Download The Way We Meet, and The Way We Travel

The Way We Meet,
The Way We Travel
When Technology and Guilt Collide
Anthony Judge
Union of Imaginable Associations
www.un-imagine.org
Presentation in a session on the Future Consumer
Wired in Travel in Asia
Singapore, 29-30 November 2007
Discussion framework
• Vital role of meetings and travel
• Pressures for change
• Conscience-based market segmentation
• Strategic postures: defensive vs proactive
– Stage I: Palliative strategies
– Stage II: Proactive strategies
• Stage III: Reframing the challenge
– Mode A:
– Mode B:
– Mode C:
Vital role of meetings
-- personal background biases
• Information systems: for international meeting
organization (1970-2005)
–
–
–
–
Missionary for “computer conferencing” (1975-1985)
UIA Associate Members meetings (1980-2005)
International meeting statistics
Bid for management of .ORG web domain (2002)
• Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential
– Global Strategies Project
– Ecoylnx – environment (1997-2000)
• Futurist, notably focusing on future of dialogue (1975 >)
– International Congress on Congress Organization (Copenhagen
1967, Barcelona 1970, Kyoto 1975)
– Augmenting collective intelligence (Douglas Engelbart)
• Meeting participation at a wide variety of events
Pressures for change
•
•
•
•
Energy shortages: Oil prices / Fuel prices
Environmental impacts
Pressure groups & campaigns
Public relations image
– Corporate response (“Greenwashing”?)
– Political uptake (“Legislative directives”?)
– Pressures on meeting organizers
(“Justification”?)
• Market reconfigruation
• Individual conscience (Guilt? Shame?)
Conscience-based
market segmentation
• Hypocrisy? My own travel?
• According to popular understanding:
– travelling to conferences is not commonly associated with
a guilty conscience
– “development set” poem
– skilled in personal “guilt management”
• But they are subject to PR pressures
– irrespective of comments on expensive meals and
starvation
– problem of image for the organizers
• Guilt for some, but in marketing terms
– lots of guilt-free enthusiasts to replace them
“Conscience sensitivity”
Conscience-based
behaviour
-- “ethical”
-- precautionary
Diffusion of innovation theory: Everett Rogers
Denial-based
behaviour
-- “indulgent”
-- carefree
Caracterization of evolution of meeting participant behaviours
Combination of two separate tables developed by Nadia McLaren and Peter Harper
"Cringe"
Harm avoidance;
behavioural
inhibition
Self-directedness
Individualism
Unenlightened
Short-term
Narrow view
"Binge"
Reward dependence;
behavioural
maintenance
"Whinge"
Novelty-seeking:
behavioural
activation
Self-serving
complaints
Blame others
Impulsive, and often
overwhelmed by
"Stinge"
Persistence
continuity,
consistency
Denial
Abstinence
Stick to rules
Depression
Projection of
problems onto others
Avoid strangers
Seek material
reward
Selfishness / greed
Conspicuous
consumption
Indulgence
Scrooge
Minimalism
"Do just enough to
get by"
Cooperation I
My family / Our mob
Reluctant reformism
Tokenism
Avoidance
Reduction
Respect for authority
Stress
Procrastination
End justifies means
Personal
improvement
Personal gratification
"Keeping up with
Jones"
Protest
NIMBY
Experimental
"No pain, no gain"
Prudence
Routine
Accept others
weaknesses
Cooperation II
Selective
philanthropy
Enlightened
conservatism Presustainability
Protection
Reflection
Apology
"Do unto others…"
Dematerialization,
Reuse, Recycling
Repair
Activism
"Put money where
mouth is"
Austerity
Stay within means
Accept own
weaknesses
Self- transcendence
Global community
Sustainability
Long-term
Broader view
"Bite the bullet"
Implement tough
decisions
Mending damage
Act according to
conscience
Personal fulfilment
Spiritual nourishment
Affirmation
Celebration
Initiation
Instigation
Open to change
Test the limits
Multitasking
Discipline
events
Caracterization of evolution of policy options & indicators
Combination of two separate tables developed by Nadia McLaren and Peter Harper
"Cringe"
Harm avoidance;
behavioural
inhibition
"Binge"
Reward dependence;
behavioural
maintenance
"Whinge"
Novelty-seeking:
behavioural
activation
"Stinge"
Persistence
continuity,
consistency
Self-directedness
Individualism
Unenlightened
Short-term
Narrow view
Blanket restriction
"No exceptions"
Scorched earth
"The pain is worth it"
Mutual reinforcement
Disinformation
Fanaticism
Zealotry
Anti-establishment
Hidebound status
quo
"Business as
usual"
Cooperation I
My family / Our mob
Reluctant reformism
Tokenism
"Tough love"
"This hurts me
more than it hurts
you"
Spin
Cosmetic
“Growth is good for
us”
Unrealistic
Eccentric
"Blue sky"
Historically
determined
Precedent
Incrementalism
Cooperation II
Selective
philanthropy
Enlightened
conservatism Presustainability
Facing up to the truth
Sharing the load
"We'll tighten our
belts together"
Vision
Image building
Imaginative
Exploring alternate
models
Favour variety
Test all possibilities
Proven link
Experimentally tested
Self- transcendence
Global community
Sustainability
Long-term
Broader view
Remediation
Sharing responsibility
Precautionary
principle
Internalisation of
environmental costs
Vision embodiment
Collective fulfilment
Shared celebration
Intragenerational
equity
Creativity
Risk taking
In touch with
minority views
Reconciling existing
with emergent
Carrying the load
Intergenerational
equity
Principles of the Conscientized
International Meeting Participant
political correctness in international initiatives
http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/musings/prinexp.php
•
•
•
•
•
•
17. Resource conservation: I will only participate in meetings or projects which
make deliberate efforts to counter the wastage of natural resources normally
associated with such activities.
18. Meeting budget: I will only participate in meetings or projects in which the total
budget for the preparatory meetings (including travel, accommodation, and cost of
work lost) does not exceed a reasonable percentage (say 33 %) of the total annual
operational budget (i.e. excluding administrative overheads) of the project.
19. Smoking: I will only participate in meetings or projects in which smoking in any
form is not tolerated.
20. Alcohol consumption: I will only participate in meetings or projects enlivened by
receptions, banquets or entertainment in which alcoholic beverages are not tolerated.
21. Meat consumption: I will only participate in meetings or projects in which the
meals provided, available or recommended, do not involve consumption of animal
flesh.
22. Energy use: I will not participate in meetings or projects in which the use of
energy (for air conditioning, central heating, lighting, etc.) is inconsistent with the
internationally recognised need to conserve energy resources.
Realistic “Post-conscience”
strategic challenges
“Negative” attractors
Consciencebased
guilt
shame
prudence
Inconvenience
disruptions
security
bioterrorism
health
hassle
scheduling
risk
“Positive” attractors
Service
substitution
New
attractors
new meeting
modes
higher
value
meetings
better
communication
technologies
Market impacts
• blame / finger-pointing / negative public relations
• reduced face-to-face attendance
–
–
–
–
eccentric venue locations (costly aggregate travel)
focus on essential travel accompanying person(s)
joy riding / junkets
incentive travel / junkets
• reconfiguration of existing market
– limited “high conscience” market shifts to virtual
– mass “low conscience” replacement market continues
to “meat”
• separate massive evolution of new virtual market
Types of events especially vulnerable
to critical PR
• Davos
• Porto Alegre
• Summits (UN, G8, etc)
• Olympic Games
• Large scale (Rotary, etc)
Probable negative framing
of PR slogans
• “Meat world” vs ……“Virtuous world”?
• Meetings framed as “Meatings”
– “Meating Participant”?
– “Meatings Industry”?
• MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events
• “MICE” – consuming non-renewable resources?
• KL reframing ****
– “Meating Organizer” ?
• Old-style meetings
– for the elderly?
– participant obsolescence?
