World-saving disobedience

What if Putin gives the order to nuke, but others in the chain of command refuse to execute? Scenarios in which insubordination — from conscientious objection to outright mutiny — come into play aren’t far-fetched. If Putin were to escalate, dozens of officers would have to sign off and relay the order. We can assume that many of these officers may privately oppose Putin’s war against Ukraine or may not want to be complicit in mass murder or may fear an uncontrolled escalation leading to Armageddon. Especially in the nuclear context, even a single individual can make the difference. Stanislav Petrov was the officer on duty in 1983 when the Soviet Union’s computers detected incoming atomic missiles from the US. He had orders to immediately launch the retaliatory strike. Acting on a hunch, he instead decided that the alarm was an error. For several terrifying seconds, he stared at screens flashing “Launch.” He didn’t launch. Nor did he report the alarm to his superiors. By disobeying, he saved the world.

(Adapted from “If Putin Orders A Nuke, Will His Generals Obey?” by Andreas Kluth, published on October 19, 2022, by Bloomberg)

Asking to be taxed

Marlene Engelhorn, 30, is the heir to a fortune, and she’s calling for structural change in how the ultrarich are taxed. Engelhorn co-founded a group called Tax Me Now and has been campaigning for more than a year for tax policies that would redistribute the wealth of the rich. Engelhorn, who grew up in Vienna, believes that philanthropy only perpetuates existing power dynamics. She is part of a growing movement of young leftist millionaires who say they want governments to take a much larger share of their inherited wealth. Her family, which made billions in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, is no stranger to giving away huge sums. But in Engelhorn’s view, it shouldn’t be the wealthy who get to decide which personal interests and passions deserve their inherited millions. “I am the product of an unequal society,” Engelhorn said at a Millionaires for Humanity event in August in Amsterdam, where activists were calling for wealth taxation. “Because otherwise, I couldn’t be born into multimillions. Just born. Nothing else.”

(Adapted from “She’s Inheriting Millions. She Wants Her Wealth Taxed Away,” By Emma Bubola, published on October 21, 2022, by The New York Times)

Toxic job or toxic career?

Early in your career, it can be challenging to tell if any negative feelings about work are because your job is toxic or because it’s just not right for you. So how can you figure out if you’re on the right path? 1) Evaluate yourself. Before you can really know what a healthy work environment feels like, you must first understand what you value at work and what you actually want out of your career. 2) Evaluate your workplace. Is there no room for growth at your company? Have you been having more headaches or feeling burned out? Are you afraid to advocate for yourself? These are all red flags. 3) Evaluate your options. You can address your concerns with your manager and suggest some solutions. You can find a trusted ally or peer who shares your values to help advocate for you. You can approach HR and ask for their help. Or, you can leave your organisation and move forward.

(Adapted from “Is Your Job Toxic? Or Is It Just a Job?” by Rachel Montañez, published by HBR Ascend)

Industry 4.0

Manufacturers are counting on the technologies and systems known collectively as Industry 4.0 — including sensors, software-as-a-service, advanced analytics, and machine learning — to reduce production downtime, improve product quality, and enable proactive maintenance. Notwithstanding the investment in new technologies and business process innovations, MIT Sloan senior lecturer John Carrier says the biggest impediments to Industry 4.0 transformation are operations practices and legacy mindsets that keep employees tethered to familiar work patterns. Key steps include: 1) Focusing on critical but manageable problems to drive the initial stages of transformation. 2) “Listening to the system” to identify missing feedback loops that can impede the success of new initiatives. 3) Sequencing in technology adoption while removing current unsustainable systems.

(Adapted from “How To Forge A Clear Path To Industry 4.0,” by Beth Stackpole, published on October 12, 2022, by MIT Sloan School of Management)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 31st, 2022