Catholic agency leaders are being urged to face a world of “brutal realities” with clear purpose, disciplined leadership and hope. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
At a Catholic Connect workshop in Melbourne last week, economist Ivan Calhoun warned that artificial intelligence, geopolitics, inflation and productivity pressures are reshaping the environment in which Catholic organisations operate.
The event, “Economic Outlook: navigating change with confidence and purpose”, was organised by Catholic Development Fund.
Mr Calhoun and a panel of speakers from Catholic agencies and aligned organisations examined the practical implications of leading through uncertainty, workforce and operational pressures, stewardship, sustainability, mission and future opportunities.
Mr Calhoun said the sector was being hit by a mix of long-term megatrends – the “top five” being technological change, climate change, ageing populations, geopolitics and inequality – and immediate shocks that are already affecting service delivery, budgets and strategic planning.
Two of those megatrends are being experienced in issues that are “really big right at the moment”, he said: “Obviously geopolitics and what’s happening in the Middle East, and then the second big issue is AI.”
The economic effects are being felt through oil prices, inflation and interest rates, he said, with recent geopolitical events showing how quickly global shocks flow through to local budgets and service delivery. In parallel, AI is driving both a short-term investment boom and longer-term questions about jobs, taxation and the shape of society.
Mr Calhoun said the challenge for leaders is to remain realistic without being paralysed by uncertainty, and to focus on productivity as something they can control.
“Every organisation to a certain extent determines its own productivity,” he said, noting that the “first step” is to design “some productivity measures that are relevant to your organisation”.
The panel discussion that followed his keynote presentation took up the same themes from the perspectives of health, education and finance.
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Mission, money and economic megatrends (Melbourne Catholic)
