Marc Le Menestrel

Angola: Searching for a new Spirit by Looking at the bright side

Marc Le Menestrel — 2016-12-08T04:44:18Z

December 2nd, 2016 was a historical day for Angola. Not because I was invited to speak at a conference on Corporate Governance in Luanda but because this is the day President dos Santos decided not to present himself to the coming elections. After nearly 40 years with him, Angola is in search of a new Spirit. I looked at it from the bright side.

And this is not necessarily easy. As Angola was to access independence from the Portuguese at the end of one of the most sombre European dictatorship of the 20th century, Angola was also discovered to be the bed of a great amount of oil. Under sea, yes; expansive to extract, yes; but of excellent quality. And as Angola is nowadays the largest oil producer of oil in Africa, it has also been the victim of the fall of oil prices in the last years. To be sincere, it has somehow been the victim of oil since its discovery: the famous Dutch disease or Oil Curse that characterized countries which rely too much on the sole wealth of oil to drive their development. But I said I was looking at the bright side. So the question is: how oil can help to nurture a new bright spirit for Angola? I witnessed the strong belief that it should not be through violence. Everyone wants to forget the bloody civil war and build on the stability which followed by the victory of future ex-President, his army and his party. I sincerely hope that the days ahead will allow the national forces to hold the ground and protect the country. With slightly rising oil prices, and a global momentum to move away from a carbon-based economy, there is a great chance to have the right amount of added value from oil to support a diversification. It was especially interesting to learn at the conference how people there dream of self-sufficiency in basic sectors such as agriculture, textile or raw material for construction. In Angola, globalization may not preclude autonomy.

A second most important question was also very much related to the global dynamics of the time: under which conditions banks can help finance this transition? If the dedication of Angola banks seemed sincere and competent, the question arises from correspondent banks that can ensure the connection of Angola's economy with the rest of the financial world. In our discussions, the power of the mighty dollar system was very much felt: as the given currency for oil of course (oil represents 95% of exports), but also through the norms pertaining to transactions and governance. Angola is asked (forced?) to adopt the accounting standards of the United States. And it is interesting to note that such exercise of power uses ethics and anti-corruption efforts as a means. Sensitive to this dynamics, and to the emotions felt by a country so proud of its political independences after a long-fought battle, it is not obvious to find a bright way out. There is however no other solution than taking the best of all systems. As Deng Xiaoping said (around the time Dos Santos came into power!), capitalism and communism are two ways to serve the welfare of the people. There is no need to oppose ideologies and there are many smart ways to combine them in order to avoid the worse of each. Angola may fiercely come to terms with practices that now belong to the past and it may do so without selling its soul.

To this end, the obvious bright side of Angola is the proud richness of its people and of its grounds -be it off shore or for agriculture. We dreamed of them leap-frogging to a green and circular economy that uses wisely the new conscience of our unsustainability. Besides the wise men who founded the economic successes of the country over the past 15 years, it was wonderful to meet a new generation of Angola people proud of their roots and farseeing in their visions. The unity provided by Portuguese as a language spoken all over the country is certainly a resource. Moreover, it seems that Portuguese themselves, who were very present at the conference, and expatriates in general, are grateful for the wealth Angola provide to their business or to their home country. In the difficult circumstances of the time, there is an obligation and an opportunity for a win-win post-colonial relation, based on a sense of care for the country itself and for its promises. The question is thus whether these Angola leaders will dare to invent their future on their own terms under the pressure of external conditions, be them coming from other nations or from nature itself.

This is in this context that I deliver my speech on governance as the wise use of power. Treating the global level as well as the corporate and the personal levels, I proposed three principles for the wise use of power.

Firstly, a principle for the mind that I termed duality. As the mind naturally thinks in classes and value-judgement, I invited participants to make the effort to think contrarily to their natural categories and to their prejudices. As Hermann Hesse wrote in Siddharta, “the contrary to any truth can be as true as the truth itself”. It is thus necessary to suspend judgments and apply critical thinking to our natural thoughts, beliefs and methods.

Secondly, a principle for the heart that is certainly called love. The mind can be treacherous to motivate us and there is nothing better than doing what we love to do it sustainably and with courage. Moreover, being able to accept our vulnerabilities helps to have the emotional maturity to thing broadly and creatively.

Thirdly, a principle for the soul that I called dreams. In a time of disruptive uncertainty, dreams can be like a light house in the storm. We do not necessarily head straight towards them, not even reach them exactly, but they offer an irreplaceable sense of guidance for our vision. Dreams help to avoid the many traps that direct routes hide below the surface.

