Discover Benelux | Business | Life Cycle Management 2017 / Column
A frontline forum of technology and policy for the circular economy TEXT: LIDIJA LIEGIS | PHOTOS: LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT
The Life Cycle Management (LCM) conference series is a world-leading forum in the domain of life cycle sustainability and circular economy. It takes place every other year and hosts over 600 scholars, academics and industry partners from over 40 countries globally. This year, the eighth edition will take place at Luxembourg’s European Convention Center from 3 – 6 September. The life cycle framework looks at improvements to the technological, economic, environmental and social aspects of an organisation and the goods and services it provides. Organisations use LCM frameworks to identify, document and communicate their business strategy and in doing this, improve their sustainability. LCM is one of the largest conferences in its field, drawing a strong international crowd and proffering superb networking opportunities.
This year, LCM offers the chance for a B2B match: visitors can check the list of attendees prior to arrival, and ask to be introduced to them directly. “LCM offers great opportunities to meet large industries, NGOs, consultants, SMEs, academics and municipality representatives all in one place,” explains Enrico Benetto, head of the ‘Life Cycle Sustainability and Risk Assessment’ RDI unit at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, which is chairing the conference with ArcelorMittal and the University of Luxembourg.
How WEIRD are you? In his book, The World Until Yesterday, about what we in the West can learn from indigenous peoples, Jared Diamond identifies WEIRD people as those who are from Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic societies. He writes: “Most of our understanding of human psychology is based on subjects who may be described as ... WEIRD ... Most subjects also appear to be literally weird by the standards of world cultural variation, because they prove to be outliers in many studies of cultural phenomena that have sampled world variation more broadly.” In other words, our world view is hugely distorted if we obtain it mainly through the prism of our own minority Western experience. Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe, professor of leadership at Bradford University school of management, has a similar take on leadership. She argues that most ideas about leadership until recently came from American male leaders talking about themselves. Alimo-Metcalfe’s research focuses on asking not leaders but fol66 | Issue 43 | July 2017
lowers – many of whom are women, of course – for their views. A very different picture of what makes a good leader emerges as do the inadequacies of many existing leaders. In the field of intercultural communication, the most frequently cited gurus are white Western males like Fons Trompenaar and Geert Hofstede (Dutch) and Edward T. Hall (American). But I have heard non-Westerners at intercultural conferences lamenting the fact that their concepts and constructs, ironically, do not work for the non-Western world. What can we do to counter our own ethnocentric biases? How can we move away from the centres of the comfortable universes we define for ourselves? How can we stop being so WEIRD? Travel could be one answer if it provides us with the opportunity to experience other cultures from the inside rather than the outside. Speaking a foreign language is another way to experience the world differently. I wonder how far British Euro-scepticism is linked to the fact that the UK is near the bottom of Europe’s language-speaking league.
LCM also has technology showrooms, where industry experts can showcase their products and technology. This year there is a special focus on funding, with the European Investment Bank co-chairing a ‘how-to-fund’ programme.
Please consult the website for full details of registration costs and deadlines. www.lcm2017.org
TEXT & PHOTO: STEVE FLINDERS
With Brexit, the British have also voted to quit the EU Erasmus programmes that enable young people to study in other European countries. Or maybe I am doing the Brexiteers an injustice. Perhaps they want the UK to leave the narrow Western orb of the EU so that their children may develop wider cultural horizons through exchanges with its future trading partners in ... the USA, Canada and Australia?
Steve Flinders is a freelance trainer, writer and coach, based in Malta, who helps people develop their communication and leadership skills for working internationally: steveflind@aol.com.