Reports and Case Studies

2018 has seen record heatwaves on four continents, wildfires in the Arctic Circle and perilous water shortages in South Africa, Australia and India. Scientists now talk of a “sixth mass extinction” of wildlife, birds, insect and marine life. Living systems, they say, are in decline.

There’s no question that human activity is responsible. Despite 195 countries signing up to the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions in 2015, our use of resources continues to exceed planetary boundaries. Put simply, we are consuming more than we have. This year, Earth Overshoot Day, which marks the point at which we have used more from nature than the planet can renew, came earlier than ever before, on August 1. This is not just a threat to nature, but to human society too. 
 
To borrow a phrase: time’s up.

As 2024 unfolds, an intentional slowdown shifts the pace for people and businesses after years of rapid acceleration. At a time when people believe stress, depression, and pollution are the top three challenges for human health, the pursuit of a better quality of life begins with a great deceleration as people opt for a mindful approach to the year ahead.

This slow-living sentiment is evident in Pantone’s warm and subdued choice for its Colour of the Year 2024, Peach Fuzz (not to be confused with the sparkling Peach Fizz drink). The colour forecaster says the shade communicates a message of “compassion and togetherness” (Collective recharge, page 14). Even gen Zers are fatigued by fast-moving trends on social media that are impossible to keep up with 
(Decelerating hype cycles, page 24) and opting for
Luddite mode as a coping mechanism (page 28). 

In 2022, employee engagement and job opportunities surged globally, coming back in line with pre-pandemic historical trends on economic development and growth. The United States and Canada region saw no gain in engagement or job opportunities, having experienced its recovery in 2021. The 2022 data show the rest of the world closing the gap with the U.S./Canada in positive aspects for workers.

At the same time, global worker stress remained at a historic high — even as other negative emotions related to the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. This high level of stress may be due to the recovery itself, as many regions of the world struggle to control high inflation.

As organizational leaders endeavor to navigate an uncertain economic outlook, their employees’ stress is impacting productivity and performance. Addressing these wellbeing concerns and improving engagement should be top priorities for the world’s political and business leaders who seek to make the most of the recovery.

5 Key Findings
Global emotional intelligence scores declined sharply during the pandemic. From 2018 to 2022, they declined on every emotional intelligence competency.

The world is facing a human energy crisis - at home and at work. Wellbeing scores continue to decline; rates of burnout, social isolation and emotional detachment are at all-time highs. These issues are especially concerning for younger generations.

Women are leading the post-COVID comeback. Starting in 2021, most of women’s emotional intelligence and life success factor scores rebounded in a significant way, even as men’s continued multi-year declines. While lagging
wellbeing is a cause for concern, the overall trend for women is positive.

Emotional intelligence scores are not evenly distributed throughout the world. Africa has the highest average emotional intelligence, and Asia the lowest. All seven global regions have unique strengths and opportunities.
From 2018 to 2021, burnout increased in nearly every sector in the study.

But in the past year, a wide disparity has emerged in the data. While some sectors have rebounded, others face an accelerating burnout crisis.

Regenerative leadership is not about fixing what’s broken; it's about inspiring and guiding others to cultivate environments where growth, renewal and sustainability naturally flourish.

Embark on a journey of transformation with regenerative practice, where individuals, leaders, and organizations thrive by aligning with the natural rhythms of life. Learn how to harness AI to shift from 'human doing' to 'being human' and download our comprehensive field guide to start your path towards sustainable growth and innovation.

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See our associated Blog Post - Embracing the Path of a Regenerative Practitioner: A Call to Action for Individuals, Leaders, and Organizations

Otto Scharmer's contributions to systemic and regenerative thinking are invaluable. He introduces a new approach using a Land Regeneration metaphor, shifting focus to the quality of the social field, similar to improving soil quality in land regeneration. This innovative model addresses current challenges by advocating for a new collective leadership capacity based on changing consciousness and enabling systems to see and sense themselves.

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Otto highlights the transition from efficiency-centred models to eco-system and regeneration-centric frameworks, emphasising the shift from ego-system to eco-system awareness. By integrating Theory U principles, he provides a framework for developing collective creativity and innovation, urging leaders to enhance listening, conversation, and governance. His teachings inspire change-makers to uplift systems through small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos.