A newsletter of the Billion Minds Foundation, promoting socially responsible entrepreneurship in the global knowledge economy
FORMING A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP
by Mark Minevich |
Finding the answers to those questions is the goal of the Billion Minds Foundation as we bring together some of the smartest people on the planet in the hopes of solving these critical global problems.
Businesses are assuming an increasingly important role in addressing worldwide challenges, often in partnership with governments and NGOs, and in ways that are aligned with shareholders’ interests. BMF recognizes these new realities by offering a unique global framework that combines innovative ideas from experts who have the capability to create and implement forward-looking solutions with private wealth leaders who have resources necessary for transformation based on socially responsible guiding principles.
In pursuit of our global mission, we understand the critical role that a collective global leadership can play in today’s complex world and the importance of having leaders actively engaged in formulating and implementing new approaches to these pressing global challenges. We welcome fresh ideas, active participation and the passion of individuals such as you in creating and implementing a new global framework for success in the knowledge economy.
This newsletter will offer the provocative views of some of our members, stories about how others are trying to solve these pressing global problems, news of BMF initiatives and feedback from our readers. We welcome your comments, critical assessments and your queries. You can write to us at editor@billionmindsfoundation.org. Together we can forge new principles and practices for creating sustainable environments and creating opportunities for six billion minds around the world.
Mark Minevich is an internationally recognized thought leader specializing in globalization, outsourcing, and technology. He is also the Founder and Executive Chairman, and member of the Executive Board of Trustees, of the Billion Minds Foundation. Mark is also a General Partner in Going Global Ventures Inc. and author of The CTO Handbook and Six Billion Minds. He is also a recipient of the Albert Einstein award for achievements in high technology.
OUR PRISMATIC WORLD
Towards Smart Human Enterprises:Bringing Heart and Soul to Our Corporate Enterprises of the Future
by Dr. Joseph Okpaku, Sr.
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The enterprise of the Twenty-first Century, what I choose to call “the Smart Human Enterprise”, is one with a heart and soul, an enterprise that is formed and predicated on a foundation of deeply-held and shared values, informed by an enlightened understanding of the profound value and the quintessence of humanity, and the life, culture, history and environment it sustains. A Smart Human Enterprise (somehow the juxtaposition of “human” and “enterprise” seems like an oxymoron!) is one that is driven and sustained by a dream that goes beyond the mere pursuit of asymmetrical gain and advantage, one that is informed by conscience, integrity and decency, and by a conscious and diligent pursuit of elevated values.
A Smart Human Enterprise listens and hears voices other than its own. A Smart Human Enterprise understands that others also seek a place in our common space, and have as much of a right to it as we do, and that honouring and promoting such equity as a matter of fundamental common interest, is in our own best interest. A Smart Human Enterprise understands that global peace and equanimity is possible only if we recognise, respect and, desirably, consciously and genuinely accommodate the dreams and passions of others and other enterprises. For we must of necessity, recognise a fundamental truism of man, namely that we all aspire to global excellence, and do so, not as a favour to others, but as a matter of self-preservation in the context of global peace and harmony.
No one or group of people knowingly acquiesces to being second best. So if we understand this, and make accommodation as much as is possible for the right of each of us to strive for a place at the top, we will grow, because we will be empowered by the fresh ideas and innovations of those who take their place alongside us. If, on the other hand, we insist that the top belongs to us only, and that others must find their “rightful place” somewhere below us down the ladder, wherever they can find some space, we will have not only misunderstood the fundamental drive of man, but will have lost a unique opportunity to still capture the fast effervescing promise of an exciting and enlightened New Millennium. In the process, we will have created or reinforced the very roots of global conflict, in all areas, intellectual, moral, socio-economic, philosophical and all together, strategic.
