We are in a world where social ethics are in a dangerous state, and the earth’s resource pool is getting emptied. Can we save our future?

This past summer, Society 2045 had a series of interviews with change makers seeking to improve the way society works.

Society 2045 is a community of people from around the world seeking to co-discover a vision for the year 2045. The goal is to connect with leaders of emerging communities and movements across society and come together to co-create a better future.

In an interview with Ken Homer, we discussed his vision of 2045 and some ways to make the world a better place to live in. Ken founded Collaborative Conversations after a decade as a member of the core team that developed The World Café dialogue process. 

Certified as an Integral Coach through New Ventures West, Ken has been exploring how what we do in conversation commits us to action and produces results at work for the better part of the last 20 years.

Dehumanization Is a Problem

We all are familiar with many business plans that fail to achieve the intended outcomes despite being full of resources and intellectual horsepower. It is not because of lack of talent or strategies that they fail, but because of their lack of conversational competencies.

There is a minimum set of conversations that needs to happen to take any project from conception to completion. Filling yourself and surrounding yourself with positivity is the key to success at work. There are four key processes that can increase the odds of success-

· Sharing understanding

· Exploring possibilities

· Coordinating actions

· Reflecting and learning

You need to understand and accept that no matter what challenges, or failures you experience, you are enough in every circumstance of life. No matter what, you will go through it, and the end outcome will always be in your favor.

To all the coworkers and your office colleagues, you need to be the source of positive energy to make that work happen. 

Addressing someone’s weakness in public or not showing enough empathy towards each other will lack the positivity in the group, and this directly affects the outcomes of everyone’s hard work.

Take this to the extreme, today’s cancel culture is an example of dehumanization at its worse. It is not serving the needs of humanity. It’s not center on conversation and collaboration, and does nothing to solve conflicts.

Collaboration and Conflicts Resolution

For many years Ken has been addressed as the collaboration partner and conflict resolver. According to him, the best way to resolve any conflicts is to just sit and think collectively about the solution.

Conflicts between groups will bring no use to society and individual growth itself. Only collaborative thinking about the core of the situation can lead society towards a better tomorrow.

Moreover, feedback loops are an integral part of the conflict resolver. We can come to an outcome, but what will be the use of that solution if it is not leading the world towards a better tomorrow?

People should learn the art of getting along with each other and with the environment. 

Earth is full of resources of its own. It is us who need to understand that plants can steer themselves. We are not supreme in ecological balance. 

“We are the species that is learning to get along with the earth and its resources. We are not leading the system in any way.”

Dignity –Justice — Belonging

All people want stability in the present world. Most people either create conflicts or practice respecting social norms.

If we succeed in providing stability, it will be because of our commitment to show dignity to each other as people. If we can justly treat everyone with the dignity they deserve through the correct means, then half of the conflicts in the world would be resolved automatically.

By broadening our view of conflicts, we can bring change through a resolving pattern into any situation.

When asking questions about a certain situation, focus on the important aspects rather than taking a defensive posture. People must collaborate to bring about solutions by discussing what’s important in a collective collaborative way.

Imagination Is Key

For any difficult situation, if we ask the simple question: How do we solve this? We activate our engineer solving skills. Furthermore, if we are ready to investigate the bigger picture of a situation and stay optimistic for the outcome, then we can solve all kinds of major issues.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

No matter the circumstances, what matters is to imagine something big and positive as the outcome.

With all the progress in the technical world, the need of the present is to secure the ecology with sustainable development.

We should acknowledge what we have in the environment and take measures to secure our future acquiesces.

Collaboration with the environment and with other people’s thoughts is the only key that could bring positive change on a global level.

Bonding, respect, and trust will clear out the odds of conflicts and build better relationships among people.

Ken’s vision for more collaborative thinking society in 2045 is groundbreaking. It will be amazing if we are able to achieve his vision in the coming years. Check out the interview here: