DEV PATNAIK |
Dev Patnaik, founder and principal, Jump Associates; adjunct professor, Stanford University; author, Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy
Opening Keynote Monday 5:15
Wired to Care
The brain has subtle and sophisticated ways to understand what others are thinking and feeling. Simply put, people are wired to care. But inside large organizations, these instincts are systematically suppressed as employees are asked to check their humanity at the door and ignore their emotions. Consequently, people inside companies too often lose their feel for what’s going on in the world around them. Over time, they can fall completely out of touch with the lives of the people who buy their products and ultimately fund their retirement plans – their customers.
Business doesn’t have to be this way. Organizations can be designed to build strong connections between producers and consumers. When people inside a company develop a shared sense of what’s going on in the world, they see new opportunities faster than their competitors. They have the courage to take a risk on something new. And they have the gut-level certitude to stick with an idea that doesn’t take off right away. People are wired to care, and many of the world’s best organizations are, too. |