It is with a sense of achievement that INSEAD organizers concluded the conference. There is a genuine opportunity for such events which allow conversations to take place beyond polemics and prejudices. An academic approach combined with a strong sense of relations in the respect of diversity, all with a superb organization, offer a bowl of fresh air in today's difficulties. In such conferences, the brilliance of INSEAD alumni prove that INSEAD is a business school for the world and it was indeed my privilege to be part of it. I wish Angola, its people and its Alumni to find a bright new spirit for the days ahead.

Launching the Dream Business Institute!

Marc Le Menestrel — 2013-05-11T11:16:29Z

In the last year, my work in research and teaching has focused on enriching the rational model of decision-making with values and dreams.

In order to develop this idea further, Stéphane Benoist and I have created a Dream Business Institute where we propose sessions opened to individual participants in Singapore (the first one took place last March). We also have some tailored-made corporate sessions planned in the coming months. In addition, we are hoping to develop some research and partnerships to push the experience further.

As this is the very beginning of this initiative, I am now reaching out to my contacts to see whether I could find help and support. I believe there are many ways in which you may like to contribute, thereby generating an opportunity to be in touch and do something together. For instance :

Newsletter from the Dream Business Institute

If you would be interested in being kept informed about the development of Dream Business Institute, click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Testimonials

If you have experienced a dreaming session with me in one of my courses at UPF, INSEAD or elsewhere, I am collecting testimonials that could help others to better understand what is proposed in these sessions and what sort of impact it creates. Along the years, I received some wonderful feedback messages and this tremendously encouraged me. Still, I will only use them if you agree!

Core or Advanced Sessions

Maybe you are interested in participating in a core or advanced session. Besides a Dreaming & Visioning session (June 16 and September 24, 2013), we have scheduled an session in Singapore on Fear, Failure and Dream Performance (September 25, 2013) and plan other sessions on Money, Sustainability or Entrepreneurship. Maybe you also have ideas of people or organizations who could be interested ?

Research & Partnerships

Our starting location is in Singapore, and we have nice partnering discussions with institutions there, for research, development, delivery and promotion (including some connections with the world of sports). Clearly, I am very attentive to any other opportunity that could arise to enrich our initiative. This email is also to collect reactions and suggestions from friends and colleagues like you. Sometimes, the short description of an idea, an encouragement, a contact, can make a lot of difference in allowing a dream to become reality!

This Dream Business Institute is a bit my “dream project” and I am glad it gives me an opportunity to connect again with my network. It is a great pleasure to receive so many messages of encouragements and support, with some nice indeed!

Do not hesitate to write to me if you want to continue this conversation.

Marc Le Menestrel
Launching the Dream Business Institute

The Spirit and the Power of Money: A Creative Session at THNK

Marc Le Menestrel — 2012-06-30T12:07:02Z

On June 27, I discovered THNK, the Amsterdam School of Creative Leadership by delivering a creative session on the Spirit and Power of Money.

I met the participants of their main Creative Leadership Program in an old brick building, entirely renovated as a spacious, open, colorful and adaptable place. We all sat in a circle on cubes with a very diverse energy. Some of us had taken a short Taï-Chi session while some others were arriving straight from their outside life.

We began with a dialogue exercise of active listening. In pairs, one was responding to the question “How have you been doing with money so far in your life?” while the other was trying to offer the most trustful space by simply listening, without judgment nor interpretation. This already brought us to a common space and we could follow with a guided journey.

We all reached a safe and comfortable place to meet ourselves in the future, learning about who we are, about the Very Important Persons who accompany our inner and outer life, about work and about our achievements. Those who wanted could prepare themselves to be taken in a journey inside the journey in an attempt to meet the spirit of money. In this first exploratory step, there was no other intention than having a first meeting, and maybe also collecting some appropriate message or share some feeling.

I liked very much the sharing of one participant, who met a horse that would flee whenever he was getting closer. On the other hand, the horse would come to him whenever he was walking his own path. Then, as the encounter developed, he was able to ride his "spirit of money" in a transformed relationship.

The atmosphere was thick with our spiritual presence and it was joyful at the same time. I attributed this success to the maturity of the participants, already so much open to living their life as an adventure. After a pause, we could then move to the second part of the session dedicated to the power of Money.

Participants had read my case “A Day at the Big Bank” that I had prepared with Julian Rode in early 2008, anticipating the financial crisis for the top leaders of Bank of America. They presented their strategy to a Board chaired by Brenda Childers, the Director of the Amsterdam Institute of Finance and featuring Kwela Hermanns and Menno Van Dijk from THNK. The board was prepared to be tough on them in order to explore the tensions between corporate strategy of a Big Bank and our willingness to move towards a more ethical financial system.

Participants did a wonderful job, but to some extent, maybe not as creative as they could have been. When trying to analyze their strategies and the way they were presenting, I had the feeling they were somehow impressed by the board and the power of money it represented.

The ambiguity of our relationship with money, well expressed and analyzed by Lynne Twist in her book “The Soul of Money” (which was by the way a main source of inspiration for my work on my own relation to money), was somehow preventing them to express their full potential. Clearly, this could be a good learning, in particular when participants will later look for financing their own projects. I hope our experience with the Big Bank will motivate them to be fully daring with their own social entrepreneurship endeavors.

Eventually, this session allowed us to audaciously raise the fundamental questions of the role of money. I think of them as divided in three main realms of different scales:

– What is the role of money in this world?
– What is the role of money in a company?
– What is the role of money in an individual?

In the design of my pedagogical flow for this special creative session, I looked for each participant to develop their answers from themselves to the world. For most individuals, money is a means at the individual level. Maybe it could also be considered as such at the corporate and global levels?

Dreaming of a world where money would truly be at the service of society, of companies and of individuals, as a sort of universal means towards infinity of specific purposes is nourishing a paradigmatic change that I am trying to contribute to.

Dreaming to change the role of money is at the same time obvious and impossible: a perfect opportunity to re-invent ourselves.

*

* *

Biased Representation of Subjective Values for Decision Models

Marc Le Menestrel — 2012-06-20T07:24:00Z

The Eindhoven University of Technology in cooperation with Delft University of Technology organizes a conference on Values and Norms in Modeling (VaNiM 2012) in June 2012 (25-27) in the Netherlands and invited me to talk about values and norms in the modeling of decision sciences.

I will build on the plenary talk "Mesure des Choses, Valeurs des gens" that I gave at the 2nd conference of the French society of the philosophy of science at ENS in Paris in 2009. I also intend to write these ideas in an academic format, now that most of the mathematical results with Bertrand Lemaire are published. It is for me a great opportunity to read the current research in the philosophy of sciences, and in particular about the new approaches to scientific representation, where the debates between constructivism and objectivism and between empiricism and realism are still very much alive. Below is the abstract that I have prepared.

Biased Representation of Subjective Values for Decision Models

To which extent can subjective values be represented in decision models? To address this question, I rely on the representational theory of measurement to clarify how empirical observation of preferences is represented by relations among numbers. I explain how this approach inherits from models in natural sciences and how decision models attempt to integrate subjectivity as properties of the objects of choice. I criticize this approach, claiming that it misrepresents subjective values and ultimately weakens decision models. I introduce an approach based on biased representations, where the structure of classical representations is embedded in a perspective which reflects the way objects are interpreted by the subject who chooses. The subject is treated as a "device" which measures things, and not as a property of the things that are measured. Building on the metaphor of the biased balance, on mathematical results in the theory of biased measurement and on examples about ethical values in business decision-making, I argue that biased representations can better model the specific articulation of objective and subjective values in decision sciences.

Click here the access the abstract of the VANIM 2012 conference

Immersed in Balinese Spirits: INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Conference 2012

Marc Le Menestrel — 2012-05-26T12:56:00Z

For the 2012 ISEP conference, Hans Wahl and Felipe Santos, from the Social Entrepreneurship Center at INSEAD, had the wonderful idea to locate the events in Indonesia.

We met social entrepreneurs in conferences and workshops, discovering a new generation of women and men who are setting up companies and organizations at the service of others, of Nature or towards some special cause. They are envisioning money as a means and not as an end and dream to re-invent business. I was invited to talk about values, ethics and transparency, bringing my expertise of the "dark side" of business to these already enlightened entrepreneurs. I structured my brief talk around three key messages, each one around the words proposed to me:

Values: "There is an infinite diversity of values. Each one has some specific value which is not fully measured by money taken as a common value".

Ethics: "We are not as ethical as we like to think, and even if we are a social entrepreneur aiming at some noble cause, we should spend some effort to have a critical look at our unethical side".

Transparency: "Transparency is a wonderful criterion between theory and practice to assess ethicality. Beyond being transparent about our ethics, being transparent about one's vulnerabilities allows us to create trust and receive help".

In Bali, I had a special dreaming workshop for ISEP alumni, where I invited the 16 participants to board a boat by bringing their chairs inside the U formed by our tables. We made 8 rows of two, side by side, towards east. I spotted a wooden dustbin and took it as a drum. I began to give rhythm to our journey.

Towards the Island of your Dreams with the Balinese Spirits

We left the island and paddled hard to cross the waves to pass the reef. We called for fishes, dolphins and seagulls to show us the way towards the island of our dreams. We experienced the void of an entirely flat horizon. We found our island unexpectedly, once we were sure to be lost, and nearly capped just before reaching the shore.

From this low place, I invited them to leave everything they knew behind and, with empty hands, start exploring their dreams. I was to stay by the boat, playing the drum to maintain the connection with their intention. They could meet the people of their dreams, if any, and observe whatever they could sense. They were watching their spirits busy at work, or not, witnessing animals or other forms of wildlife. They were looking for a treasure to bring back as a help to face the challenges they identified in a previous session. Some were exploring a forest or a mountain, others a town or a village, while some were just partying with friends and having their good time. Most of their discoveries remain mysteries to me, as I was alone with my boat. An old man did come to me and, placing his hands on my feet, he told me to nurture humility as a treasure.

Many came back to the boat at my call their smile so big it would rip their face apart. Others looked neutral or absorbed. It was anyway time to board and paddle hard to quit the island. It is indeed back on the boat that some received their appropriate message. One was told there was no other treasure than life and nothing to look for except existence. Others were cherishing their piece of nature, an animal, a thought or a feeling, on their way back home.

While opening our eyes in the room, we slowly moved towards a big board where we could share some of the words we had received from our very important persons. One realized he was the important person to be cared of. Another told us about the ugly island she discovered, to finally go around her nightmares and discover her dreams hidden behind. Many humbly shared the beauty of their dreams, the overwhelming energy they have inside and this uncontrollable connection with the source of our love. For a few, it was also an opportunity to have the courage to be gentle to themselves, and to realize that it may be time to do what we have always known to be good to us. I personally liked when an Indonesian brought back the forgiveness of her mother, by thus forgiving us all, in acceptation of all the vulnerabilities that make our richness.

I believe we were all ready to make our dreams come true in this world, wherever it lies.

About spirituality and social entrepreneurship, read the article "The Next Revolution is Spiritual" from Ben Bowler, one of the participants, in the Huffington Post.

Late Lessons from Early Warnings: Why did industry not respond with precaution?

Marc Le Menestrel — 2012-04-19T10:18:05Z

On April 19th, 2012, the European Environmental Agency pre-launched the second volume of Late Lessons from Early Warnings.

This event follows the famous Environmental issue report No 22/2001 Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896-2000 which gathered available scientific information about the hazards of human economic activities and its use in taking action to better protect both the environment and the health of the species and ecosystems that are dependent on it, and then living with the consequences.

Like the first report, the second report is based on case studies and brings together experts in their particular field of environmental, occupational and consumer hazards.

With Julian Rode, we contributed to an article about the specific role of business actors in failing to respond with precaution to Early Warning Signals.

Rather than taking a blaming perspective, or one that would deny the difficulty that business actors face to combine their economic incentives with their values for precautionary actions, we review and analyze relevant interdisciplinary literature and prominent case studies – in particular those documented in Late Lessons from Early Warnings (EEA, 2001) – with the objective to better understand business decisions in the face of early warnings.

We show that economic motives are often driving non-precautionary decisions, but that they also influenced by a complex mix of epistemological, regulatory, cultural, and psychological aspects. We provide a set of lessons and reflections.

Open Forum about Management Teaching at UPF

Marc Le Menestrel — 2011-11-30T07:31:52Z

On November 28, 2011 took place the first OPEN MEETING on Strategy Teaching at UPF.

It was as a very international team from Mexico, Bulgaria, Ukraine, India, Catalunya and France that met in a circle, expressing the desire to be at the service of each others and to improve the teaching experience at UPF.

We raised big and small questions and shared equally big and small answers, about the balance between teaching content and students' motivation, about our passion for teaching but also our sense of being exhausted after five repeated seminars, and of course about the ways to give more relevance to our work.

As a follow-up of this meeting, this web article is a small step aims at offering a place for sharing ideas though a Discussion Forum.

According to the flyer of the meeting, this was how Marc expressed the intention of these OPEN encounters at UPF:

At UPF, INSEAD or Cambridge, in Europe, US or China, to undergraduates, MBAs or senior executives, I have nurtured my passion for teaching by learning to be at the service of my students. As Area Coordinator of the Strategy Area at UPF, I try to be at the service of you, my colleagues, and I am always keen to learn about you and your pedagogical journeys. With this meeting, I want to give you the opportunity to meet all together in an open, positive and non-strategic manner.”

