Regenerative Development: Examining Opportunities Beyond Sustainability Edward Quevedo Associate Professor of Sustainable Enterprise Research Fellow, Center for Sustainable Business Lokey Graduate School of Business Mills College
Transcript
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Regenerative Development: Examining Opportunities Beyond
Sustainability Edward Quevedo Associate Professor of Sustainable
Enterprise Research Fellow, Center for Sustainable Business Lokey
Graduate School of Business Mills College
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Our conversation time for a rethink? strategy is dead.
strategic sustainability and CSR? not so much terrain for new
learning ecosystems services model complex adaptive systems the
players a new framework regenerative development
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The Earth Charter (UNEP/UNDP 1999) Build democratic societies
that are just, sustainable, participative, and peaceful; Secure the
natural bounty and beauty for present and future generations
Protect and restore the integrity of ecosystems, especially the
natural processes that sustain life Use prevention as the best
environmental protection device and when knowledge is limited,
apply the precautionary principle Adopt patterns of production,
consumption, and reproduction that protect the ecosystems
regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being The
Global Compact (Ratified at Davos, 1999)
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What is Sustainability and why are our organizations pursuing
it? What are the motivating factors? How did this become a
priority? How has this served the core purposes of our
enterprises?
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Confronting a rethink of Sustainability. Current context
Overused, poorly defined, largely non- strategic (core) to the
enterprises functioning The macro-level systems we aim to sustain
are continuing to weaken Kyoto, Rio II, and other international
accords continue to elude or disappoint us And.
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strategy is dead
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We have found that strategic planning is no longer of value. It
leaves us without the flexibility to act with acuity, does not link
up with day to day activities, and wastes valuable time generating
paperweight documents. Hans Straberg CEO, Electrolux AG March
2013
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Strategy is not now a core function for Sony. Our goal is
instead to align our business trajectory with conditions in our
ecosystem. To do this, we must first understand our ecosystem. Then
we must think like expert biologists. Bert Nordberg CEO, Sony
Ericsson August, 2012
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We are in search of a fundamentally new approach to modeling
our future. Strategy offers nothing anymore as a viable tool for
us. Too much effort for too little return.. Paul Todd VP Strategy,
eBay Marketplaces October 2012
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What Does Applied Sustainable Development Look Like? What does
it create in the world? What do its artifacts look like? What is
left behind, as evidence of our principles?
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The Players
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Design for social impact Declaration of human potential Value
chain principles
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Partnership with Nature Tools for social innovation Virtuous
supply chain
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Eco systems modeling of supply chain Design innovation and
being indigenous Futuring and complex adaptive systems
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a new framework emerges
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Apparent rules of the new framework There is no expertise for
the categories of problems that we face Rapid prototyping, based on
Natures model, looks an apparently sound tool Pursuit of effective
understanding of the future requires re-consideration of the
fundamentals of our approach to the stakeholder concept
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Apparent rules of the new framework Complex adaptive systems
theory (CAST) seems to hold promise for our needs Local interaction
amongst diverse agents creates energy as they seek to understand
each other and the world around them The goal is to sustain and
enhance relationships, and when this is pursued, energy is released
into the system This keeps the system alive and vibrant
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Complex Adaptive Systems Theory There is no control of the
system, no understanding of the future, and no directed action for
the participants Flexible, experimental interaction is the best
available tool Over time, the borders between agents within the
system (various stakeholders), melt, and these agents co- evolve in
order to flourish and optimize themselves in the changing
environment.
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Under these conditions Disruption of the system creates
nutritive energy Control or perfect understanding is an illusion
Planning is best done by virtue of potent inquiry, not description
of alternate concrete futures What is durable is not the external
attributes of the system, but the broad conditions of the agents:
shared purpose, values, rituals, and relations
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The goal then shifts From predicting the future. To continually
co-creating the future in league with each other Or, understanding
how to nurture the effectiveness of those aspects of our
organization that are valued by internal agents and produce value
for external agents
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Potent Inquiry Replace strategic planning exercises with key
potent questions to explore on a regular basis Shift, pivot,
elaborate, and creatively co-evolve on the basis of this
inquiry
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Potent Questions How can we be clear about our purpose and
values? How can these shape modes of communication that support
interconnectedness among stakeholders? How can we optimize and
design relationships in the system to foster resiliency,
self-organizing, and construct a shared future?
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Potent Questions How can we encourage resiliency? Flexibility,
durability, openness to learning How can we find unique,
alternative outcomes, expressive of our purpose and values, already
contained in the current system and its history?
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Potent Questions the core issue of trust How do we create
sufficient trust and relationship well-functioning to support
honest feedback and discussion How do we set the conditions for
learning and creating together? How can we build shared criteria
for decision-making?
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The Grammar of Regenerative Development The enterprise and its
leaders shall consider all undertakings and projects for approval
by first determining How the undertaking or project will
measurably, Over the medium and long term, Measurably improve the
social, economic, and ecological well being of affected
stakeholders.
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Reconsidering the Spectrum of Organizational Performance Time
Performance Regenerative Development Sustainable Development
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regenerative development?
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The Emergent Models Enterprises that give back more to Nature
and Community than they take Communities that measurably build
character, and measurably increase quality of life
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In other words. The shared pursuit of well-being A natural
systems, or eco-systems, notion Each step in the chain contributes
to greater well-being (vibrancy, resiliency, adaptability,
thriving)
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Proposed: The domain we formerly referred to as strategic
planning And the domain of sustainable development . Are at bottom
expressions of a common pursuit, a core human aspiration: To
identify and seek conditions of thriving in the face of an
uncertain future
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Proposed: The core gesture of Sustainability or CSR is Futuring
Examining the appropriateness, or fitness, of the enterprises
purpose and positioning the enterprise to deal with potential
future challenges In the context of a long term perspective taking
into account limits to resources
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Legislating Regenerative Development
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The Congress, recognizing the profound impact of man's activity
on the interrelations of all components of the natural environment,
particularly the profound influences of population growth,
high-density urbanization, industrial expansion, resource
exploitation, and new and expanding technological advances Declares
that it is the continuing policy of the Federal Government, in
cooperation with State and local governments, and other concerned
public and private organizations, To use all practicable means and
measures, including financial and technical assistance, To create
and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in
productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, ecological,
and other requirements of present and future generations of
Americans. In order to carry out the policy set forth in this Act,
it is the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to
use all practicable means, in order to. Imagine the Impact if ISSP
were to advocate for, and the Obama Administration were to support
enactment of, the following
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Fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of
the environment for succeeding generations; Attain the widest range
of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk to
health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences;
Preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects of our
national heritage, and maintain, wherever possible, an environment
which supports diversity, and variety of individual choice; Achieve
a balance between population and resource use which will permit
high standards of living and a wide sharing of life's amenities;
and Enhance the quality of renewable resources and approach the
maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources. The Congress
recognizes that each person should enjoy a healthful environment
and that each person has a responsibility to contribute to the
preservation and enhancement of the environment. The National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
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35 Discussion Lokey Graduate School of Business Mills College
www.mills.edu T: 415.806.0355 [email protected]