This Time There Really Is A Need To Change How We Do Business

Tomorrow is the 203rd anniversary of the birth of one of my heroes - Charles Darwin.  Today, perhaps more than ever, his brilliant speculations, now recognised as fact by all but the most extreme of religious fundamentalists, remain the cornerstone of our understanding of life on earth.  Though what he meant by "evolutionary change" is often misquoted, he did suggest (in his Red Notebook) that "one species does change into another" when explaining the geographical distribution of living species.

Darwin's thinking provides a useful lens through which to view the current state of business and I believe that we really are in the middle of a change equal to anything seen in the business world since the recessions of the early 20th century.  

In the past 12 months I have worked with several clients who are quite literally reeling from massive cuts in their budgets and/or reduction in sales volumes.  Those who have survived are now looking for a way forward.  What is obvious is that the tools and techniques adopted during the course of the past 30 years - underpinned by the manipulation and exploitation of money and often by political shortermism and 1/4 on 1/4 pressure applied by City analysts for shareholder value - are likely to be at best short term solutions and at worst fatal.

What is exciting is that the new paradigm for business (and I use this word as it was originally meant to be used) is being forced to become much more self conscious. Organisations are starting to focus more and more on humanistic values such as ethics, trust, honesty, transparency and relationship building.  The consequence could be a "values driven business environment" deploying a whole new set of ways of working focused on people rather than bank notes.  Whilst this will leave many feeling uncomfortable and a little unsure I believe it could be a change well worthy of comparison to Darwin's big idea.