create a toxic output for which there is no use or value, and which fail to deal with such outcomes in a sustainable way, ultimately don’t fit in a sustainable development scenario. Their days are numbered and the if the exponential rate of technological development is any indicator of human and global development, their end may be sooner than expected.

Forward thinking business leaders who work with their entire supply chain to create 100% sustainable results both from a product dedign and a product development perspective and which serve the betterment of human civilization are likely to be around for a long time. As the number of organizations serving the public good increases (Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken), the collective wisdom of society will increase, and while this may be a generational issue, (i.e. perhaps in this generation behaviors of endless consumption may persist) our children are learning about sustainability and it’s implications very earl. They are becoming more conscious of social ethics at a younger age and, no doubt, in spite of their natural inclinations to go through challenging phases of self-indulgence (e.g. how many kids don’t have cell phones and computers?) still, they are learning at an earlier age the meaning of sustainable development and what it means to their future. Without a doubt, this will have an impact on their collective buying patterns as they grow older. Business leaders that overlook the implications of this transformative change are destined to drive themselves or their companies to extinction.

And perhaps what’s even more important is that the leaders of companies who, not only adjust their production and products to meet the criteria of sustainable development but also, meaningfully adjust their marketing message to increase the educational value of their message helping buyers to understand the human and global value of their products and the importance of sustainable efforts, will greatly widen the gap between them and archaic competitors who fail to heed the warning signs.

What advise do we take from this as business leaders? Image that future which will serve humanity in a way that is 100% sustainable, tell the world how you plan to get there, and actively work towards that end as quickly as possible. The more quickly you are able to make this transition, the more prepared you will be for future business.

All the best,

Garth Schmalenberg

Please feel free to share these ideas by referring others to this site or using your favorite book marking site.