Above all, the most important challenge for our not-quite-yet Brave New World is that we must now think, talk and act as six billion people in this planet called earth, with a common cause, a common challenge, and, like it or not, a common future and heritage. We can no longer talk intelligently of a dichotomized world of one billion people who claim, possess and hoard it all, and know it all, presumably, and who relentlessly tend to do all the talking, and of five billion people who simply sleepwalk through history as bystanders of the very prosecution of their own dreams and destiny. Not only is such a worldview dangerously flawed, awkward and self-deceptive, it is also patently uninformed, and holds no enduring value for those who cling to it, whether with blind arrogance or the handicaps of a profound lack of understanding and foresight. Such, I believe, is the desirable nature of our still young 21st Century. It is admittedly, of necessity, utopian, perhaps even romantic. But no serious effort has ever been driven by the pursuit of a goal that is less than profound and truly ambitious. Compromised dreams are not sustainable in the long-term, because they lack the profound inspiration, courage and relentless vigour inherent in a true vision, and that provide the enduring quality of the highest significance.
To read Dr. Okpaku’s full text and find out more about the rules of engagement for success in the global knowledge economy, click here.
Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr. an acknowledged world expert on global strategy and 21st Century challenges and opportunities, is the President and CEO of US-based Telecom Africa International Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University, a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering from Stanford University, and a PhD in Theatre History and Dramatic Literature, also from Stanford University. Comments on Dr. Okpaku’s article can be sent to editor@billionmindsfoundation.org
SUGGESTED READING
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- “Businesses Try to Make Money and Save the World”, The New York Times, May 6, 2007. Hundreds of for-profit businesses in the U.S. are learning that making money and non-profit missions go hand-in-hand. The article discusses the growing trend towards hybrid organizations that could be described as “falling somewhere between traditional companies and charities.”
- “Foundation With Real Money Ventures Into Virtual World, The New York Times, June 22, 2007. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation discovers what other nonprofits have started to learn, namely that Second Life’s virtual world offers new opportunities for philanthropic organizations to find exposure and stimulate discussion.
- “Connected: 24 Hours in the Global Economy” (published May 2007 by Farrar, Straus, Giroux) by Daniel Altman, the Global Economics Correspondent of the International Herald Tribune. Altman also moderates a blog called Managing Globalization for the IHT. In his second book, Altman explains the intricacies of the global economy through a montage of 14 narratives taken from global events on June 15, 2005. The international economic system is “an enormous machine crammed with six billion interlocking cogs and wheels,” says Altman, referring to the global population. “Not everyone’s wheel is the same size, but everyone’s wheel matters,” he says.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
- BMF/Israel Planning Dinner, NYC – Late Fall 2007
- VIP Global Billions Business Club, Monte Carlo – September 2007
- BMF Challenges and Fundamentals Research Workshop – October 2007
- Global Billions Business Club Exclusive Hotel/Resort /VIP Guest house Zurich, Switzerland – October/November 2007
- Andorra/BMF Roundtable – November 2007
- BMF Israel Gala Dinner and Fund Raising – Spring 2008
- BMF Global Annual Meeting – September 2008
EVENT ROUNDUP
June BMF meeting
A private equity/private wealth dinner was organized by BMF at the Yale Club, New York City on June 6, 2007. The event was co-presented by World Trade Association (WTA) and World Trade Centers Association (WTCA).
There were three focus areas of the event:- To serve as a common platform to enable a peer-to-peer conversation on how power shifts and globalization are impacting private wealth and private equity and how players are addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by the global knowledge economy.
- To introduce the upcoming BMF/WTA mega-event to be held in Korea in 2008. The introduction was provided by Dr. David Lee, Vice Chairman of the WTCA and Executive Chairman of the WTA.
- To provide an overview of the mission and future plans of the BMF Global Billion Minds Club.
Dr. Lee also presented an award to Mr. Minevich for his dedication to BMF and initiatives on sustainable development and knowledge entrepreneurship. Mark Minevich and Dr. Lee presented an award to Mr. Joshua Kiheon Roh, CEO of WTA-Korea.
The event was followed by a BMF Global Billion Business Dinner. It was well received by the attendees and helped participants understand the role of Global Billion Business Club and BMF initiatives.
St. Petersburg Event
A high level global symposium was held at one of St. Petersburg’s historical mansions on July 10, 2007. The symposium showcased a distinguished group of prominent technologists from around the world who discussed the most imperative issues of global sourcing, innovation and technology today.
