Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2023

6G Decentralization

Blockchains in 6G

The Internet’s original design objectives included sufficient decentralization to ensure the survivability of packet network services despite failures (or some form of censorship) of intervening nodes. Although the Internet is decentralized, only a small number of major international technology companies are in charge of our daily activities. These businesses are beginning to resemble old-style monopolies more and more. This is unhealthy given the significance of the Internet in our daily activities. As web services become more central to daily activities, Web 3.0 seeks to use decentralization ( and blockchains in particular) to disrupt the digital sovereignty of proprietary Web 2.0 platforms. Web 3.0 decentralization focuses on maintaining individual control and ownership of data and other digital assets. Decentralization remains a tool for economic regulation to deter market dominance or anti-trust monopoly influences that can distort online services. Most countries provide legal remedies against market monopolies. While many blockchain advocates assume their blockchains provide decentralization, the reality may differ from the ideal. Blockchains have already been proposed or deployed in many other domains from finance to healthcare. While public network infrastructures like 5G have been evolving native support for a greater variety of services decentralization has not been a major focus. 5G systems are in the stage of early deployments in several countries while 6G requirements are being gathered for the infrastructure to be deployed in the 2030s.

6G Decentralization

There is emerging academic literature articulating potential requirements for 6G infrastructure. Data sovereignty is emerging as a topic of national interest in managing the emergence of proprietary platforms capturing citizens’ data. The Internet is a transnational communications platform that challenges notions of jurisdiction. The development of decentralized blockchains stretches these notions even further, with consensus occurring through nodes distributed across multiple jurisdictions. An individual’s control of their own identity is fundamental to self-determination human rights. Identity theft has emerged as a significant threat in current communications networks. The tension between privacy and surveillance has long been discussed. Individual privacy becomes increasingly problematic considering the increasing deployments of IoT. Cybersecurity has become such a pervasive topic across the breadth of society that there are even cybersecurity awareness programs for children. Technology centric 6G developments risk building an infrastructure that does not meet societal needs and wasting considerable amounts of scarce human and economic capital solving the wrong problems.

Decentralization is a deceptively simple term with a long history in politics and management /organizational theory than communication networks. Web 3.0 decentralization can be seen as a response to this demand for greater personalization and control through decentralization protocols. Deployments of decentralized networks are relatively recent with the processes and technology for monitoring them is also relatively immature. Algorithms and protocols embodied in communications infrastructures and services also implement and enforce other social objectives and requirements.

5G deployments have introduced the public to a number of new communications services – e.g., targeting Machine-Machine (M2M) communication as well as new communication modalities- e.g., Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technologies for metaverse applications such as Digital Twins. The plethora of different services currently available or enabled by 5G has already spawned a huge variety of business models. This significantly impacts the number of stakeholders impacted by 6G services. Safe, reliable decentralized technologies such as blockchain can be expected to play a significant role in delivering 6G services.

6G is still within the requirements-gathering phase with deployments targeted for the 2030s. Proposals are emerging that place decentralization squarely within the scope of 6G. Decentralization remains a tool for economic regulation to deter market dominance or anti-trust monopoly influences that can distort online services. 6G developers have the opportunity to focus on solving real human needs rather than extrapolating technology possibilities. Decentralization has demonstrated utility in a broad range of fields from politics and organization theory to networks. Algorithmic approaches to implement decentralization objectives already exist and are being further industrialized

For additional details refer to Wright, S. A. (2022, November). 6G Decentralization. In 2022 International Conference on Electrical and Computing Technologies and Applications (ICECTA) (pp. 309-312). IEEE.

Posted on Sunday, April 2, 2023

Ethical issues with ML

Ethics in action

Machine learning (ML) is a branch of artificial intelligence technology that enables computers to learn from data and make predictions or decisions. However, ML technology can also raise ethical issues and challenges that affect individuals and society. ML can raise more ethical issues than other forms of AI because:

– ML is more pervasive and ubiquitous: ML can be applied to a wide range of domains and contexts, such as health care, education, finance, justice, security, entertainment, and social media. This means that ML can affect more aspects of human life and society than other forms of AI that are more specialized or limited in scope.

– ML is more autonomous and adaptive: ML can learn from data and feedback without explicit human guidance or intervention. This autonomy means that ML can evolve and change over time, potentially in unpredictable or unintended ways. This also means that ML can have more agency and influence over human actions and outcomes than other forms of AI that are more controlled or fixed.

– ML is more complex and opaque: ML can produce complex and opaque models and systems that are difficult to apply, understand and interpret, even by experts. This means that ML can have more uncertainty and ambiguity about its processes and outcomes than other forms of AI that are more simple or transparent.

– ML is more data-driven and data-dependent: ML depends on the quality and quantity of the data it is trained on and uses for prediction or decision making. This means that ML can inherit or amplify biases and errors that exist in the data, algorithms, or human judgments that influence its development and deployment. This also means that ML can create or raise new ethical issues related to data collection, processing, analysis, and use.

Ethical issues with ML

Here are some of the top 10 ethical issues with the use of ML technology:

– Privacy and surveillance: ML can collect, process, and analyze large amounts of personal and sensitive data, such as biometric, health, financial, or behavioral data. This can pose risks to the privacy and security of individuals and groups, especially if the data is used without their consent or knowledge, or if it is accessed or misused by unauthorized or malicious parties. Moreover, ML can enable mass surveillance and tracking of individuals and populations, potentially infringing on their civil liberties and human rights.

– Transparency and explainability: ML can produce complex and opaque models and systems that are difficult to understand and interpret, even by experts. This can limit the transparency and accountability of ML processes and outcomes, especially if they are used for high-stakes or sensitive decisions that affect people’s lives, such as health care, education, employment, or justice. Moreover, ML can lack explainability and justification for its predictions or recommendations, making it hard to verify its validity, reliability, and fairness.

– Bias and discrimination: ML can inherit or amplify biases and prejudices that exist in the data, algorithms, or human judgments that influence its development and deployment. This can result in unfair or discriminatory outcomes that disadvantage certain groups or individuals based on their characteristics, such as race, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation. Moreover, ML can create or reinforce stereotypes and social norms that may harm the diversity and inclusion of individuals and society.

– Autonomy and agency: ML can influence or interfere with the autonomy and agency of individuals and groups, especially if it is used to manipulate, persuade, coerce, or control their behavior, preferences, opinions, or emotions. Moreover, ML can affect the identity and dignity of individuals and groups, especially if it is used to replace, augment, or enhance their cognitive or physical abilities.

– Responsibility and liability: ML can raise questions and challenges about the responsibility and liability for the actions and consequences of ML models and systems. This can involve multiple actors and stakeholders, such as developers, users, providers, regulators, researchers, educators, beneficiaries, victims, or critics. Moreover, ML can create moral dilemmas and trade-offs that may conflict with ethical values and principles.

– Trust and acceptance: ML can affect the trust and acceptance of individuals and society towards ML models and systems. This can depend on factors such as the quality, accuracy, reliability, fairness, transparency, explainability, usability, security, privacy of ML models and systems. Moreover, trust and acceptance can depend on factors such as the awareness, education, communication, participation, representation, and empowerment of individuals and society regarding ML models and systems.

– Beneficence and non-maleficence: ML can have positive or negative impacts on the well being and welfare of individuals and society. This can involve aspects such as health, safety, education, employment, justice, environment, culture, or democracy. Moreover, ML can have intended or unintended consequences that may be beneficial or harmful to individuals and society, both in the short-term and in the long-term.

– Justice and fairness: ML can affect the justice and fairness of individuals and society. This can involve aspects such as equality, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, accountability, redress, or participation. Moreover, ML can create or exacerbate inequalities or injustices that may affect certain groups or individuals more than others, such as minorities, vulnerable, or marginalized populations.

– Human dignity and human rights: ML can affect the human dignity and human rights of individuals and society. This can involve aspects such as respect, recognition, autonomy, agency, identity, privacy, Security, freedom, or democracy. Moreover, ML can violate or undermine human dignity and human rights if it is used for malicious or unethical purposes, such as exploitation, discrimination, manipulation, coercion, control, or oppression.

– Human values and ethics: ML can reflect or challenge human values and ethics of individuals and society. This can involve aspects such as morality, integrity, honesty, compassion, empathy, solidarity or altruism. Moreover, ML can create or raise new or emerging values and ethics that may not be well-defined or well-understood, such as trustworthiness, explainability, responsibility, or sustainability.

Are you a technical, business or legal professional who works with technology adoption? Do you want to learn how to apply ethical frameworks and principles to your technology work and decision-making, understand the legal implications and challenges of new technologies and old laws, and navigate the complex and dynamic environment of technology innovation and regulation? If so, you need to check out this new book: Ethics, Law and Technology: Navigating Technology Adoption Challenges. This book is a practical guide for professionals who want to learn from the experts and stay updated in this fast-changing and exciting field.

Posted on Monday, March 20, 2023

Why Decentralize Deep Learning?

Deep learning, big data, IoT and blockchain are individually very important research topics of today’s technology, and their combination has the potential to generate additional synergy. Such synergy could enable decentralized and intelligent automated applications to achieve safety, and security and optimize performance and economy. These technologies -Deep learning, big data, IoT, and blockchain all rely on infrastructure capabilities in computing and communications that are increasingly decentralized. Edge computing deployments and architectures are commencing with 5G and are expected to accelerate in 6G. Existing application domains like healthcare and finance are starting to explore the integration of these technologies. Newly emerging application areas such as the metaverse may well require native support of decentralized deep learning to achieve their potential. But the path of new technology development is never smooth. New challenges have been identified and additional architectural frameworks have been developed to overcome some of these issues. Decentralizing deep learning enables increased scale for AI implementations, but also enables improvements in privacy and trustworthiness. The plethora of literature emerging on decentralized deep learning prompts the need for rationale criteria to support design decisions for implementation to utilize decentralized deep learning

Why Decentralize Deep Learning

Decentralization via blockchains and AI via deep learning are major research and develop trends in modern technology that converge in DDL. The excitement of researchers and technologies for new technologies have led to cycles of unrealistic expectations. The development of suitable criteria to provide a rationale for why DDL should be considered in the designing solutions for commercial implementation should help reduce unrealistic applications. Fig. 1 provides an approach to synthesizing such rationale criteria. This is derived from the discussion in section III to formulate some preliminary questions to help resolve the applicability of DDL as a design solution. Additional criteria could then be developed to extend design decisions further e.g. into selecting particular blockchain or DL algorithms and features, or based on data availability or quality.

The initial enquiry asks whether the objectives of the proposed DDL have an explicit requirement for decentralization. For example, the proposed DDL might be intended for application in an improved type of blockchain which is inherently decentralized.

The second inquiry asks whether there are multiple stakeholders. An internal implementation within a single stakeholder is less likely to require decentralization. Multiple stakeholder collaborating in a more likely to benefit from a trusted decentralized implementation.

The third inquiry asks whether the data or AI algorithm are already decentralized. Where a portion of the design prerequisites are already decentralized, a DDL may be an efficient solution. Where none of the design prerequisites are already decentralized may require a significant transformation of existing processes, implying greater implementation costs.

The fourth inquiry asks whether decentralization is required for at least part of the life cycle. If the decentralization can be constrained to a reduced portion of the lifecycle, this may reduce the implementation costs. Conversely if there is no part of the lifecycle where decentralization makes sense, then DDL does not seem a relevant design solution.

For more information on this topic refer to Wright, S. A. (2023). Why Decentralize Deep Learning? In Workshop on: Decentralized Deep Learning: New Trends and Advanced Technologies (DDL2023) held in conjunction with 2023 IEEE 15th International Symposium on Autonomous Decentralized System (ISADS) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.

Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2023

The Ethics of Technology Adoption

ethics in action

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge and skills to produce goods and services that meet human needs and wants. Technology adoption or utilization decisions create uncertainties that require consideration from an ethical perspective because they involve complex and dynamic interactions between human values and interests, technological capabilities and limitations, and social and environmental contexts and consequences. Technology adoption or utilization decisions are not merely technical or economic choices, but also moral choices that reflect and affect our individual and collective well-being, rights and responsibilities. Ethics is relevant to the adoption of new technology at the individual, organizational and societal levels because it helps us evaluate the impacts and implications of technology on human values and interests. Technology adoption is not a neutral process, but rather a complex and dynamic one that involves multiple stakeholders, trade-offs, risks and benefits

The Ethics of Technology Adoption

On the other hand, technology can challenge and change our ethical understanding and reasoning by introducing new possibilities, dilemmas, and consequences that were not previously considered. For example, technology can raise questions about the moral status of non-human entities, such as animals, plants, robots, and digital agents, the responsibility and accountability of human and machine agents, and the impact of technology on human dignity, autonomy, and well-being.

The Ethics of Technology Adoption at an individual level

At the individual level, technology adoption or utilization decisions create uncertainties about how to use technology in ways that are consistent with our personal values and goals, and that do not harm or infringe on the rights of others. For example, we may face challenges and need to adopt best practices in the light of uncertainties about how to balance our privacy and security with our convenience and connectivity, how to manage our digital identity and reputation, and how to cope with the psychological and emotional effects of technology use. At the individual level, ethics can help us make informed and responsible choices about how to use technology in our personal and professional lives.

The Ethics of Technology Adoption at an organizational level

At the organizational level, technology adoption or utilization decisions create uncertainties about how to design and implement technology in ways that are aligned with our organizational mission, vision and values, and that do not harm or exploit our stakeholders or society at large. When preplanning the scaling of a new technology, it should be considered that what may be ethically acceptable at an individual scale may become problematic at a larger social scale. For example, we may face uncertainties about how to ensure the accessibility, inclusivity, fairness and transparency of our technology, how to protect the data and information of our customers, employees and partners, and how to mitigate the risks and liabilities of our technology.This is an issue for all companies facing technology adoption decisions, not just those developing new technologies.

The Ethics of Technology Adoption at a societal level

At the societal level, technology adoption or utilization decisions create uncertainties about how to address the broader social and environmental challenges and opportunities that technology creates. For example, we may face uncertainties about how to promote the common good, foster social justice and human rights, and protect the planet and its resources. At the societal level, ethics can help us address the broader social and environmental challenges and opportunities that technology creates.

Conclusion

Technology adoption or utilization decisions require consideration from an ethical perspective because they have significant moral implications for ourselves, others and future generations. By applying ethical principles and values to our technology decisions, we can reduce uncertainties, resolve dilemmas, and enhance trust and innovation. Ethics and technology are not separate domains, but rather intertwined aspects of human life that require constant reflection, dialogue, and evaluation. By applying ethical thinking to the practical concerns of technology, we can ensure that our technological systems and practices are aligned with our moral values and goals.

Posted on Wednesday, March 1, 2023

The Power of Perspective

... for sales and marketing professionals

If you are a sales or marketing professional, you know how important it is to understand your customers and prospects. You need to know what they want, what they need, and what they value. You need to communicate with them effectively and persuasively. You need to utilize the Power of Perspective to create value propositions that resonate with them and convince them to buy your products or services. But how do you do that? How do you get inside their heads and see the world from their point of view? How do you avoid making assumptions or stereotypes that may alienate them or miss the mark?

The answer is perspective-taking. Perspective-taking is the ability to imagine the world from another’s vantage point. It is a cognitive skill that can help you broaden your horizons, challenge your assumptions, and discover new possibilities. Perspective-taking can also help you overcome biases, stereotypes, and prejudices that may limit your sales and marketing effectiveness. Perspective-taking is not only a social skill, but also a cognitive skill. It enables you to see things differently, think creatively, and solve problems more effectively. Perspective-taking can also help you build rapport, trust, and loyalty with your customers and prospects.

The Power of Perspective for sales and marketing professionals

But how do you learn perspective-taking? How do you practice it and apply it in your sales and marketing activities? That’s where a course on the Power of Perspective comes in. This course will teach you how to use perspective-taking through framing and reframing to enhance your sales and marketing skills. You will learn how perspective-taking can benefit you at each stage of the sales and marketing process:

– Identify your customers and prospects. You will learn how to research and segment your target market by taking their perspectives. You will also learn how to identify their needs, preferences, goals, and constraints by taking their perspectives whether they be technical, business or legal.
– Generate ideas for your products or services. You will learn how to use your imagination and curiosity to come up with new and original ideas that address your customers’ and prospects’ problems or challenges from different angles. You will also learn how to use brainstorming techniques that leverage perspective-taking building on the data observed, processing methods, and values associated with different perspectives.
– Evaluate and refine your ideas for your products or services. You will learn how to compare and contrast your ideas with the existing solutions and your customers’ and prospects’ needs and preferences by taking their perspectives. You will also learn how to improve your ideas based on feedback from others.
– Communicate and promote your products or services. You will learn how to choose the best idea or combination of ideas that meet the criteria of originality, usefulness, and feasibility. You will also learn how to explain how your idea solves your customers’ and prospects’ problems or challenges from different perspectives. You will also learn how to demonstrate how your idea adds value and impact.

By taking this course, you will not only improve your sales and marketing skills, but also your collaboration, communication, and leadership skills. You will be able to work with diverse teams and leverage their skills, knowledge, and insights. You will also be able to inspire others and make a difference by taking their perspectives.

If you are interested in taking this course, please visit our website for more information and registration details. Don’t miss this opportunity to unlock the Power of Perspective for yourself and your organization.

Posted on Monday, February 20, 2023

Blockchain Enabled Decentralized Network Management in 6G

The Internet has evolved from a fault-tolerant infrastructure to support both social networking and a semantic web for machine users. Trust in the data, and the infrastructure, has become increasingly important as cyber threats and privacy concerns rise. Communication services become increasingly delivered through virtualized, software-defined infrastructures, like overlays across multiple infrastructure providers. Increasing recognition of the need for services to be not only fault-tolerant but also censorship-resistant while delivering an increasing variety of services through a complex ecosystem of service providers drives the need for decentralized solutions like blockchains. Service providers have traditionally relied on contractual arrangements to deliver end-to-end services globally. Some of the contract terms can now be automated through smart contracts using blockchain technology.

Blockchain network management

This is a complex distributed environment with multiple actors and resources. The trend from universal service to service fragmentation, already visible in the increasing IoT deployments using blockchains, is expected to continue in 6G. Virtualization of the infrastructure with NFV-SDN make prevalent the concepts of network overlays, network underlays, network slices. In the 6G era, it seems that service providers will need to provide network management service assurance beyond availability including aspects such as identities, trustworthiness, and censorship resistance.

Blockchains are not only proposed for use at a business services level but also in the operation of the network infrastructure including dynamic spectrum management, SDN and resource management, metering and IoT services. Traditional approaches to network management have relied on client–server protocols and centralized architectures. The range of services offered over 6G wireless that need to be managed is expected to be larger than the variety of services over existing networks. Scaling delivery may also require additional partners to provide the appropriate market coverage. Management of 6G services needs to support more complex services in a more complex commercial environment, and yet perform effectively as the services and infrastructure scale.

Digital transformation at both network operators and many of their customers has led to a software-defined infrastructure for communication services, based on virtualized network functions. Decentralized approaches for network management have gained increasing attention from researchers. The operators increased need for mechanisms to assure trust in data, operations and commercial transactions while maintaining business continuity through software and equipment failures, and cyberattacks provide further motivations for blockchain-based approaches. These architectural trends towards autonomy, zero touch and zero trust are expected to continue as a response to networking requirements. Blockchain infrastructures seem to provide an approach address some of these requirements.

Blockchain-enabled decentralized network management is disruptive change to existing network management processes. The scope and scale of the 6G network management challenge supports the need for these types of network management architectures. Both technical and commercial or organization challenges remain before the wider adoption of these technologies. Blockchain-enabled decentralized network management provides a promising framework for considering the operational and administrative challenges expected in 6G communications infrastructure.

For further details refer to Wright, S.A. (2022). Blockchain-Enabled Decentralized Network Management in 6G. In: Dutta Borah, M., Singh, P., Deka, G.C. (eds) AI and Blockchain Technology in 6G Wireless Network. Blockchain Technologies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2868-0_3

Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2023

Ethics and the Law

Ethics in jurisprudence vs lawyering

Ethics is the science of a standard human conduct that informs people about how to live or how to behave in a particular situation. The law is a system of rules and regulations that regulate the conduct and relations of individuals and groups in society⁵. The relationship between ethics and the law is that they both aim to **guide human actions** and **promote social order**², but they differ in their sources, scopes, and sanctions. Ethics and the law are related because they both reflect the values and norms of a society or a community. Ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos (character), and from the Latin word mores (customs). The law is created by the government, which may be local, regional, national or international¹. Ethics and the law both seek to protect the rights and interests of individuals and groups, such as by requiring informed consent, respecting privacy, or ensuring fairness³.

Ethics and the Law

Ethics and the law differ because ethics is more general and abstract, while law is more specific and concrete. Ethics provides guidelines and principles that inform people about what is the right thing to do in all aspects of life, while the law provides rules and regulations that prescribe what people must or must not do in certain situations. Ethics is more flexible and adaptable, while law is more rigid and formal. Ethics has no legal binding or enforcement, while law creates a legal binding and may impose sanctions or penalties for violations. In summary, ethics and the law are related because they both aim to guide human actions and promote social order based on the values and norms of a society or a community. They differ in their sources, scopes, and sanctions, as ethics is more general, abstract, flexible, and non-binding, while law is more specific, concrete, rigid, and enforceable.

Ethics in Jurisprudence

Ethics is the study of how people should act or what values they should follow. There are different schools of ethics that have different approaches to ethical reasoning and decision-making. Some of the major schools of ethics identifiable in US jurisprudence are:

– Virtue ethics: This school focuses on the character and virtues of the person who acts, rather than on the rules or consequences of the action². According to virtue ethics, a good person is someone who has cultivated moral habits and dispositions, such as courage, honesty, justice, and wisdom. Virtue ethics can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato.

– Consequentialist ethics: This school focuses on the outcomes or consequences of the action, rather than on the motives or intentions of the person who acts. According to consequentialist ethics, a good action is one that produces the best results for the most people, or maximizes happiness or utility. Consequentialist ethics can be divided into different subtypes, such as utilitarianism, which is based on the principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

– Deontological ethics: This school focuses on the rules or duties that govern the action, rather than on the character or consequences of the person who acts². According to deontological ethics, a good action is one that follows a universal moral law or a categorical imperative, regardless of the situation or outcome. Deontological ethics can be traced back to rationalist philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and John Rawls.

These schools of ethics are not mutually exclusive, and some jurists may combine elements from different schools to form their own ethical views. However, they represent some of the main ways that ethics can be applied to law and justice.

Ethics in Lawyering

The relationship between ethics and the law is the study of how ethical principles and values influence or shape the creation and application of laws. Legal malpractice is the term for negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, or breach of contract by a lawyer during the provision of legal services that causes harm to a client. The main difference between these two topics is that the relationship between ethics and the law is a theoretical and philosophical inquiry, while legal malpractice is a practical and legal issue. The former deals with questions such as what is the source and purpose of law, what are the moral foundations of law, and how should law be interpreted and enforced in light of ethical considerations. Legal malpractice deals with questions such as what are the duties and obligations of lawyers to their clients, what are the standards of professional conduct and competence for lawyers, and how can clients seek redress or compensation for lawyer misconduct.

Another difference between these two topics is that the relationship between ethics and the law is relevant for all members of society, while legal malpractice is relevant mainly for lawyers and their clients. The former affects how laws are made and applied in various domains such as human rights, criminal justice, environmental protection, and business regulation. The latter affects how lawyers perform their roles and responsibilities in representing their clients in various legal matters such as litigation, transaction, mediation, or arbitration. In summary, the relationship between ethics and the law is a broad and abstract topic that explores the moral dimensions of lawmaking and law enforcement. Legal malpractice is a narrow and concrete topic that examines the legal consequences of lawyer negligence or wrongdoing. Both topics are important for understanding the role and function of law in society.

Posted on Friday, February 10, 2023

The Power of Perspective for Coaches and Consultants

Perspectives are the lenses through which we see the world. They shape how we interpret information, solve problems, and make decisions. Perspectives can be distinguished by three factors: (i) the data they observe, (ii) the methods of processing that data, and (iii) the values attributed to the outcomes of that data processing. The Power of Perspective lies in taking diverse perspectives to expose assumptions and inconsistencies, enabling better problem-solving. This is especially important for coaches and consultants who help their clients achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and improve their performance. In this blog post, we will explore why and how coaches and consultants can leverage the Power of Perspective to enhance their effectiveness.

Image credit: Adobe Stock Power of Perspective

The power of perspective for coaches and consultants

Why Perspective Matters for Coaches and Consultants

Coaches and consultants are professionals who provide guidance, support, and expertise to their clients. They need to understand their clients’ needs, goals, challenges, and contexts. They also need to generate insights, recommendations, and solutions that are relevant, feasible, and impactful.

To do this effectively, they need adopt multiple perspectives that can help them:

Build rapport and trust with their clients by showing empathy, curiosity, and respect by understanding the client’s perspective.
Ask powerful questions that elicit deeper thinking, reflection, and learning from their clients by understanding the client’s perspective.
Provide constructive feedback that is specific, actionable, and supportive by understanding the client’s perspective.
Challenge assumptions and biases that may limit their clients’ potential or performance by understanding the client’s perspective.
Explore alternative options and scenarios that may expand their clients’ possibilities or opportunities by understanding the client’s perspective.
Facilitate change and transformation by helping their clients overcome resistance, embrace uncertainty, and take action by understanding the client’s perspective.

How to Cultivate the Power of Perspective for Coaches and Consultants

Coaches and consultants can take a course on the Power of Perspective and cultivate perspective skills by developing key mindsets:

Leading with passion: Passion is the fuel that drives coaches and consultants to pursue their vision and mission. Passion also helps them connect with their clients’ emotions and motivations by understanding the client’s perspective.
Thinking globally: Global thinking is the ability to see beyond one’s own context and consider the broader implications and opportunities of one’s actions. Global thinking also helps coaches and consultants tap into diverse markets, cultures, trends, and resources by understanding geographic perspectives.
Embracing social responsibility: Social responsibility is the commitment to create positive social impact through one’s products, services, business models, or strategies. Social responsibility also helps coaches and consultants align their values with their clients’ values and build trust and loyalty by understanding diverse perspectives on trending social issues to create impact on problems that matter.
Banking on connectivity: Connectivity is the use of technology to access information, communicate ideas, collaborate with others, and scale impact. Connectivity also helps coaches and consultants leverage data-driven insights, feedback loops, network effects, and platforms. beyond reach, connectivity requires some understanding of the audience’s perspective for effictive communicatiuon.

Coaches and consultants also utilize perspective skills when applying some practical tools and techniques:

Peer coaching: Peer coaching is a process of mutual learning and support among coaches and consultants who share similar goals and challenges. Peer coaching can help coaches and consultants enhance their skills and knowledge exchange feedback and best practices and expand their network and opportunities, but requires understanding a peer’s perspective for effective communication.
Pair working: Pair working is a process of collaborating and co-creating with another coach or consultant on a specific project or task. Pair working can help coaches and consultants benefit from more than one perspective – e.g. different coaching styles, wider knowledge and experience, coaching collaboration & communication style.
Design thinking: Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that involves empathizing with users defining problems ideating solutions prototyping concepts and testing assumptions.
Divergent thinking: Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different ideas or solutions for a given problem or challenge e.g. brainstorming.
Convergent thinking: Convergent thinking is the ability to evaluate and select the best idea or solution for a given problem or challenge. Convergent thinking can be facilitated by decision-making tools such as SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), PEST Analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological), or Cost-Benefit Analysis.
Perspective-taking: Perspective-taking is the ability to adopt another person’s point of view and understand their thoughts and feelings. Perspective-taking can utilize tools such as empathy maps, role-playing, or storytelling .

Conclusion

Perspective is a powerful tool for coaches and consultants who want to help their clients achieve their goals overcome challenges and improve their performance. By taking diverse perspectives and exposing assumptions and inconsistencies they can enhance their effectiveness and generate more value for their clients. To cultivate perspective they need to develop four key mindsets: leading with passion thinking globally embracing social responsibility and banking on connectivity. They also need to apply some practical tools and techniques such as peer coaching pair working design thinking divergent thinking convergent thinking and perspective-taking.

If you want to learn more about the power of perspective for coaches and consultants you can enroll in our online course that will teach you how to apply perspective in your own projects and ventures. To register for the Power of Perspective course please visit our website

Posted on Monday, January 30, 2023

Ethics of Utilitarianism

An ethical dilemma?

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that focuses on the outcomes of actions and choices. It is a form of consequentialism, which means that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on its consequences, not on its motives or rules. Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This means that utilitarianism aims to maximize happiness or pleasure and minimize unhappiness or pain for everyone affected by an action.Utilitarianism is a practical and reason-based approach to ethics, because it can be applied to any situation and it relies on empirical evidence and rational calculation. However, utilitarianism also has some limitations and criticisms, such as:

– It can be difficult to predict the future consequences of an action, especially in complex situations with many variables.

– It can conflict with other values, such as justice, rights, or fairness, which may not be reducible to happiness or pleasure. For example, utilitarianism may justify sacrificing the life of one innocent person to save four others, but this may seem morally wrong to many people.

– It can be demanding and impartial, requiring people to act for the common good even if it goes against their own interests or preferences. For example, utilitarianism may require people to donate most of their income to charity or to help strangers rather than their friends or family.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a major and influential ethical theory that has shaped many aspects of modern society, such as law, politics, economics, and social reform. It was developed by the English philosophers and economists Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill in the late 18th and 19th centuries, and it has been refined and modified by many other thinkers since then. Some of the major treatises on utilitarianism are:

Bentham, J. (1970). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), ed. by J. H Burns and HLA Hart, London.
Hare, R. M. (1981). Moral Thinking: Its Levels, Method, and Point. OUP Oxford.
Mill, J. S. (1863). Utilitarianism. London: Parker, Son, and Bourn, West Strand.
Paley, W. (1785). The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy (London: R. Faulder).
Sidgwick, H. (1874). The Methods of Ethics. Macmillan.

Utilitarianism & Economics

Utilitarianism and economics are related because both fields are concerned with the consequences of actions for the well-being of individuals and society. Utilitarianism evaluates actions based on how well they favour the majority, while economics analyzes how people make choices based on their preferences and constraints. One way to apply utilitarianism to economics is to use the concept of social welfare, which is the sum of individual utilities at any outcome. For example, a utilitarian economist might support a policy that increases social welfare by redistributing income from the rich to the poor, as long as the gain in utility for the poor outweighs the loss in utility for the rich. Another way to apply utilitarianism to economics is to use the concept of optimal taxation, which is the design of a tax system that maximizes social welfare subject to some constraints. For example, a utilitarian economist might advocate for a progressive tax system that taxes higher incomes at higher rates, as long as the tax revenue is used efficiently and does not discourage productive activities. A challenge for both fields is to deal with situations where population size or quality of life are variable, which may affect how utility is calculated and distributed.

Utilitarianism & the Law

The law is a system of rules and principles that regulate the conduct and relations of individuals and groups in society. The relation between utilitarianism and the law is that utilitarians believe that law must be made to conform to its most socially useful purpose, which is to increase happiness, wealth, or justice. Utilitarianism and the law are related because both fields are concerned with the consequences of actions for the well-being of individuals and society² Utilitarians evaluate laws based on how well they promote the general welfare, while legal scholars analyze laws based on how they affect the rights and interests of different parties.

One way to apply utilitarianism to the law is to use the concept of law and economics, which is a school of modern utilitarianism that has achieved prominence in legal circles. Law and economics proponents believe that all law should be based on a cost-benefit analysis in which judges and lawmakers seek to maximize societal wealth in the most efficient fashion. Another way to apply utilitarianism to the law is to use the concept of legal reform, which is the process of changing or improving existing laws or creating new ones. Legal reformers may advocate for laws that aim to reduce crime, poverty, inequality, or discrimination, as long as they increase happiness or pleasure and decrease unhappiness or pain for the majority of people. A challenge for both fields is to deal with situations where there are conflicts of interest, trade-offs, uncertainties, or unintended consequences, which may affect how happiness or pleasure is calculated and distributed.

Posted on Sunday, January 22, 2023

Technological Vulnerabilities

Ethics in Action

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. It can be used to solve problems, improve efficiency, and enhance our lives in many ways. However, any technology may have vulnerabilities that can lead to ethical issues. Vulnerabilities in technology can arise from a variety of sources. For example, there may be flaws in the design or implementation of a technology that can be exploited by attackers. Additionally, there may be vulnerabilities in the human element of technology, such as users who fall for phishing attacks or reuse passwords. Finally, there may be vulnerabilities in the social and political context in which technology is used, such as the potential for discrimination or bias.

Technological Vulnerabilities

Examples of Technological Vulnerabilities

Here are some examples of technologies that are not related to information security and their vulnerabilities that can lead to ethical issues:

Autonomous Weapons: Autonomous weapons are machines that can select and engage targets without human intervention. There is a risk that these weapons could be used to harm innocent people or to carry out attacks without human oversight.
Genetic Engineering: Advances in genetic engineering have the potential to revolutionize medicine and agriculture, but they also raise ethical concerns. For example, there is a risk that genetic engineering could be used to create “designer babies” or to create new forms of biological weapons.
Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. While this technology has many potential benefits, it also raises ethical concerns about the potential risks of nanoparticles.
Biotechnology: Biotechnology involves the use of living organisms or their products to create new products or processes. This technology has many potential benefits, but it also raises ethical concerns about the use of animals in research and the potential risks of genetically modified organisms.
Robotics: Robotics has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives, but it also raises ethical concerns. For example, there is a risk that robots could be used to replace human workers, which could have serious consequences for employment and social stability or act autonomously with unpredictable results for society.

It is important to recognize that technology is not inherently good or bad. Rather, it is a tool that can be adopted for both positive and negative purposes. By understanding that vulnerabilities that can arise from technology, we can work to mitigate these risks and ensure that technology is used in ways that are ethical and beneficial to society.