Marc Le Menestrel

Click here to access the flyer with the insights from the first OPEN MEETING!

On December 21st, 2011, the second OPEN MEETING established the pleasant, efficient and open spirit of this initiative to improve our teaching experience at UPF.

We welcomed in particular the presence of Oriol Palom, General Manager of IC3, who brought his expertise in Environmental Management to enrich our courses or seminars and raise their relevance. We also enjoyed the many ideas of Santoshi Sengupta, who demonstrated that we in Europe have to stay in touch with innovative techniques that are taught in Asia (she may share some of documents on the website). Last but not least, we were privileged to have the Dean of Faculty Vicente Ortun, coming in an open manner and giving us the feeling that what we are doing for us and our students also have a meaning for the institution.

We were practical and discussed the development of syllabi for teaching Strategy and also sharing some tricks to face the anxiety and stress that may accompany the start of a new teaching experience. The feedback indicates that the meeting was of great service in several aspects, but mostly with respect to getting students engaged... How do we boost participation, how to handle seminar sessions; the evaluation pattern and criteria of students during seminars; the importance of asking positive questions like "what did you like the best in the presentation?“; etc.

Click here to access the flyer with the insights from the second OPEN MEETING!

Sustainable decision making across generations –in business and beyond

Marc Le Menestrel — 2011-11-14T15:50:00Z

1 & 2 December 2011 (1 ½ days) ESADE, Barcelona

This workshop gathered around 20 international researchers from a variety of disciplines and with theoretical as well as applied interests in the topic of decision making across generations. Participants shared insights and ideas and discussed and worked together in a participatory manner. The workshop aims at proposing and initiating new projects on the topic, which can be academic research as well as teaching tools.

Organizing committee

Daniel Arenas: Institute for Social Innovation, ESADE – Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona

Marc Le Menestrel: Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Jordi Brandts: Department of Business Economics, Universtitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Julian Rode: Department Environmental Politics, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig

Click here to obtain more detailed information!

Business and Biodiversity: the Next Sustainability Challenge

Marc Le Menestrel — 2011-08-05T16:13:29Z

As an aftermath of my growing interest for Biodiversity issues (See our initiative with Julian Rode Biodiversity and Ethical Business), I was proposed to lead the academic organization of the 26th Alumni Sustainability Roundtable at Insead. We have prepared an interactive process to draw from the expertise of a series of prestigious speakers.

Below is the abstract of the rountable, to know more, acces the INSEAD website of the roundtable

Business and Biodiversity: the Next Sustainability Challenge

23 September 2011

INSEAD, Fontainebleau Campus, France

There is a growing concern in business about biodiversity loss and change and about the risks and opportunities biodiversity entails for the bottom line. This roundtable will present and discuss the implications of biodiversity issues for the business world. In an interactive and participative process, participants will discover how biodiversity affects business through impacts and dependencies on natural resources. The purpose is also to identify critical trade-offs for society and business, and discover new ways of being smart in front of systemic interdependences. Improving our capacity to be part of the solution to one of the most comprehensive challenges the human species is facing is at the core of this debate.

Nuclear Governance: Choices and Non‐Choices

Marc Le Menestrel — 2011-07-13T12:37:38Z

THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED TO MAY 2012

The International A. Sakharov Environmental University (Minsk, Belarus), the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands), in cooperation with the European Commission Tempus project “Environmental Governance for Environmental Curricula” and the OSI ReSET project “Governance of Global Environmental Change” announce an Autumn School, a Conference Panel and a Workshop on issues of nuclear energy in society.

The central theme of the three-part event is nuclear choices and non-choices. It will constitute a unique opportunity to explore the fundamental choices of nuclear energy governance at the scientific, political, economic, social and personal levels.

The event will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, and allow a joint reflection on the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. It will amongst other explore the differences and similarities in information and communication flows and in crisis management in nuclear accidents in such distinctively different societies as the USSR of the 1980's and nowadays Japan. On this basis, a reflection will be jointly developed on risks and
options for the future governance of nuclear energy and of its legacy.
Two key purposes of the three‐part event are to create a discussion space and to provide a quality research training taking a governance perspective on nuclear issues, i.e. to discuss the actors and networks involved in the issue, their interactions, their rationalities and their stakes. The discussion topics will include but will not be limited to: communication, ethics,
economics, politics of the nuclear energy sector, as well as essential technological aspects.

Another objective is to offer participants a hands‐on experience of constructing and participating in a policy/stakeholder discussion. The event also aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion about constructing the first nuclear power plant in Belarus.

Read the desciption document to learn more about this workshop.