The developing world need no longer be a no-go area for many forms of commercial activities. Skills and activities can be transfered by a new generation of support tools and people enabled to participate in global markets as both producers and consumers.
October 4, 2006
"UK and international companies can now take practical steps to equip people in developing countries to acquire new skills, create wealth and participate in international markets,” according to Colin Coulson-Thomas, author of ‘Shaping Things to Come’* . He believes a new generation of support tools can enable average performers -- and in some cases ordinary citizens, including those in developing countries -- to adopt the approaches of high performing superstars.
According to Coulson-Thomas, “People in unlikely places can be enabled to undertake complex tasks and equipped to compete and win. Activities can be transferred across national borders as never before. Social responsibility needs to move on from charitable gifts to practical approaches that can help people on the ground and contribute to the bottom line. The generosity of the British public needs to be complemented by corporate initiatives that result in win-win outcomes for people at home and abroad.”
Following his contribution to the 2006 Global Conference on Social Responsibility Coulson-Thomas, a Professor at the University of Lincoln, believes findings of his ‘shaping things to come’ research programme could transform the lives of millions of people in both the developed and the developing world:
“Too many boards and management teams are copying and imitating other enterprises instead of creating new choices for consumers and additional options for mankind. They are adopting ‘me too’ approaches and following fashions rather than exploring, discovering and pioneering the use of new tools. As a consequence, mankind is missing exciting possibilities for transforming many aspects of our lives and enabling those in poorer countries to better understand, produce and consume.
“The ‘shaping things to come’ investigation challenges some prevailing assumptions -- for example about what ordinary people can accomplish and what activities can be undertaken in developing countries -- and achieving a new balance between certain factors could enrich our lives. The means exist to meet a wider range of needs, provide more bespoke responses and offer new alternatives to individuals, social groups and wider communities.
“The outputs of the investigation include guidance for creating new offerings that provide additional choices, and ensure that businesses remain relevant and distinctive, and a new generation of support tools that are being used by pioneers to transform work group productivity, enable ordinary people to behave like superstars and create new offerings that address the distinct requirements of those in developing countries*.
“A new generation of support tools can play a key role in generating new options, choices and opportunities for people around the world and transforming the prospects of those in developing countries. Key lessons from the enabling knowledge entrepreneurship stream of the shaping things to come investigation are that critical success factors for key corporate activities and the distinct approaches of high performers can be identified, captured and shared with others. The prospects are alluring.
“Most of the differences between winners and losers that have been identified so far are attitudinal and behavioural. With the same or similar offerings, technologies, people, processes and systems the winners ‘do it differently’. With the right tools losers can be helped to behave like winners. Support tools can enable a significant transfer to the developing world of the expertise to engage in more wealth creating activities. The lack of local expertise need no longer be a bar to either outsourcing or indigenous development.
“Tomorrows leaders will use new tools to challenge assumptions about what can be produced and where. Support tools can also be used to create versions of products and services that meet the distinct needs of particular communities, cultures and climates. They can enable companies to become development partners. Importantly tools can use whatever formats best increase understanding and while previous generations of technology may have deskilled they can be designed so that people both learn from and become more competent with each use.
“Pioneering companies have already used support tools to greatly improve the performance of existing activities. Tools used have incorporated critical success factors, best practice and the approaches of superstars. They make it much easier for people to undertake complex tasks. Routine and laborious aspects of work are automated and blockers can prevent technical problems, quality issues and regulatory breaches. Users can be trusted to explore and create new options.”
Sources of further information:
*‘Shaping Things to Come, strategies for creating alternative enterprises’ and ‘Individuals and Enterprise, creating entrepreneurs for the new millennium’ by Colin Coulson-Thomas can be ordered from Blackhall Publishing (Tel: 00 353 1 2785090; Fax: 00 353 1 2784446; or from www.ntwkfirm.com/bookshop)
Support tools that can transform workgroup performance are discussed in ‘The Knowledge Entrepreneur’ by Colin Coulson-Thomas (Kogan Page, 2003). The book and an accompanying CD-ROM giving further examples can be ordered by Tel. 00 44 1903 828800; Fax. 00 44 20 7837 6348; or on-line from www.ntwkfirm.com/bookshop
Prof. Coulson-Thomas has spoken at over 200 national and international conferences in over 25 countries. He can be contacted by Tel: +44 (0) 1733 361 149 or via www.coulson-thomas.com
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