Race to the Top

Discusssion

Paul Hartzog:

"To obtain a "race to the top" a political entity, or trend, or civic alliance, or some other recognized historical force, simply states a priori their goal of reaching a future condition (less emissions, cheaper costs, etc.). The consequence of this action is that, with the future "known", companies and other players will jump into the fray in order to be the first to capitalize on and reap the benefits therein. For example, they may develop a much-needed new technology, or reduce costs, or create a collaborative distribution network, etc. but the fundamental point is that their actions create a "race to the top". In the end, everyone benefits from the upward swell, but ONLY BECAUSE the goal (which is an expression of a future landscape) was stated in advance.

In complex systems there are numerous examples of systems that are "stuck" until some motivating statement temporarily focuses the energies of the parts into a common direction. " (P2P Foundation 'visioning' list, August 2017)