# Gentle Change - Peter Morville - WIAD20 Ann Arbor 2020 ## Gentle Change ### Video Information * **Presenter:** Peter Morville * **Event:** [World IA Day 2020](/worldiaday/events/world-ia-day-2020.md), Ann Arbor * **Duration:** 53:18 * **Language** * **Original audio:** English * **Transcript:** Available in English * **Date Published:** 2020-05-02 * **Format:** Presentation * **Tags:** animal rights, culture change, personal growth, work engagement, ethics *** ### Summary Peter Morville's talk explores the profound nature of information as a powerful, persuasive force that shapes trust and drives societal change, highlighting how language and classification impact perception and how "changing the wall" of an environment can be more effective than just organizing data. This is valuable to the Information Architecture (IA) community by emphasizing that IA extends beyond mere data organization to ethically design environments that influence behavior, advocating for humility, deep listening, and courage in facilitating meaningful systemic change within complex organizational cultures. ### Key Takeaways * **The Nature and Power of Information:** Information is defined as data that requires a perceiver and is essential for learning and teaching. It is inherently powerful, capable of changing who we trust and where we go. Language and classification are highly persuasive forms of information. The talk emphasizes the profound impact of misinformation, illustrated by a 70-year-old who was deeply affected by it. * **Driving Societal Change:** The speaker highlights that science continually uncovers "inconvenient truths" that challenge existing beliefs. He contrasts historical philosophical views on animal rights (e.g., Descartes vs. Bentham) with modern animal rights organizations. A significant takeaway is the belief that advancements like plant-based meats, eggs, milk, cheeses, and cellular agriculture will fundamentally transform humanity's relationship with animals by making "doing the right thing" easier. Organizing and sharing data is necessary but insufficient; "changing the wall"—a metaphor for the environment or system—is presented as a powerful way to foster change. * **Personal and Professional Engagement:** The talk encourages individuals to be their "whole self" rather than compartmentalizing. It stresses the importance of seizing "teachable moments". For consultants, a key takeaway is the need for humility when attempting to change an organization's culture, noting that some "worthy work" has failed due to issues like perceived anonymity or resistance from "walls". * **Principles for Action:** The speaker advises courage, deep listening, and avoiding premature commitment to a path when uncertainty exists. Finally, he suggests that incorporating personal passions, such as art, into one's work can be an effective way to engage people and is a challenge to the audience. {% hint style="info" %} *Summary and key takeaways generated using AI assistance and may not capture all nuances of the original presentation.* {% endhint %} ### Video {% embed url="" %} *** ### Related Resources #### Articles * - Edited transcript *** *This resource is maintained by Grace Lau.* --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://www.information-architecture.world/content-collection/gentle-change-peter-morville-wiad20-ann-arbor-2020.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.