PH is a product: “It’s more fun in the Philippines”

“Win your own ‘Philippine Experience’ . . . Some people need to be inspired to travel, others travel to be inspired… We’ve been following British band Skinny Living across a 10-day adventure, as they experience various aspects of Filipino life. It’s impossible not to envy the trip, and so we are giving you the chance to win your own ‘Philippine Experience’. The trip includes 2 return flights, accommodation and embarking on the very same trip we’ve featured in our new film series. All you need to do is answer the question: What colour was the bus taking Skinny Living into Palawan?” [http://www.statravel.co.uk/win.htm]

Indeed, that’s from a website out of the UK. And it’s a small world, the wife and writer while enjoying cocktails and the setting sun on Lagen Island recently sat next to the table of the British lady (and her partner) that won her own ‘Philippine Experience.’ “Boracay which was the first leg of our visit was great, but Palawan is heaven.”

As some would know, the writer has been showing his Eastern European friends the ropes of innovation and global competitiveness. And whenever he is presented an idea, they would always interject, “This is ‘the Apple’!” Because the mantra that has evolved within the team is: “If it’s not ‘the Apple’ forget about it.”

Applied to Philippine tourism – or PH as a product – “If it’s not Palawan, forget about it.” Consider the other “products” in our portfolio or stable: “MAP is presently studying a draft statement for the expeditious construction of the common train station on EDSA. Here are excerpts from the draft statement:

“The (common) site is an optimal solution as it will be situated between the large shopping malls, favoring none while being fair to both and much more to the commuting public. The Agreement is most laudable as it represents an important breakthrough in the almost decades long impasse in the construction of a vital mass transportation hub in Metro Manila and coming so soon after the Duterte administration took over.” [MAP priority issues, Elfren S. Cruz, BREAKTHROUGH, The Philippine Star, 9th Mar 2017]

We are probably happy and proud that this project is finally moving forward. Yet, “decades long” would characterize our infrastructure development initiatives. Recall NAIA’s Terminal 3. “Are infra plans just all talk(?),” Boo Chanco, DEMAND AND SUPPLY, The Philippine Star, 24th Feb 2017. “My friend, Budget Secretary Ben Diokno is at it again. Sec Ben keeps on talking about the Duterte administration’s plan to spend as much as P8 trillion on infrastructures over the medium term. But eight months into their watch, it had still been all talk.”

Let’s get back to Apple, and here’s the perspective of a third-party analyst: “When the iPhone rocks up with something new, the chances are that a similar feature or technique has been seen in competing hardware and Apple has refined the tide. Iteration and implementation are its superpowers, not innovation. Faced with the choice of going with a major update and new technology that has more risk or going with a smaller more incremental update with technology that has been proven in the commercial space that offers lower risk, Tim Cook’s Apple has historically chosen the safer option.” [Ewan Spence, New iPhone 8 Delays Reveals Apple’s Risky Decision, Forbes, 7th Mar 2017]

Translation: iteration and implementation can be a competitive advantage – which, in fact, isn’t restricted to pure innovation. Recall Apple didn’t come out with the iPhone 1 to say, this is it, the be all and end all. It’s an open secret that currently they’re gearing up for the latest iPhone, the iPhone 8.

Which can’t be equated to “materiales fuertes.” Nor to absolutism or ideology, omnipotence and holier-than-thou. On the other hand, consider our perspective on the jeepney. Try backward-looking instead of forward-looking. Does it explain why we’re still in our dark ages?

“Why Perfect Is The Enemy Of Good: Why obsession with perfection can paralyze,” Alex Lickerman M.D., Psychology Today, 26th Jun 2011. “The irony, of course, is that while ‘perfect’ may exist as a concept that impels us to keep trying to better our work, any judgment that we've achieved it in any particular instance remains entirely subjective and therefore by definition imperfect. This almost certainly explains why we can judge something perfect one minute and then hopelessly flawed the next without making a single change . . . The quest for perfection also leads to dithering . . .”

