Midnight in Alesund
I’ve fallen in love with Norway. This week people from as far afield as California and Australia gathered for Innotown in the little port of Alesund to be entranced, excited, involved and think deeply about innovation and the future.
You know how much I believe in the potential creative power of diversity and this had it in spades. Imagine an event that put together me, Jung Chang, the author of ‘Wild Swans’ and ‘Mao’ ,with Chris Bangle, the Chief Designer of BMW until 2009, and Blake Mycoskie, the Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes. Spin that with incredibly clear Nordic air, skies that remain light through the night, and an extraordinary troupe of artists –and you can see that this is no ordinary corporate conference.
The focus of many of the conversations over coffee and in the conference room was the future – the future of work, the future of design, the future of globalization. Here is what I am mussing about as I leave:
Experiencing is key
I’m at that phase in writing my book on the future of work when I have to create a cogent point of view about one of the future shifts I believe to be crucial – the shift from work as a means of creating cash to purchase ‘stuff’ – to work as a place of meaning and experiences. My thinking is still a little opaque about this, so I’m looking for any ideas to inspire how I can make describing this shift more exciting. What came over from the conference was the power of experience. Chris Bangle spent his hour bombarding the conference with a cornucopia of images, formulae, maps, and designs all overlaid with his quirky and design centred view of the world. Blake Mycoskie told a series of often very funny and inspirational stories about how he built a community that next year will give over one million shoes to kids in need. I gave some important insights, lots of graphs, and at one point plunged the audience in total darkness to contemplate the default future. Jung Chung spoke with quiet dignity about her life in China . What was fascinating is that each of us had a different set of experiences – but more importantly – the way we choose to tell them was also unique. In a sense we each had a unique ‘signature’ –each illustrated the power of creativity and the joy of experiencing.
The growth of innovative clusters
I’m fascinated by how our work will evolve in terms of where we will live and whom we will be in contact with, crucial in a world that could potentially become ever more isolating. It’s a theme I explored in my last book Glow when I talked about the power of high quality relationships. I believe it is crucial that we build a ‘regenerative community’ of people who have some of the similar skills, but also a whole lot of different skills. This is the dream of Chris Bangle who began his presentation with shots of the village on the mountain top in Italy he is renovating as a centre for design and innovation. His vision is that designers from around the world will spend time together in the creative process. It seems to me that in the future these ‘manufactured’ innovative clusters – like the one the Singapore Government is creating – will be ever more important in a rapidly globalizing world.
The power of social entrepreneurs
In my own research it has become clear that in the future we need to focus more on work that has meaning and can be seen to make a difference. Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS after a visit to Argentina where he saw how shoe-less kids suffered. Taking 200 pairs of Argentinean sandals back to LA was the beginning of a poignant string of stories that marked the beginning of the concept that for every shoe bought, TOMS would give a shoe to a child. Blake talked about the power of giving as an integral part of the business model of TOMS and how the opportunity for customers to support a cause whilst making a purchase made both economic and moral sense.
Oddly, in the midnight sun on a small archipelago off the coast of Norway I began to see how the focus on experiences, the growth of innovative clusters and the power of social entrepreneurship could be some of the key paths to the ‘crafted future’ I believe is a positive future.
And predicting the future? I can predict that next June will see me back in Alesund – take a look at the website – it would be great to see you there.
