Material for thought

The purpose of the 2009 World economic forum was to “shape the post-crisis world”. It was obviously an overoptimistic goal, maybe in an attempt to sparkle optimism in a period of deceptiveness.

But how to find solutions to problems such as the economy slow down, spreading illnesses, climate change? This is where creativity techniques can be used effectively, techniques which facilitate the emergence of creative solutions. Everybody agrees that today’s challenges cannot be resolved by tempered actions. They require innovation and radical change. Here are some creative techniques that have been applied during the forum.

Recycling campaign by the tfl

The Transport for London are currently running a campaign to encourage their passengers to recycle the free newspapers they get at tube stations.  This seems like a good initiative. But is it really? I commute every day and never take the freesheets that distributors literally put on my face when I approach a tube station. I know that there are plenty of London Lite, thelondonpaper and metro left in the carriages anyway.  The tfl is arguing that we protect the environment if we take our newspapers with us, so that we can recycle them. But obviously, more the passengers take the newspapers with them, less likely they will find newspapers left in the transport, more they will pick up new newspapers at station entrances. Where is the contradiction?

According to the book “Thinking strategically” from Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J.Nalebuff, strategic thinking is the art of outdoing an adversary, knowing that the adversary is trying to do the same. Game theory is the science of strategic thinking.

Maybe this definition of strategic thinking is too narrow, I think for example that fighting climate change requires strategic thinking, even though it doesn’t involve an adversary trying to do the same. This disagreement apart, the book is very useful. It presents simple and not so simple examples of game theory which really enlighten us on the way our societies practically work.

Napoleon Bonaparte

France is the most popular tourist destination of the world, thanks to its massive cultural patrimony, more than 3,000 heritage sites open to the public. Its position is however challenged in a constantly evolving tourism industry. This is why ODIT France has been created, its mission is to analyze the tourism market and help French institutions and corporations to better fulfill its demands. Here is a summary of the presentation ‘How to make culture and leisure work together?’ that ODIT France presented at the International Heritage show held in the Carrousel du Louvre, Paris. I found the subject fascinating because it mixes the most commercial marketing methodologies with very important cultural considerations.

The palmery of Zagora in Morocco

I was reading the “Making innovation work” book from Davila – Epstein – Shelton and I thought it would be interesting to apply its business innovation observations to broader fields such as the fight against global warming. Here is a quick introduction to the innovation basics using environmental examples.