And that’s how we get lost in translation. “I read through most of the interesting parts of the Arangkada airport paper. Extensive and comprehensive as it is, it failed to give a clear prescription for DOTr, the implementing agency. They suggested so many things to do but no priorities have been set in terms and language so clear a bureaucrat can’t deny not getting a clear path of action.

“Some of the things the Arangkada airport paper recommended are so obviously needed and have been discussed publicly ad nauseam. Bureaucrats have heard it all before in one form or another and are bored by now.” [Airport options, strategies, Boo Chanco, DEMAND AND SUPPLY, The Philippine Star, 17th Feb 2017]

From Arangkada let’s move on to the “MAP priority issues.” If PH is a product, and if we are to attract investors, how can we think in terms of “iteration and implementation” a la Apple?

“During the meeting of the MAP National Issues, the group decided it would focus on five of the 12 measures and agreed to prepare position papers on each of the five issues. These five reform measures chosen for a more detailed discussion included: Cc); comprehensive tax reforms; telecom reforms; emergency measures for the traffic and transportation crisis; and, the BOT law amendments.” [Cruz, op. cit.]

If PH is a product, committed to the mantra of iteration and implementation, do we want the product out the door sooner than later – and not lag our neighbors in energy, infrastructure development and industrialization, being critical building blocks of a development platform, with due respect to the Neda pillars?

We must have an overarching vision of the product that is PH! Despite Palawan, our neighbors attract much, much more tourists than we do – like they attract much, much more investors than we do.

For example, we must aspire to be the fastest developing country in the region if we are to be the next Asian tiger, with due respect to Neda and MAP.

With a beacon like that, we will be guided in our efforts to prioritize amongst competing initiatives. The converse is “crab mentality” sets in. Especially when we have yet to learn “the power” inherent in “collaboration and teamwork” (and the rest of the 21st century skill sets discussed in recent postings.)

To Juan de la Cruz, power resides where? In hierarchy? In political patronage? In oligarchy? And every time we say we want to prioritize, we rely on our intellect. Because our instinct is to look inward instead of outward – and benchmark.

How do we become an Asian tiger – the fastest developing country in the region? That is the question we must be asking ourselves constantly, not confined to our comfort zone – all these decades – that our neighbors left us behind.

“There is so much money, so much wealth that FDIs (Foreign Direct Investments) are not needed . . . The guest speaker was Rep. Joey Salceda of the second district of Albay, vice chairman of a number of congressional committees – appropriations, climate change, economic affairs, local government, ways and means, among others.” [It’s inequality, not poverty, Gemma Cruz Araneta, Manila Bulletin, 8th Mar 2017]

With due respect to Rep Salceda, can we overcome the following governed by the above premise? “The Philippines has done well in services and remittances. There are potential gains waiting for tourism, given the low tourist inflows, but the Manila airport and infrastructure need fixing.

“By contrast, the Philippines has much catching up to do in terms of goods exports. In 2015, industrial and mineral exports were only $53.8 billion as compared to $117.2 billion for Indonesia, $138.3 billion for Vietnam, $167.1 billion for Malaysia, and $177.3 billion for Thailand.

“The country’s agri-food export base is even weaker. In 2015, its agri-food export was only $4.8 billion as compared to $23.7 billion for Vietnam, $25 billion for Malaysia, $33.1 billion for Indonesia and $36.3 billion for Thailand. Philippine farm productivity, diversification and agri-food processing also trail their Asean peers. Low productivity and limited diversification impact on the raw materials supply of processing industries.” [Benchmarking Asean export drivers: How is PH faring (?), Rolando T. Dy, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6th Mar 2017]

Do we realize how deep in the hole we are? Notwithstanding that it’s more fun in the Philippines? 

