Название: Digitalizing Sustainability: The Five Forces of Digital Transformation
Автор: Kathryn Sforcina
Издательство: Routledge
Год: 2023
Страниц: 161
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 10.1 MB

Digitalizing Sustainability outlines why 'business as usual' isn't working and sets out five Transformational Forces which can be used to innovate and scale sustainability solutions using digital means.

This transformation will be powered by a range of digital technologies that have the potential to ideate, propel and scale sustainability solutions in an exponential manner over the next decade. This book introduces the Five Forces of Digital Transformation. These forces all share a common root - they are powered by digital technologies that enable them to operate at the speed and scale that we need to achieve global transformation for people and planet. Working together, these forces help overcome many of the barriers and pitfalls that humanity has faced in trying to achieve sustainability 2.0 and will help you tackle these questions:

Why has sustainability 1.0 failed us?
What are the bugs and bad code in our operating systems that we must address to have any hope of creating a sustainable civilization?
What are the Five Forces of Digital Transformation that will forge a sustainable and resilient future for our people and planet?
What are the core priorities going forward for coalitions of the willing to harness these forces for sustainability and resilience?

First, as already discussed, I open by arguing that planetary sustainability can only be achieved by transforming the four key ‘operating systems’ that drive incentives and shape human behaviors. These are the human cognitive systems, social systems, economic systems and governance systems, as well as their relationship to each other. I propose that anyone with a sustainability agenda must understand how digital technologies can influence bugs and outdated code in each of these systems that determine the uptake of a sustainable product, service, lifestyle or behavior. At the same time, we must also connect and integrate our human operating systems with the natural systems that sustain life. Part One of the book is dedicated to unpacking these ideas.

I then move on to the idea that advancing sustainability at a planetary level will only be possible if we learn how to identify, harness and combine what I have coined to be the “Five Forces of Digital Transformation” - 1) Sense-Making, 2) Socializing, 3) Valuing, 4) Embedding, 5) Adapting. I make a case for how these forces will be pivotal for interconnecting the four "operating systems", in the process creating incentive structures and feedback loops capable of driving transformation at the speed and scale that our planet needs. I discuss this in Part Two of the book, including examples that showcase the transformational power of each force.

Finally, to truly appreciate the opportunities and risks of applying digital technologies, I then explore how these forces of digital transformation converge to generate exponential transformation. I argue that ideally, digital technologies can help us deploy a planetary operating system that can balance the profit, people and planet equation. As we no longer have time to wait for linear incremental change, we must now adopt an exponential approach and focus our attention and investments on these highest leverage points for systemic change, but with due consideration that ensures we do not unleash the dark side of these forces. Understanding the full spectrum of opportunities and risks that these forces can generate, and a clear vision for a future where the five forces are harnessed for transformational outcomes, is the focus of Part Three of this book.

In the context of this book, when talking about the need for systems level transformation, I am referring to the transformation of what I consider to be our four core "operating systems". These being:

• Human Cognitive Operating System
• Social Operating System
• Economic Operating System
• Governance Operating System

Disruptive and innovative, this book provides readers with a clear path forward to a sustainable digital future. It will be of great interest to anyone interested in the adoption of digital technologies for driving solutions to global sustainability challenges.