The Workshop
The Aspen Institute Italia Seminar on Leadership, Globalization and the Quest for Common Values focused on the phenomenal changes that a twenty-first century leader is called upon to interpret and to manage. The seminar focused on the gradual rapprochement between different cultures, political systems and business approaches that demands new interpretative tools for charting our path forward in a society characterized by rapid change. An acceleration in technological innovation is altering the very paradigms of our daily lives, and we are also coming up against the boundaries and limitations of sustainable growth. The challenges are on a global scale, so they demand a response on the same scale in terms of understanding and of defining goals, resources, strategies and methods.
Summary
For the third year in a row, The Aspen Institute integrated a Design Fiction component for its Executive Seminar on Leadership, (De-)globalization and the Quest for Common Values. The seminar is designed to help leaders think about the future of their organizations and the world in which they operate. A seminal essay ”Design Fiction” by Julian Bleecker formed the groundwork for discussion and lecture on how speculative thinking can be directly integrated into the contemplative aspects of, and decision-making processes of, executive leadership. The seminar is designed to help leaders think about the future of their organizations and the world in which they operate.
Written By: Julian Bleecker
Semantic Tags DESIGN FICTIONEXECUTIVE LEADERSHIPFUTURES THINKINGSEMINARWORKSHOP
aspen-institute-italia-executive-seminarThe Aspen Institute Italia Seminar on Leadership, Globalization and the Quest for Common Values focused on the phenomenal changes that a twenty-first century leader is called upon to interpret and to manage. The seminar focused on the gradual rapprochement between different cultures, political systems and business approaches that demands new interpretative tools for charting our path forward in a society characterized by rapid change. An acceleration in technological innovation is altering the very paradigms of our daily lives, and we are also coming up against the boundaries and limitations of sustainable growth. The challenges are on a global scale, so they demand a response on the same scale in terms of understanding and of defining goals, resources, strategies and methods.
The need for a shared global approach of this nature requires an open debate among different philosophical and religious visions of the world with different ethical values and different cultures. The seminar focused on the following five themes:
- human progress;
- democracy, culture and globalization;
- sustainability;
- diverse worldviews;
- leadership and awareness.
The seminar included 25 participants from a broad range of geographical, generational and professional provenance. The variety of approaches and points of view promotes the internationalization of business and cultural leadership and sparks debate among different cultures, in an effort to identify and to enhance common ideas, knowledge, skills and interests.
The residential seminar set out not to achieve unanimous answers but to highlight the complexity of phenomena in the contemporary world and to stimulate the kind of in-depth cultural exploration that can generate universal values and ideals capable of inspiring modern, aware leadership. The debate was promoted and guided by expert Aspen Institute moderators.