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” [We are ruled by Rizal’s ‘tyrants of tomorrow,’ Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]

“As a major component for the education and reorientation of our people, mainstream media – their reporters, writers, photographers, columnists and editors – have an obligation to this country . . .” [Era of documented irrelevance: Mainstream media, critics and protesters, Homobono A. Adaza, The Manila Times, 25th Nov 2015]

“National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country’s natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency’s value, as classical economics insists . . . A nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade.” [The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business Review, March–April 1990]

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” [William Pollard, 1911-1989, physicist-priest, Manhattan Project]

“Development [is informed by a people’s] worldview, cognitive capacity, values, moral development, self-identity, spirituality, and leadership . . .” [Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations, Nelson Parker, 2014]

How to overcome regional-laggard “curse”

Consider: “What really sets human beings apart is not our individual mental capacity. The secret to our success is our ability to jointly pursue complex goals by dividing cognitive labor. Hunting, trade, agriculture, manufacturing — all of our world-altering innovations — were made possible by this ability. Chimpanzees can surpass young children on numerical and spatial reasoning tasks, but they cannot come close on tasks that require collaborating with another individual to achieve a goal. Each of us knows only a little bit, but together we can achieve remarkable feats. Knowledge isn’t in my head or in your head. It’s shared.” [Why We Believe Obvious Untruths, Philip Fernbach and Steven Sloman, Gray Matter, The New York Times, 3rd Mar 2017; Fernbach is a cognitive scientist and professor of marketing at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business; Sloman is a professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences at Brown University]

Should we be surprised that we lag our neighbors in trade, agriculture and manufacturing, among others? Recall collaboration and teamwork and the 21st century skill sets discussed in a recent posting. [To recap: 1) collaboration and teamwork, 2) creativity and imagination, 3) critical thinking, and 4) problem solving.]

If it isn’t obvious yet, the blog replays the elements that have defined us, our culture, if you will: parochial and insular, hierarchical and paternalistic, political patronage and dynasties, and oligarchic. And when all is said and done, a culture of impunity. Because we take them as inviolate, the blog’s premise is we must reinvent Juan de la Cruz.

And we must get a good handle on innovation and competitiveness – to excel in trade, agriculture and manufacturing – being crucial in a fast-changing and fast-paced world that is the 21st century.

“The key point here is not that people are irrational; it’s that this irrationality comes from a very rational place. People fail to distinguish what they know from what others know because it is often impossible to draw sharp boundaries between what knowledge resides in our heads and what resides elsewhere.

“This is especially true of divisive political issues. Your mind cannot master and retain sufficiently detailed knowledge about many of them. You must rely on your community. But if you are not aware that you are piggybacking on the knowledge of others, it can lead to hubris.” [Fernbach and Sloman, op. cit.]

In other words, the sense of community and the common good – and a sense of purpose – is not abstract. It is the starting point if we are to ever attain a state of collaboration and teamwork. But which will take some doing given our value of rank – and its privileges. And so, to see Du30 (or in the case of the US, Trump) pull rank is not a surprise but to be expected?

Let’s get back to Fernbach and Sloman. “Such collective delusions illustrate both the power and the deep flaw of human thinking. It is remarkable that large groups of people can coalesce around a common belief when few of them individually possess the requisite knowledge to support it. This is how we discovered the Higgs boson and increased the human life span by 30 years in the last century. But the same underlying forces explain why we can come to believe outrageous things, which can lead to equally consequential but disastrous outcomes.

“That individual ignorance is our natural state is a bitter pill to swallow. But if we take this medicine, it can be empowering. It can help us differentiate the questions that merit real investigation from those that invite a reactive and superficial analysis. It also can prompt us to demand expertise and nuanced analysis from our leaders, which is the only tried and true way to make effective policy. A better understanding of how little is actually inside our own heads would serve us well.”

And from one of our own, Francisco S. Tatad: “On my Sunday evening cable TV program . . . former President Fidel V. Ramos was pained to observe that the Philippines had slipped down to No. 115 (out of 190 states) in the latest UN Human Development Index, and risen to one of the top five state violators of human rights.

“Should a President be feared? Ramos replied on his own: ‘Better to be loved.’ DU30 may have shared the same response, except that at this stage he may be more feared than loved, and probably hated by some. He has done what no other President has done, and he must reap the consequences.

“Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director Tirana Hassan says: ‘This is not a war on drugs but a war on the poor. Often on the flimsiest evidence, people accused of using or selling drugs are being killed for cash in an economy of murder… The same streets Duterte vowed to rid of crime are now filled with bodies illegally killed by his own police.

‘I am committed to stop drugs before I go out,’ says DU30. ‘This means to say, Father, Monsignor, Bishop—marami pang patayan ito. Kasi lumalaban talaga iyan. (This means more killing, because they’re fighting us.) It will not end tomorrow.’

‘When you kill criminals, it is not a crime against humanity. The criminals have no humanity!…Human rights and due process cannot be used as an excuse to destroy the country.’

“The perversion of reason in defense of the killings does not stop with DU30. It is so contagious that even ranking legislators with otherwise distinguished bar exam records have managed to sound completely idiotic in their defense of the indefensible.” [The biggest crook of them all, Francisco S. Tatad, The Manila Times, 6th Mar 2017]

Are we digging ourselves an even deeper hole? “Money laundering is a serious concern due to the Philippines’ international narcotics trade, high degree of corruption among government officials, trafficking in persons and the high volume of remittances from Filipinos living abroad.

“Sophisticated transnational organized crime and drug trafficking organizations use the Philippines as a drug transit country.

“Criminal groups use the Philippine banking system, commercial enterprises, and particularly casinos, to transfer drug and other illicit proceeds from the Philippines to offshore accounts.” [US tags PHL as ‘major’ dirty money site, Melissa Luz T. Lopez, BusinessWorld, 6th Mar 2017]

A culture of impunity or a failed state? “Brazen theft,” Editorial, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6th Mar 2017. “The magnitude of the losses from tax evasion is nowhere more glaring than in the cigarette industry where the use of fake tax stamps alone has deprived the government of as much as P10 billion in foregone revenues a year.”

What else is new? “Malampaya scam: Ex-gov, 41 others charged,” Vince F. Nonato, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6th Mar 2017.

“Former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes and 41 others have been charged in the Sandiganbayan in connection with anomalies involving 209 contracts funded by P1.53 billion in royalties from the Malampaya gas field off the province in 2008 and 2009.

“These projects from across the province—which include roadworks, schools, day care centers and even an airport development project in San Vicente town—were unfinished at the time when these were certified as completed in 2008 and 2009.

“The exposé on these irregularities supposedly led to the January 2011 slay of environmentalist broadcaster Gerry Ortega, for whose murder Reyes is currently jailed pending trial.

How do we situate the following supposed good news given all the foregoing? “Government eyeing to double export receipts by 2022,” Cai Ordinario, BusinessMirror, 5th Mar 2017.

“The Duterte administration said it will roll out various measures to increase revenues from merchandise and services exports by 2022 . . . The national government plans to double receipts from merchandise and service exports by 2022, according to the new economic blueprint of the Duterte administration, dubbed as the Philippine Development Plan (PDP).

“Under the PDP 2017-2022 the government is targeting to increase merchandise exports to as much as $62 billion and service exports to $68.6 billion, from $32.8 billion and $24 billion, respectively.”

The Aquino administration set even higher targets that these – while prior administrations had similar efforts. What gives? How do we overcome the regional-laggard curse? “The key point here is not that people are irrational; it’s that this irrationality comes from a very rational place. People fail to distinguish what they know from what others know because it is often impossible to draw sharp boundaries between what knowledge resides in our heads and what resides elsewhere.

“This is especially true of divisive political issues. Your mind cannot master and retain sufficiently detailed knowledge about many of them. You must rely on your community. But if you are not aware that you are piggybacking on the knowledge of others, it can lead to hubris.” [Fernbach and Sloman, op. cit.]

