The great Porto Innovation Forum contributed to the debate on the urgent need to change mentalities in society and in the business world
On Thursday, September 22, took place the Forum "What's next? Digital Humanism", an event organized by the Center for Business Innovation (CBI) of Porto Business School, which included speakers from the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability and digital transformation, and gathered more than 100 participants. The event was presented by João Barros, Strategic Director of the Center for Business Innovation (CBI) at Porto Business School, and Chief Platform Officer of Nexar.
The primary mission of the event was to reflect on how we can maintain our humanity and our focus in an increasingly digital world, where technologies provide unlimited distractions.
Among the various sessions, which had the contribution of disruptive experts in such distinct areas of knowledge, one certainty was shared by all: technology is here to stay and with it come clear challenges for humanity and for the present and future of our existence as social beings, and of which work is undoubtedly a relevant element. Since the importance of technology is undeniable, the focus was on understanding how it should be perceived - as a facilitator and not as a disruptor.
Some of the present speakers gave their perspective on the contribution of this event to the debate about the emerging mentality changes in the business world.
For Tim Papandreou, CEO and Founder of ETA, and former Chief Innovation Officer of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency: "It was a very enriching event with very relevant speakers, who made a remarkable contribution to the debate about the future of technology and how we can remain human. And I think the most extraordinary thing was the different perspectives that came out of these conversations. We realized that technology should be seen as a tool, which should not be used to control us or separate us, but should be a mechanism that helps us achieve our goals. Each of us must take responsibility for the way we manage our time and relationships, with the goal of making technology an aggregating tool."
Verónica Orvalho, Founder and CEO of Didimo and Professor and Researcher at the University of Porto, highlighted, "We have to be true to who we are. That's the only way we'll be able to make the right decisions. There was talk here about how we can stay focused and not disperse. This is a decision. If we are our values, we surround ourselves with people with similar values, forming an ecosystem around us that will help each of us to make the right decisions. Technology ends up being one more element to be able to accomplish what we want to do. It's an ally for what we want to achieve.
Rui Quinta, Managing Partner of With Company, invited the participants to reflect on the future of design and social transformation: "Speaking about the future of design, it is systemic, increasingly complex, multidimensional, transdisciplinary, intertwined, networked, without limits. Indissoluble. Like everything around us, like any other discipline, Design will fight for survival. It will grow exponentially and, being everywhere, it will cease to exist".
For her part, Margarida Couto, President of GRACE (Group of Reflection and Support for Corporate Citizenship), also reinforces: "The message I would leave, especially to companies, since I come from the business world, is that they should pay more attention to their surroundings, try to understand the societal changes that are happening, try to stop denying that there is only one path, which is sustainability. If you don't do any of this, you're going to destroy a lot of value, and not just financial value, but also human capital," which shows the need for companies to keep their radar on, otherwise they're going to lose the best that they have - their employees.
For João Barros, Strategic Director of the Center for Business Innovation (CBI) at Porto Business School, Chief Platform Officer at Nexar and Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, "It was fantastic to have the presence, wisdom and inspiration of several of our best entrepreneurs, engineers, lawyers, designers, artists and thinkers. It was proven that it is in the intersection of all these areas of knowledge that we will find the digital humanism that the world so desperately needs. It is a great privilege for the CBI and PBS to be able to serve as a meeting point and catapult for all those who aspire to lead this change."
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