With the ever-increasing complexity, interdependence and uncertainty of the manmade world, which stakeholders are most vulnerable? I think it is the economically weaker sections all across the globe. And women and children, and of course, the nature’s ecosystems.
From the economic depression of 2008 to the recent US-China trade war to the current Covid-19 crisis, a large part of the humanity is now living in a continuous state of socio-economic instability.
The future is foggy and not sufficiently definable to enable meaningful goal setting, planning and managing the resources effectively. The planet’s health is at a turning point because of over consumption and too many people.
The professional education and practices in management, engineering, design, and governance are based on the decades old assumptions, understanding and ways of problem-solving. They are not a very good fit for making well-balanced decisions in the emerging situations.
We need new and actionable understanding of our environments, cultures, peoples’ expectations so that the people are appropriately empowered to lead a life of hope, fulfilment and social wellbeing. First time ever in the history of mankind, individuals, societies, nations and international communities are facing existential challenges of humongous magnitude.
This points towards the need for large scale innovations at all levels of our interactions with the natural and manmade environments. For that to be successful, the humanity has to develop novel and holistic knowledge and problem-solving attitudes while shedding the irrelevant mental models and practices of the past.
Vinai Kumar
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