“Meating” substitution trends?
-- loss of conventional travel-meeting market
Future
Future
Mass “membership”
meetings
Present
Social networking
“meetings”
Past
Present
Past
Future
Eminent / Prestige
meetings
Present
Past
Past
Present
Expert / Specialist
meetings
Future
Strategic postures:
defensive vs proactive
• Stage I: Damage limitation: palliative defensive strategies
–
–
–
–
Competitive “greenwashing”?
Will the challenges be contained?
Will the problems get worse – and be more damaging to business?
Will the travel industry be bypassed by alternative meeting modest ?
• Stage II: Proactive reframing: leadership vs followership
– creative development of alternative models?
– offering possible eco-sensitive options to clients
• Stage III: Proactive reframing: more fruitful attractors
– reframing the “travel-meeting” concept
Stage I: Palliative strategies
Token adaptation?
• Competitive analysis of eco-footprints
– energy, carbon emissions, policies
– per participant, organizer, or venue
• Competitive ratings and positioning
– eco-ratings, star system (5 eco stars?)
• Competitive presentations
– venues, meeting types
– catchment mileage
– energy cost (per meeting, per participant)
Stage II: Adaptive strategies
• Meeting cost reduction strategies
• Benefitting from precursor initiatives
• Participating in development of models
• Developing industry-specific new models
Meeting cost reduction strategies
• fewer meetings?
• optimization strategies?
– scheduling chains / tours of different events
– cost sharing between venues
– longer (less-frequent) events
– clustered events / multi-meetings
– maximizing opportunities in venue vicinity
• promoting creative mix of virtual and face-to-face
Benefitting from precursor initiatives
• Industry experiences:
–
–
–
–
oil industry “greenwashing” models
corporate social responsibility models
hotel industry responsiveness
EU CAP – paying farmers “not to grow”
• Carbon Disclosure Project
Participating in development of models
• Carbon credits trading models
• Carbon emission compensation strategies
Creative development of new models
• travel/convention industry: emission offset fund
• "one child policy" -- "one trip policy“
• ethical investment model proposing ecosensitive portfolio of a range of formulae (as with
risk-sensitive investment portfolios)
Strategies based on carbon credits
• Creative reframing of of air mileage
arrangements
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
"air" miles speaking
e-mission
airtime
airline mileage model >> carbon credit model
trading in travel-related carbon credits
conversion: mileage <> carbon credits
emission credit sharing (as with costs) bursary/discount(ed)
travel (reframe subsidies as ecosubsidies)
• contribute discounted "mileage" to a pool
Carbon credits trading
• "Banking" energy-emission credits
Carbon credits
Accumulating carbon credits
– forfeiting travel to accumulate credits for later use
– model of farmers paid not to grow
Funding carbon credits
– by venue
– by carrier
– by venue country, region, city
Stage III: Proactive reframing of the challenge
“product innovation”
cultivating new attractors
•
•
•
•
“Travel”
“Meetings”
“Contacts”
“Productivity”
•
•
•
•
“Viability”
“Quality”
“Marketing”
“Relevance”
IBM’s « typewriter problem? »
Mode A: Market reconfiguration:
virtualization & dematerialization
•
•
•
•
•
Conference industry lost business
New business
Not investing in
Proactive
Social networking
“Meating” substitution trends?
-- loss of conventional travel-meeting market
Future
Future
Mass “membership”
meetings
Present
Social networking
“meetings”
Past
Present
Past
Future
Eminent / Prestige
meetings
Present
Past
Past
Present
Expert / Specialist
meetings
Future
Meeting virtualization:
substitution & surrogates
• recognize the extent to which meetings have
• avatars
• meeting market statistics
• second life
• social networking
• "meat world"? -- eco-glutton world
“Teleconferencing”: why? why not?
Past
Present
Future
« computer
conferencing »
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
video
conferencing
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
virtual
environments
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
who:
uptake? rejects
for what? when?