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” [We are ruled by Rizal’s ‘tyrants of tomorrow,’ Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]

“As a major component for the education and reorientation of our people, mainstream media – their reporters, writers, photographers, columnists and editors – have an obligation to this country . . .” [Era of documented irrelevance: Mainstream media, critics and protesters, Homobono A. Adaza, The Manila Times, 25th Nov 2015]

“National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country’s natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency’s value, as classical economics insists . . . A nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade.” [The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business Review, March–April 1990]

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” [William Pollard, 1911-1989, physicist-priest, Manhattan Project]

“Development [is informed by a people’s] worldview, cognitive capacity, values, moral development, self-identity, spirituality, and leadership . . .” [Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations, Nelson Parker, 2014]

People Power: Back to square-one

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” [We are ruled by Rizal’s ‘tyrants of tomorrow,’ Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]

The writer is on a plane back to New York (from their annual homecoming.) It is the day after the two Edsa celebrations, one in Edsa and the other in Luneta. Talk of a divided nation, no different from the US. And he wonders how to capture what is happening back home. And the above quote – which he thinks apt – is among those that are reprised to conclude every posting – to keep the blog in the straight and narrow.

“Duterte tempting a coup, says US historian,” Fe Zamora, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26th Feb 2017. “The 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution succeeded in dismantling the Marcos dictatorship, but its failure to realize the promised change under democracy paved the way for another populist strongman in the person of President Rodrigo Duterte, an American historian said.

“The dreams of Edsa failed because former President Cory Aquino resorted to localized violence to suppress countryside ferment, said Alfred McCoy, an expert in Southeast Asian studies . . . that investigated Filipino political dynasties and the military institution.

“President Duterte, who won last year, has promised ‘to bring change,’ a vow that has captured the imagination of Filipinos aching for reforms since the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution ousted Marcos and installed Aquino.

“But like Marcos, Duterte has used ‘localized bloodletting’ even as he promised order and development for Filipinos . . . Rights groups say that since he took office, more than 7,000 have died in his war on drugs.

“All of the new populist leaders around the world, they always promise change, they always say they are the sole owner of change, that they can make the change happen. This is a very unrealistic position.

“In any large complex society, no single individual, not even the head of state, can actually produce meaningful change. It’s got to come from the participation of the citizenry.”

And that’s also why the blog always talks about Juan de la Cruz. As one who commented on the postings said, “you seem to know who we are.” Born and raised. And it helps when one finds himself looking from the outside in. As the writer’s Bulgarian friend would say during his early visits, “we appreciate it when you reinforce the things we do right, but please don’t forget to call our attention whenever we are a disaster waiting to happen.”

Can we Filipinos say that to a foreigner? We are offended when another Pinoy would say it like it is especially when she lives overseas. On the other hand, we want to throw the red carpet to the OFWs because they keep the economy afloat. Of course that is a reflection of our humanity and can be excused. Yet, we must pause and ask ourselves, we see the hypocrisy in the West, and we’re exempt from it? [Consider this example: “The Philippines has the fastest-growing H.I.V. infection rate in Asia, along with Afghanistan. Right now, the Philippines runs the risk of letting the infection get out of control.” The New York Times, 28th Feb 2017.]

In the name of nationalism, we want to keep our borders shut that our Constitution is so designed; yet we talk of our favorite Indonesian interests as though they’re one of us? As the blog has argued, water seeks its own level. So, yes, FDI will flow where they are welcomed. But let’s not be ideologues and omnipotent-like. It is akin to smuggling; we keep our borders sealed while vested interest profits from it.

Consider: “The report likewise saw a definite trend toward emphasizing the global community, from civic literacy and citizenship and global and cultural awareness to social responsibility. Another up and coming skill is the ability to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability—an outcome of living in a fast-paced, digital environment in which information and situations change rapidly. [The] aim is to teach students to not only recognize the fast pace of the digital world but also to take it upon themselves to seek out the new and innovative.” [More on 21st-century skill sets, Butch Hernandez, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11th Feb 2017]

But like Trump, are we proud of our nationalism and isolationism? For instance, Trump hasn’t explained how he can bring back, say, call-center jobs when the pay scales are too low by US standards. It is about interdependence. No country can be standalone; it’s the law of nature. And why water seeks its own level. And best exemplified by the global supply chain behind the iPhones and cars, among countless others.

