Business Archives - Enlightenment Blog

Can the world’s megacities survive the digital age?

Posted on September 6, 2020 October 8, 2020 by Emma Jansen

Today, megacities have become synonymous with economic growth. In both developing and developed countries, cities with populations of 10 million or more account for one-third to one-half of their gross domestic product.

Many analysts and policymakers think this trend is here to stay. The rise of big data analytics and mobile technology should spur development, they assert, transforming metropolises like Shanghai, Nairobi and Mexico City into so-called “smart cities” that can leverage their huge populations to power their economies and change the power balance in the world.

Is freelancing the future of employment?

Posted on August 28, 2020 April 8, 2021 by Emma Jansen

Today, freelancers represent 35% of the United States workforce. In the European Union, the rate is 16.1%. Both figures demonstrate the same global trend: from creative entrepreneurs to those paid by the task, freelancing is on the rise worldwide.

So, too, are analyses of this phenomenon, as journalists, sociologists, human resources specialists, life coaches, even freelancers themselves try to uncover “the truth” about freelancing.

That’s because of the “gig economy”, as it is sometimes called, is a Janus-faced – and relentlessly evolving – phenomenon. Freelancing is often portrayed as liberating, empowering, and even glamorous, but the reality is far more complex.

Here’s why ‘cool’ offices don’t always make for a happier workforce

Posted on August 27, 2020 April 8, 2021 by Emma Jansen

Who are Britain’s happiest workers? The people who staff the London office of US travel tech firm Expedia, according to Glassdoor’s annual workplace satisfaction survey. In both 2016 and 2017, Expedia rated highest for employee satisfaction, according to anonymous reviews from current and past workers.

Reading this Business Insider profile of the “happiest office in London” might make you believe that Expedia’s high level of employee satisfaction is down almost entirely to the office itself and the various on-site perks – which includes table tennis, football, gaming consoles and a cocktail bar. There’s no doubt that this is a very attractive office.

But the survey of the employees shows that Expedia’s people like working there because of the business, not the fancy office. The most positive ratings cite “culture” and “career opportunities”. The physical surroundings barely merit a mention.

Welcome to E-Estonia, the tiny nation that’s leading Europe in digital innovation

Posted on August 26, 2020 October 8, 2020 by Emma Jansen

Big Brother does “just want to help” – in Estonia, at least. In this small nation of 1.3 million people, citizens have overcome fears of an Orwellian dystopia with ubiquitous surveillance to become a highly digital society.

The government took nearly all its services online in 2003 with the e-Estonia State Portal. The country’s innovative digital governance was not the result of a carefully crafted master plan, it was a pragmatic and cost-efficient response to budget limitations.

It helped that citizens trusted their politicians after Estonia regained independence in 1991. And, in turn, politicians trusted the country’s engineers, who had no commitment to legacy hardware or software systems, to build something new.

Introverts think they won’t like being leaders but they are capable

Posted on August 24, 2020 April 8, 2021 by Emma Jansen

Introverts often don’t think they will enjoy leadership roles and so are less likely to go for the top job, new research finds. In fact, introverts in our study thought they would be worried and distressed in leadership situations.

Whether or not someone is an introvert is usually measured by how much they exhibit the personality trait called “extraversion” – being outgoing and social. Compared to extraverts, introverts tend to be relatively passive, quiet and reserved.

Not surprisingly, someone’s level of introversion or extraversion is related to a range of important personal and professional outcomes. For example, research has found that extraverts are more likely than introverts to perform well in sales jobs. Introverts, on the other hand, are more likely to be honest or humble and are less likely to risk their own health and safety.

How a Memory Quirk of the Human Brain Can Galvanize AI

Posted on August 4, 2020 October 5, 2020 by Emma Jansen

Even as toddlers we’re good at inferences. Take a two-year-old that first learns to recognize a dog and a cat at home, then a horse and a sheep in a petting zoo. The kid will then also be able to tell apart a dog and a sheep, even if he can’t yet articulate their differences.

This ability comes so naturally to us it belies the complexity of the brain’s data-crunching processes under the hood. To make the logical leap, the child first needs to remember distinctions between his family pets. When confronted with new categories—farm animals—his neural circuits call upon those past remembrances, and seamlessly incorporate those memories with new learnings to update his mental model of the world.

People before profit: The Degrowth Movement values people, not money

Posted on August 2, 2020 October 8, 2020 by Emma Jansen

Globalised capitalist economies continue to rely on numbers and economic growth, although they reveal little about inequality and sustainable well-being. How people live is not only a question of chance, but strongly influenced by the people in power. The Degrowth movement deeply questions the ways of living, producing and consuming shaped by the powerful, and asks for a democratic approach. It stands for a realizable reorganisation of values, lifestyles and the economy.