Mode B: Enhancing value of “meatings”
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cultural preferences
Psychological preferences
Age-related sensitivities
Security
Low key networking
Other senses
Meeting innovation
• Carbon-based replacement
– Silicon-based meetings
– Second Life (Wired)
– Tele-presence
• Reframe meatings to increase their value
– Feng shui
– Recontextualizing face-to-face
• Hybridization
– Face-to-face AND Virtual, rather than OR
– Transformations between both
Enhancing meetings as “strange attractors”
Vital expectation of meeting participation
Emergent / Enabling / Fruitful:
– Insight
– Opportunities / Priorities
– Order / Organization
– Resources
– Contacts
– Reframing / Recontextualizing
– “Re-creation”
Meeting alternatives and willingness to risk
Cool…
let’s do
it
If you
insist
Thanks…
maybe not
Spontaneous
organization
X
Participant
content
X
Participant
communication
Podium
communication
You must
be joking
X
X
Conferencing and risk
Order
Congress session
Low participation
Crowd
Disorder
Caucasing
High Participation
Spontaneity (“corridor”)
Stakes and risk
(High stakes)
Average congress
Caucasing
High stakes / Low risk
Low stakes / Low risk
Crowd
Low risk
High stakes / High risk
Low stakes / High risk
Spontaneity (“corridor”)
(Low stakes)
High risk
Mode C: Anticipating future meeting styles
what are we failing to recognize?
What will this meeting look like in
» 10 years?
» 30 years?
» 50 years?
» 100 years?
» 500 years?
» 1000 years?
And why should we care?
Future of Meeting?
• Open Handset Alliance ?
– 33 large corporations convened by Google
• Mobile devices
– as primary means of accessing information
– migrate the information to other screens such as our
televisions, automobiles or displays in our
workplaces.
• Open Social platform: social network computing
– unite applications on the web into a social operating
system
– emphasis on organizing and developing relationships
instead of just managing information.
“We are our own metaphor”
”Wired in Travel”
• “Travel”: geographical vs intersectoral
– Generating business from other forms of travel
– Risk of core business being contextually reframed
– “Carpet pulled from under the feet”
• “Wired”: hard-wired vs soft-wired
– Connectivity: wiring « pattern that connects »
– Cultivating “songlines of the noosphere””
– “Re-wiring”?
???
Fundamental challenge
• Enhancing the value of meeting
– New forms of:
• Integrative understanding for global initiatives
• Management of diversity and disagreement
– Not:
• Physical vs virtual
• Error: simplistic virtual replication of physical
• Ultimate “environmental” irony
– more effective (communication) environments
– more sustainable (communication) environments
– higher quality (communication) environments
Dynamic conference mind-mapping
Representation of “wired in travel”
in a global society?
Syntegration?
Cultivating the “Songlines of the noosphere”?
Collective self-consciousness in meetings
individual-collective interface
Introduction of a self-reflexive dimension
(cf Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach; I Am a Strange Loop)
Reframing through new metaphors
Influence of new thinking on meetings
–
–
–
–
–
–
> New problems
> New strategies
> New technologies
> New theories
> Non-western cultures
>New generations
…. and ensuring their relationship to the old
Meeting metaphors
from new technologies?
Reframing the energy challenge -- in psychosocial terms
Lessons from nuclear fusion as the hope for a technological response to the
carbon-based energy crisis
(cf ITER: a joint international research and development project that aims to
demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power)
“Cognitive fusion” as a new way of thinking about the essential psychosocial
role and operation of meetings?
(cf Cognitive Fusion Reactor (ITER-8): Imaginal Transformation of Energy
Resourcing)
Meetings as generators of “human energy”
Meeting Metaphors
-- based on long-lasting cultural metaphors?
Towards Another Order of Conferencing: Insights from the Chinese Book of Changes
http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/docs/ching/achngcot.php
New Asian Meeting Metaphors
?
Anthony Judge
Union of Imaginative Associations
http://www.un-imagine.org
[email protected]
This presentation
Tiny URL ????
Other documents relating to meeting
http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/themes/azdialo.php