Session 06: Systemic Thinking

Question 1

Paradox = ?
(Harvey)

Answer 1

we have time-saving tech but feel like we have less and less time.

managing time eats time + screens absorb time.

“time is scarce” idea & PTO we discussed in class (Trade offs).

Question 2

Systems in place often…

Answer 2

clash w/ other systems.

Question 3

We don’t always pay w/ money (tangible) — we also pay with…

Answer 3

intangible (eg attention) which feeds economic cycle

Question 4

Capitalism is a “free” system = ?

Answer 4

freedom of choice / work / consume.

But the conditions underneath make it feel like an obligation you can’t refuse.

Example: wage labour = work alienation (u sign a contract)

Job demands certain things = time / discipline / attention.

Freedom to choose job, but dominated by expectations.

we must ask… whether the work produces the kind of men and women we wish humanity to be made of.

Question 5

Work alienation = ?

Answer 5

separates work producer from product.

workers no longer know the purpose of what they are doing.

Then people… look outside of work for identity / belonging.

Question 6

Small giants” refers to…

Answer 6

companies that decided to be/operate instead of big (Bo Burlingham).

Question 7

Is capitalism concerned, indifferent, or glad about the high rate of labour alienation?

Question 8

3 employee characteristics you wrote down and roughly how common is workplace engagement globally ?

Answer 8

engaged; not engaged; actively disengaged (resentful).

very low — around 21% engaged.

Question 9

doesn’t capitalism want engaged workers?

Answer 9

low engagement is framed as an outcome of capitalism (not an accident).

Question 10

What do you mean by “something is lost as a result of alienation”?

Answer 10

workers lose something meaningful (purpose/connection/fulfilment) through alienation.

Question 11

How does “cost vs investment” connect to engagement?

Answer 11

Answer: if firms treat people/time as costs (short-term), they underinvest in what builds engagement (long-term).

Question 12

Who makes “the best consumers”?

Answer 12

alienated workers

they fill the void (that they can’t fufill at job) by turning to the market.

Question 13

relationship between tech and humans in the workplace?

Answer 13

a workplace not designed for humans — people have to adapt to it (the tech / machine)

Question 14

“Small Giants” perspective

Answer 14

small giants are aware of culture, leaders prioritize creating a values-driven environment over rapid expansion or maximising profit

Question 15

Switzerland cap proposal you noted?

Answer 15

a pay ratio cap — no one in a company should earn 12x more than the lowest person (including janitors/cleaners etc.)

Question 16

How does the pay ratio cap reduce alienation?

Answer 16

reduces money & recognition gaps that reduce alienation.

increases community (respect that reduces alienation)

Question 17

define manipulative advertising?

Answer 17

the promise to solve/give a necessity human feeling to the consumer.

what we want shifts away the more we chase it
we get closer by adapting and conforming.

eg. beauty standards changing in a profit maximisation system

Question 18

Informative advertisement

Answer 18

suggest something essential is lacking, creating a false reality.

Question 18

describe the system this creates?

Answer 18

a dependent system (people rely on consumption)

Question 18

define: “consumer goods work so well because it fails at succeeding”

Answer 18

it keeps people chasing satisfaction, which drives more consumption.

stimulates greed, shopping addictions etc.