How complexity spilled the oil

Image via Wikipedia

 

Notice for regular readers (thanks!) I did not write or influence this headline in any way. If you follow the link you will see it is all the work of one of the most authoritative sources global research companies, Forrester, via the, ever reliable, Computerworld who will keep you up to date on IT and general “geekery”.

If the subject matter looks familiar that is precisely because IT IS! I have written about this specific incident in the blog on several occasions and from a couple of perspectives, going back to the days when it wasn’t fashionable NOT to have a daily dig at BP and poor wee Tony Hayward: a man whose, now legendary, gift for miscommunication, could have been learnt at piñata finishing school!!!

They had just placed themselves, respectively, in the positions of “Big bad Corporate” and “sacrificial lamb” for an outraged global population and US administration desperate to find someone to BLAME. WE already suspected that so much of that rhetoric was about deflection…we ALL knew, from the collapse of global banking, that, when it came to Corporate activities, regulation was a fallacy, only an effective smokescreen and that risk management perceived a mere drain on potential profit and bonus potential…therefore tax revenue!

Current societies…are characterised by their extreme complexity at a moment in history in which traditional political institutions have lost much of the power, a power which has now passed into the hands of multinational companies with their relocation strategies. In this situation, a growing deregulation can also be observed which, in turn, redounds in the appearance of new risks and uncertainties.

Ulrich Beck

The best any of us concerned citizens could hope for was that this incident would be, not so much a disastrous oil spill as an inglorious watershed.

The Gulf oil spill of April 2010 was an unprecedented disaster. The National Oil Spill Commission’s report summary shows that this could have been prevented with the use of better technology.

Phew! He’s not mad and that makes me feel MUCH better

Image via CrunchBase

 

If only Seth Godin felt about me how I feel about him. If you have read my blog before you may already know that I have declared my love…for him – more accurately his work.

His books (not that I have read them all!) and blog are, consistently, thought-provoking and frequently inspiring. I never thought I would say that about a “Marketer” but then I didn’t ever think I would publish my own thoughts on-line OR declare my love for (1) a man (2) a man I have never even met (3) a man that I have not met and who looks like Seth Godin…strange times!!!

If you only ever sign up for updates for one blog make it his. The full article can be found here: What does ‘pro-business’ mean? However, as someone whose daily business focus is upon identifying, mapping and managing the risks surrounding “dynamic (non-linear) systems” – more accurately helping business leaders to understand that this is an alternative description of THEIR company and its ecosystem – I am frequently left wondering if the nature of business actually moved beyond the post industrial model or if complexity and global inter-connectedness were just figments of my imagination.

Seth says I’m sane! YES, things have changed in our World but unless they change further – with good old fashioned values at the core – and an awareness of the risks and responsibilities that accompany the opportunities open to right-minded individuals.

Seth calls them “Linchpins” and I like that but I prefer the moniker “Risk Leader”…admittedly not as snappy but, with an insight into the nature of complexity, risk and uncertainty I believe that, for vision to flourish, a good view of the “risk horizon” is essential.

…we could see pro-business strategies looking more like this:

• Investing in training the workforce to solve interesting problems, so they can work at just about any job.
• Maintaining infrastructure, safety and civil rights so we can create a community where talented people and the entrepreneurs who hire them (two groups that can live wherever they choose) would choose to live there.
• Reward and celebrate the scientific process that leads to scalable breakthroughs, productivity and a stable path to the future.
• Spend community (our) money on services and infrastructure that help successful organizations and families thrive.

Once you’ve seen how difficult it is to start a thriving business in a place without clean water, fast internet connections and a stable government of rational laws, it’s a lot harder to take what we’ve built for granted.
Capital is selfish and it often seeks the highest possible short-term results. But capital isn’t driving our economy any longer, innovation by unique people is. And people aren’t so predictable.
Linchpins are scarce. They can live where they choose, hire whom they want and build organizations filled with other linchpins. The race to the top will belong to communities that figure out how to avoid being the dumping ground for the organizational, social and physical pollution that factories create.

Quantitative SWOT analysis

Most people in business will have had, at least, a “brush” with an analysis of: STRENGTHS; WEAKNESSES; OPPORTUNITIES; THREATS (SWOT).

Done properly, it can be a very useful tool. It can bring focus to key issues for the business to consider, can contribute much to strategic planning, change management and, even, negotiations…EVEN THOUGH IT IS SUBJECTIVE AND FAILS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE CURRENT ‘HEALTH’ OF THE BUSINESS SYSTEM!

Imagine how POWERFUL it would be if it was: OBJECTIVE; QUANTITATIVE; MEASURABLE; VERIFIABLE and so much more….