Which we also forget when we Pinoys say that we are poised to sustain growth because we aren’t export-oriented! Do we recognize why innovation isn’t us? Are we in a race to the bottom, to extinction? Who can be frozen in time? Tyranny and oligarchy clearly want to but not those committed to advance the nation forward!

Arguably, “Most families are ruled by an autocratic parent or both who do not allow open and honest conversations. The same with the dominant religion that purports to have all the answers and does not allow dissent or open discussions.” [Hernandez, op. cit.] But they do swear by love and compassion?

Can compassion drift into tyranny via paternalism which feeds on hierarchy, where rank has its privileges? Not unlike nationalism when it migrates to fascism? And why a culture is self-reinforcing and perpetuating and nourishing. And it doesn’t help when the educational system trains us in logical yet linear thinking when the real world – in the 21st century – demands collaboration and teamwork, and model thinking, beyond individual work.

And so in Singapore classrooms are organized around a computer shared by a small group of kids, creating a powerful learning experience in collaboration and teamwork. Yet a Singaporean acquaintance would share their concern that the Singaporean youth may no longer have the fire in the belly like they had in the past, and could be left behind. And she gave Japan as an example.

What if we examine one of our own major concerns – that of energy – because it is wanting and is the most expensive in the region? What is the desired outcome of an energy initiative? Is it to demonstrate our compassion and desire to help the poor or to accelerate growth and development – to be a competitive, developed and a wealthy nation?

Energy is a fundamental element of the broader ecosystem that is imperative if we are to be an Asian tiger. We must harness energy and infrastructure development and industrialization and raise our ability to attract investment, including FDI and technology. While to accept that services indeed will dwarf industry and agriculture in the makeup of our GDP is wrongheaded.

We don’t need to be economists to think that through. That our neighbors did it one after the other says it is not rocket science. But think Steve Jobs and connect the dots, his definition of creativity. It may mean that we must step on toes – a.k.a. sacred cows – because to submit to tyranny is to love it . . . and perpetuate tyranny.

How much have we borrowed to keep CCT going, for instance? Development efforts will indeed raise the bill for Juan de la Cruz, but that is why government needs greater and greater revenues. But the PH revenue base will remain deficient given we see our world as tied to the past – and why we’re still in our dark ages.

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Are we surprised that the jeepney is still around as a key mode of transportation? Can we imagine and visualize a different and a more modern, efficient and productive public transportation ecosystem instead of living with what we got? To change or to reform is not us? And why we can’t act?

No amount of progress and advancement coming from our neighbors can influence us? Because we’re simply inward-looking and parochial and insular? [Consider: Vietnam gains on PHL to top ASEAN PMI, BusinessWorld, 2nd Mar 2017]

Yet we forget that we are getting ahead of ourselves when we commiserate with the problems of the developed and wealthy nations of the West, a.k.a. globalization and technology. Because we can’t keep our eye on the ball. And the ball is simply, we are an underdeveloped economy and an underdeveloped nation. 

Nations rise and fall. Recall Spain conquered a great many lands yet today isn’t considered wealthy. Empires will rise and fall. And it can happen to a US too. But it is not PH that will rise if we don’t reinvent Juan de la Cruz. 

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it.” [We are ruled by Rizal’s ‘tyrants of tomorrow,’ Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]

“As a major component for the education and reorientation of our people, mainstream media – their reporters, writers, photographers, columnists and editors – have an obligation to this country . . .” [Era of documented irrelevance: Mainstream media, critics and protesters, Homobono A. Adaza, The Manila Times, 25th Nov 2015]

“National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country’s natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency’s value, as classical economics insists . . . A nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade.” [The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business Review, March–April 1990]

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” [William Pollard, 1911-1989, physicist-priest, Manhattan Project]

“Development [is informed by a people’s] worldview, cognitive capacity, values, moral development, self-identity, spirituality, and leadership . . .” [Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations, Nelson Parker, 2014]