Time really does matter

I'm writing an article at the moment on communication and change. As I write I"m also composing a presentation to the Regional Land Transport committee here in Canterbury to try and convince them that they need to think differently about transport.

Anyway in doing all this, it is becoming increasingly obvious that there is no way we will be an adaptable resilient society if we keep trying to live at our current speed. Which makes me think that slowing people down is actually the task that we need to be working on if we are going to foster more sustainable practices.

I"m also reflecting on something I heard recently from a colleague who noted that the problem that we have is not so much too much consumption, but too much affluence (which then leads people to consume). So we need to work less (something that I have said in other posts) and earn less so that we consume less but also so that we have more time to reflect on what we are doing and to change. Change, particularly complex changes take time and effort but often not money or resources!

Of course I"m not implying that such a major shift as getting people to feel ok about less affluence is easy but perhaps the recession really is a blessing - its our opportunity to slow down and think. The question is how to make such a shift in a way that is fair.

:-)

Facilitating Innovation and change

I was asked to write something the other day about innovation and rather oddly it took me some time to realise that in fact I do know quite a lot about innovation, having studied change and development processes!

Anyway, a few conversations later I found myself thinking about the conditions that foster innovation. I've reached the conclusion that the greatest problem that we have in this day and age is our focus on efficiency and time management. Having had a few months off work now, I find myself able to think, talk, work out how to do new things and generally be a more adaptable human being, despite trying not to spend much money. Innovation is sooo much easier and so much more likely because I can apply my mind to the various things the trip me up and I have time to let them tick over while I do other things without feeling the slightest bit guilty.

I put this together with the fact that we are told as New Zealanders that our productivity is very low and yet most of the people I know are working their butts off. Maybe if we worked less we'd actually be more productive?

:-)