September 20, 2023

Situation Report and Change Dynamics

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2 minutes

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Opinion

A general reflection inspired by Apple’s “Mother Nature” ad on its sustainability report.

When I first started in web design, everyone wanted rounded corners, shadows, highlights, and the general look of Apple’s website. That trend persisted over time. There is always someone who wants their site to look like Apple’s. If you organize or attend events and conferences, chances are you’ve come across discussions on public speaking that reference Steve Jobs’ iPhone presentation.

Now, Apple has released its sustainability report. If you use social media, you’ve probably already seen it—or at least its memes. And in the coming years, we’ll likely see derivatives of it. But rather than critique the ad, I want to focus on one specific aspect it inspired in me: a reflection on fear and responsibility.

Before diving in, if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the ad (link to transcript):

The scene depicts an authority figure holding a group accountable—something seen in many settings: large corporations, politics, even education and family dynamics. I have been that person myself. The dominant figure listens, responds with disbelief, questions, and often pressures the people attempting to navigate the meeting. Eventually, relief sets in—it’s over, and life moves on. Fear and rigor push people to escape the immediate crisis. However, fear and rigor also reduce even the brightest individuals to absurdity.

The triple crisis—climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss—that we have brought upon the planet requires our best minds working together. No single company or nation can create a globally visible change on its own. I have seen many work teams in different conditions and read about many more. Fear and rigor are present in many of them. And while some of them achieve remarkable things, none reach their full potential under those conditions. Stress helps with survival, but not with flourishing.

The negotiation dynamics dominating international forums on crisis mitigation, particularly climate change, have failed to produce the agreements necessary for meaningful change. I suspect that the mechanisms that will eventually accelerate this change will rely more on fear and rigor than on collaboration.

I wonder if it would be possible for those at the highest levels of responsibility to work with true collaborative dynamics toward a common goal—just as so many working groups stemming from them already do.

Let's think together something

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