Designing,  Building  and  Launching  a  Trimtab  for  World  Peace  Based  at  

SIU  -­‐  Carbondale:  A  Preliminary  Exploration

Steven G. BrantTrimtab Management Systems

Making Global Peace & Prosperity Possible

Fuller Future FestivalSIU - Carbondale

April 5, 2013

Note: Slide set modified to include key points madeduring workshop discussion

I dedicate this workshop to the people who have died in wars of all types:

• Wars between nations • Wars between states • Wars between religous groups • Wars between cultural groups or gangs • Wars between family members

Since 1979, I have been looking for a way to bring Bucky’s vision of global peace and prosperity into being.

This workshop is meant to start a conversation, not be the end of one.

However, there are certain foundational principles I’ve learned from Bucky, W. Edwards Deming, and Russell L. Ackoff - and Walt Disney - which must be followed so this Trimtab is built on a stable foundation.

But the details of the structure to be built on that foundation are an open question.

Meeting Bucky in 1983

My Personal Commitment

• This begins my conversation with the Bucky and SIU communities regarding how I can support launching this initiative for real

Foundational Design Principles of an Effective, Transformational Trimtab

• Offer a new world (Don’t fight “against”, offer a Blue Ocean Strategy) • Internal strength, despite your size (continuous improvement & learning)

• Understand the true nature of what you are aiming to steer (in this case, a human social system)

• Understand that transformation requires a new theory (not just “more and better” of what we have)

Foundational Design Principles Translated to the Mission of Achieving Global Peace and Prosperity for All

• The New World of Peace is about human (not just environmental) sustainability

• Internal Strength comes from transformational human relations and organizational development principles (Thinking win-win ie. Harvard Project on Negotiations; Being responsible & interdependent ie. Stephen R. Covey’s maturity continuum; Functioning in learning organization mode ie. W. Edwards Deming’s principles)

• The Human Social System is a dynamic not passive reality; World Peace must serve our need to explore and solve problems (currently applied to Weaponry)

• The New Theory for the global sociopolitical economic system: Cooperation and competition to be the best (think: Special Olympics) replaces cut-throat competition

One Final Foundational Principle

You MUST reach a critical mass of the public so the entire “ship of state” boldly goes to that new world, not just some of its parts.

The Disney - von Braun Partnership of 1955

In Keeping With Bucky’s Principles:

This trimtab initiative will offer an alternative model for how humanity can organize itself that makes war obsolete!

The Bucky - Deming - Ackoff “Intellectual Triangle”

• Externally: This initiative will benefit from a business world connection (how it will connect to larger business world part of society, including the Peace Through Commerce* movement)

• Internally: This initiative will benefit by helping us all “think differently” by using Systems Thinking

*Example: International Institute for Peace Through Tourism http://iipt.org

The Power of this Triangle

• Three videos...

Bucky on an economic system based on abundance

A World Game for Today?*

• Bucky developed the Word Game social science experiement to help people practice developing global win-win solutions

• Could today’s online gaming industry develop an “always on” version of the World Game, so people world-wide could practice living in the cooperation-based, win-win world of tomorrow any time they wanted to?

*Point made during workshop discussion

W. Edwards Deming on a world where everyone wins

Russ Ackoff on going beyond making what exists better

SWOT* Analysis(*Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats)

• What trimtab potentials do each of us have/need?

• What trimtab potentials does SIU have/need?

• What exists already that this initiative can leapfrog over?

• What exists already that this initiative needs to fear?

• The First Motion Picture Unit of WWII

• Star Trek

• We Are The World (1985)

• Earth Communications Office

• SciFi’s Visions for Tomorrow

The Arts & Entertainment Opportunity

Previous visionary entertainment projects:

The Sustainability Movement Opportunity

• The President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) of 1993-99

• Was designed to give the public the “thinking tools” - including Systems Thinking - needed to transform America

The Future of Space Travel Opportunity

• Led by Dr. Mae Jemison

• Recognizes entertainment world’s role in societal transformation

• Supported by Bill Clinton*

*Wishes a system existed to support the American people in basing political decisions on facts

The International Development / Political Opportunity

• King Abdullah of Jordan is building a Star Trek-themed resort complex in his country

The Journalism Opportunity

• My Huffington Post essay “Capitalism Is Dead. Now What Do We Do?” got me on Fox Business News Live

• Ted Koppel once admitted the equitable distribution of wealth was “the story of the century”

The Cosplay Community Opportunity

(Yes, I am a geek at heart. I’m visiting Metropolis on Sunday.)

Proposed Next Step

A true Preliminary Design Conference at SIU in September, in which the founding members of the team

that will launch this initiative come together to begin creating the world of our dreams*.

*What could be called a Blue Ocean Strategy for humanity