Mark Minevich, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Billion Minds Foundation, who was the keynote speaker at the symposium, discussed globalization. In his presentation he outlined the mission of BMF to promote the sustainable development and growth of a global economy of six billion minds through social knowledge entrepreneurship and socially responsible investments, and pointed out that technology is an important enabler of this mission.
The event included two panels: The Impact of Technology on Globalization of Financial Services, moderated by Orest Kyzyk of OMK Associates and Russia's Role in Global Innovation, moderated by Heidi Brown, Senior Reporter at Forbes Magazine.
Israel Event
In the spring of 2008, BMF will host a gathering of international business leaders in New York City for an action-oriented program showcasing Israel’s creation of a successful knowledge economy.
Israel’s achievements in scientific, ecological and medical research are well known. “Israel enjoys the highest concentration of high tech companies outside of Silicon Valley,” said the President of NASDAQ. These accomplishments have led many of the world’s top companies to invest in Israel.
The event will focus on several themes, including:- New knowledge skills and tools needed for the 21st century
- The creation of an international commercial, global knowledge and network hub in Israel
- The role of companies and individuals in developing Israel’s knowledge economy
- Identifying new investment opportunities
In addition to the moderated discussions, the Billion Minds Foundation will present awards to global leaders and there will be an exclusive wine-tasting dinner and entertainment program.
Annual Mega-Event
- The World Economy, Finance and Global Summit will be held in the fall of 2008.
The Mega-Event in 2008 will gather the world’s leading thinkers from across business, industry, government and academia and high net worth families for two days of discussion about the challenges facing businesses in the 21st century – including: health, social enterprise networks, global innovation and sustainability.
A select audience will be invited to the event: Attendance will be limited to 200 invited guests whose decisions directly affect global populations, multibillion dollar investments and corporate stakeholders.
SNEAK PEEK
Why do happy organizations succeed? Don’t miss Stefan Inzelstein’s article in our next newsletter on the importance and ways of creating values-based knowledge enterprises in the 21st century. Stefan Inzelstein is a thought leader in the field of organizational transformation. Here’s a short synopsis of what he’ll be covering in our next issue:
BMF is committed to making a significant contribution to its members and to the planet by facilitating the pooling and the dissemination of state-of-the-art knowledge. This knowledge is essential to the creation of global networks that are the enterprises of our 21st century economy. The best applicable adjective of the most successful of these networks is “happy”.
A happy business is one whose employees love to work for, customers love to buy from, partners and suppliers love to do business with and in which investors love to put their money. Such businesses are invariably grounded in a strong set of widely shared and applied core values, we call them values-based organizations, or VBOs.
Numerous studies of VBOs show that they outperform their peers by an order of magnitude over a period of ten to fifteen years. I have personally seen and facilitated even better results created in as little as one or two years.
In the 21st century, in which nimble, global networks of socially responsible, knowledge entrepreneurs are rapidly replacing monoliths, a values orientation is more needed than ever before. Knowledge networks are unsustainable without the presence of values such as integrity, authenticity and the ensuing trust that they instill.
Why then don’t all knowledge leaders rush to enhance the values orientation of their enterprises? In the next issue of the BMF newsletter we will begin to suggest answers to this vital question. In the meantime we would love to hear your opinion on this issue (write to us at editor@billionmindsfoundation.org).
To download BMF newsletter, please click here
Credits:
Ellen Pearlman
Chair, Content Committee , Content Director, Editor-in-Chief, Billion Minds Foundation
Roger L. Green
Co-Chair, Co-host of the Cullinane & Green Report; former CIO and CTO
Dr. Lou Marinoff
World Famous Professor of Philosophy, Commonwealth Scholar, best selling author, and President of American Philosophical Practitioners Association
Dr. Joseph Okpaku
President and CEO, The Telecom Africa Corporation (Nigeria and the United States)
Stefan Inzelstein
Business Strategist and President of ISM Consulting Inc
Naveen Sharma
Chair, Research Committee, Member of Global Leaders and Talent Committee BMF
Arthur J. Murray
Chief Fellow of the George Washington University Institute for Knowledge and Innovation
Eugene Goland
President, DataArt