Research with Impact Aalto Research Day, 26th of September, 2013 Mikko Kosonen, President, Sitra

Research with Impact Aalto Research Day, 26th of September, 2013 Mikko Kosonen, President, Sitra

Megatrends of the interconnected world Superseniors X-Events Data as a source of power and wealth Race for natural resources Radical change of Western work Stagnating Europe Megatrends Smart everyday technology Up to 4-6 degrees warmer climate Social and immaterial needs Megacities Polarization in energy use Stumbling economic system Redistribution of power 26/09/2013 2

The biggest systemic challenge of our time: Need to increase subjective well-being while decreasing the consumption of natural resources! Can economy help to achieve both? Subjective well-being Economy Global consumption of natural resources 26/09/2013 3

Western societies are at a crossroads Economic growth and welfare development Industrial welfare society Sustainable well-being society 1980 1990 2000 2010 26/09/2013 4

The Nordic model 26/09/2013 5

Towards sustainable well-being, Step 1: Ecological sustainability 26/09/2013 6

Towards sustainable well-being, Step 2: Redefining well-being & the role of civil society 26/09/2013 7

Wicked Problems Their Characteristics Embedded in large complex systems, with unknown boundaries Many stakeholders, not all identified before action (externalities) Unprecedented, no recipe book, adaptive challenge Causal ambiguity, interdependent co-arising Symptoms? Or problems? Which is which? Irreversibility, trial and error action? Unevenly distributed costs and (uncertain) distant benefits Unknown (long) time horizons 26/09/2013 8

Complexity as a Source of Wicked Problems Boundedly rational human beings, limited analytical power Strategic management no longer works, future emerges We each bring our history: unknown heuristics from our past Micro-motives, macro-consequences (global warming) What if short term evidence on which to adjust policies is misguiding? (complex systems create rugged landscapes!) Unnatural Behavioral changes? Treat symptoms, not causes (obesity?) 26/09/2013 9

Implications for Research Rigor Wicked Problems - Finding the right questions - Developing new interpretive frameworks - Matching the right people Science II Relevance 26/09/2013 10

Science I vs. Science II Leading fields of science Theoretical goal Theoretical perspectives Science I Classical physics General, universal laws Axiomatic, reductionist Science II Evolutionary biology and sciences of complexity Pattern formation and pattern recognition Phenomena nested in multiple levels of reality Forecasting capacities High Low Complexity Low High Ontology Perspective on change Distribution of phenomena Micro-macro distinctions Potential for interdisciplinary research Leading metaphors Dualism (mind vs. body) Emphasizes static, linear phenomena in state of equilibrium Emphasis on normal distributions (bell-shaped curve) Micro- and macro-level processes are viewed as separate and distinctive Low Clocks Monism, with highly complex architecture Emphasizes dynamism, openness of systems, operating far from equilibrium Emphasis on rare or extreme events, phenomena with powerlaw distributions Macro-phenomena emerge from collective micro-level behavior High Complex networks, living cells, clouds Source: Rogers Hollingsworth & Karl H. Muller: Transforming Socio-Economics with a New Epistemology, Socio-Economic Review (2008) 6, 395-426. Cognitive distance between social and natural sciences Inspirational scientists High Rene Descartes, Isaac Newton, Adam Smith Medium Charles Darwin, Ilya Prigogine, Gerald Edelman 26/09/2013 11

Phenomena Driven Research Companies renewal capacity - by Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen Research Practise Strategy process and content Org. design/theory Org. psychology Cognitive science Rigor Doz Theory Conceptualization Me/Kosonen Rich Story Relevance Global trends Wicked problems Real Life challenges 26/09/2013 12

What is the Role of Research in the Society? How does the scientific community see its role as solving the challenges of the society? Do we need a differentiated solutionsphere from traditional science where research is an active party in solving challenges of our societies together with communities, innovators, governance, users, citizens What kind of review systems, processes and transparency? Implementation of the results? 2013

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