Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism - Hardcover

Davis, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1119669235 ISBN 13: 9781119669234

Publisher: Wiley, 2020

Synopsis

Improve your knowledge of the ways global trends shape activism with this insightful volume that will supercharge your impact on communities and organizations

Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism brings the perspective of experienced global social innovation leader, scholar and speaker, Steve Davis, to bear on some of the most powerful and helpful macrotrends rippling through society today.

The book teaches readers how to harness their outrage and capitalize on global trends to instigate and encourage change across the world. The author identifies five global undercurrents with outsized importance that are shaping our world:

• Global economies are moving away from the old pyramid model into a diamond, bringing powerful new possibilities for human well-being;
• Communities are becoming the customer – rather than passive beneficiaries - as social change is increasingly led by local voices and activists;
• Equity is leveling and reshaping the field of social change and activism;
• Digital disruption, through the power of data and digital tools, impacts almost everything; and
• The middle of the journey to social change is becoming surprisingly sexy, as we focus on adapting innovation for widespread impact at scale.

The book’s lessons are supported throughout by stories, experiences, data and observations from across the globe. Undercurrents is perfect for activists and leaders of all kinds who aim to increase their impact on their organizations and the world at large, as well as the intellectually curious who hope to increase their understanding of the changing world around them.

 

About this title

About the Author

STEVE DAVIS is a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and was former CEO of PATH, a global health innovation non-profit. With degrees from Princeton University, the University of Washington, and Columbia Law School, he formerly served as CEO of Corbis, a digital media pioneer, and as the director of social innovation at McKinsey & Co., a global consultancy. He advises many organizations, and frequently speaks and writes, about the intersection of innovation, technology, and social impact. He lives with his family in Seattle, Washington.

From the Back Cover

Learn to turn your outrage into meaningful change with this powerful book on encouraging trends in social activism.

"Steve Davis's commitment to solving problems has contributed to the improvement of life for millions of people around the world. He understands firsthand the complex, often unglamorous work involved in driving real change, and the forces that shape it. Undercurrents is a great read for anyone interested in helping address the world's toughest challenges."
Bill Gates, Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

"In Undercurrents, Steve Davis owns his optimism and gives readers bountiful reasons why we too should be optimistic. Steve roots his optimism both in how much progress we have made against poverty, inequities and injustices over recent years and also how clear the path forward is to further ameliorate these age-old scourges. This book is for anyone who wants to live in a better world and to help build it, fiercely and persistently, while enjoying the work, with laughter alongside the anxiety. If that's you, if any of that's you, I hope you'll read it and share it widely."
Chelsea Clinton, author, activist, and Board member of The Clinton Foundation

"Companies need to do more than listen, they need to lead! Undercurrents demonstrates what I saw firsthand in business, that human-centered activism drives progress and companies need to find ways to support people in this movement for equality. It's time to lead, not lag, and thankfully Steve shows us how in his book."
Paul Polman, former CEO, Unilever, CEO, Imagine.com

"Outrage is a powerful force. But without the right leadership and focus to channel that outrage, it often goes nowhere. It is my hope that this important book by Steve Davis, Undercurrents, educates and inspires today's activists to make lasting positive change tomorrow."
Michelle Nunn, CEO, CARE

"Steve Davis's vast experiences and keen insights help us appreciate the power of community- based activism and other important trends, to enable citizens to demand social accountability and make lasting change. Everyone should read Undercurrents to better understand what's really going on in the world today and how to find a better way forward together."
Githinji Gitahi, CEO, Amref Health Africa

"An insightful and inspiring analysis in which Steve Davis deftly lands on the silver linings of our current crises and leaves us hopeful that the world can be built back better."
Mark Suzman, CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

From the Inside Flap

In Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism, accomplished business executive, educator, activist, and author Steve Davis teaches readers how to harness broad social trends to advance larger social goals. Davis demonstrates how strong emotions like outrage and anger can be channeled into a nuts-and-bolts approach to improving our world. Davis particular focus is on trendlines that offer reasons for optimism amidst dismal daily headlines, and he describes the ways any of us can become activists and turn our outrage into action.

Davis brings readers with him into corporate boardrooms across the globe, entrepreneurial businesses in the poorest neighborhoods of Mumbai, Seattle and Hanoi, the stages of Davos, TED and the UN, tech startups in Zambia, Silicon Valley and Myanmar, and health clinics in Kenya, China and Montana to show how broad social change happens. He identifies five social and economic undercurrents that anyone can leverage to fuel change: shifting economies creating a larger middle class than the world has ever seen; increasing roles for community voices on the world stage; growing importance of equity in social change; accelerating impacts of digital technologies; and increasing attention to the power in bringing innovation to scale.

With a decidedly pragmatic approach to social change, Davis shares his journey from his teenage summer job irrigating Montana hayfields to a seasoned practical activist working across the globe. With real life examples of people working on the front line, and placing a special emphasis on the role of business in social change, Davis describes how leaders and concerned citizens from all stripes can contribute to transforming our world.

Perfect for those who wish to transform their justified outrage about the world's biggest problems into something practical, useful and transformational, Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism belongs on the bookshelves of anyone who aims to be part of the solutions to the challenges facing our planet.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1119669235
• ISBN 13: 9781119669234
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208