Recognising that endless economic growth is destructive to human well-being, it calls for the shrinking of some economic segments, specifically those that damage the ecosystem. The meaning of Degrowth is to build economies around segments such as education and care. Both are, among others, examples of undervalued contributors to society, which has been highlighted throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cleveland Model: The city’s flourishing economy has worker participation to thank

Posted on July 29, 2020 October 8, 2020 by Emma Jansen

Cleveland, USA was once a booming industrial city. When many of the local companies moved to low-wage countries, the city’s economy and social fabric collapsed. Mass unemployment and poverty resulted. Twelve years ago, the first cooperatives were founded in one of the poorest areas of the city. They rely on the participation and co-determination of the workers and sustainable economic activity. Together with the city government, the cooperatives developed a regional economic plan and created the economic upswing. This success became known as the “Cleveland Model” and became a model for cities around the world.

The cityscape of Cleveland in the US state of Ohio is a good illustration of the city’s history. Cleveland is full of old factory buildings and the skyline is dominated by skyscrapers from the interwar and postwar period. That was the golden age of Cleveland, when the USA was the driving force of world industry. The Midwest, with cities like Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland, was the heart of this industrial nation. However, when companies in the region began moving production to lower-wage countries in the 1970s, Cleveland’s economy also began to crumble. The former industrial metropolis became a city marked by poverty and emigration.

Modern Workforce Expectations and How Socially Aware Businesses Can Win the War for Talent

Posted on July 25, 2020 April 8, 2021 by Emma Jansen

Not since the industrial revolution has there been such a seismic shift in the way we are viewing the world of work. Debates about the modern workforce and their expectations happen far more regularly as businesses get to grips with how our towns, cities, and workplaces will look entirely different in the future.

This evolution of the working world is exciting; it has felt like we have been trapped in the archaic constructs of corporate apathy for so long that to see the green shoots of new thinking cement themselves on a larger scale is refreshing, liberating and nerve-wracking all at the same time.

What is evolving is not the slightly tired and repeated debate about Millennials. I don’t believe they are the first generation to want purpose from their work and they certainly won’t be the last. We all crave to be part of something bigger than ourselves, I for one never charged into my working life with an enthusiasm which was based on anything other than the strong sense of purpose I shared with my colleagues.

Supporting the Arts Should Be a Part of Your Business Strategy

Posted on July 24, 2020 October 8, 2020 by Emma Jansen

The time of grey suits is coming to the end – business now strives to be more innovative, creative and inclusive. To achieve that, we can look towards something that’s already all these things – the arts.

Some years ago The Arts Council (England) said that art:

Helps people “understand, interpret and adapt to the world around them.” To ensure long-term success of the business, it is essential that our strategies include understanding the world around us and our communities. We need to constantly adapt to survive – art can help.
Brings “colour, beauty, passion and intensity to lives.”
Builds people’s skills, confidence and self-esteem.

San Francisco’s Answer to Fast Fashion: A Zero Textile Waste Initiative

Posted on July 20, 2020 October 7, 2020 by Emma Jansen

Fifteen years after the Zero Waste Textile initiative started in San Francisco in 2003, the city has diverted 80 percent of all waste generated in the city away from landfill disposal through source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting programs—the highest rate of any major U.S. city according the Environmental Protection Agency. Although there is still a lot to go before reaching the goal of zero waste by 2030, there are clothing companies closing the loop between the production and recycling of our clothes.

For those uninitiated in the idea of a circular economy, “closing the gap” refers to the practice of designing, sourcing, producing, and providing clothes, shoes or accessories “with the intention to be used and circulate responsibly and effectively in society for as long as possible in their most valuable form, and hereafter return safely to the biosphere when no longer of human use.” In other words, it is the well-known mantra of reuse-reduce-recycle, just applied to our clothing.

The Ripple Effect of Investing in Women and Tech

Posted on July 18, 2020 April 8, 2021 by Emma Jansen

Investing in women is an investment in the world, and fortunately, the majority of investors recognize the importance of investing in gender-balanced teams. But achieving gender equity calls for more than agreement. Less than 10 percent of these same investors build a strategy or set targets to fulfill this belief, and only 10 percent of women are in senior decision-making positions. In 2017, less than 3 percent of global venture funding went to female-led teams. However, at MIT Solve, we believe in putting women’s great ideas into action.

With 62 percent women-led startups, our 2018 Solver Class strikes more than balance. To highlight this impact, we’re featuring four of our women-led 2018 Solver teams who advance the UN Sustainable Development Goal #5 for gender equality, empowering women and girls worldwide.

From upskilling garment workers, to improving maternal healthcare, to documenting sexual violence, these four startups are using tech to change lives and empower women in innovative ways. Each drives us further toward reaching gender equality.