Three things we learnt this week
Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.
These insights are used by businesses and organisations to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.
Let us know what you find valuable!
Dylan: Death and remembrance
This week, as part of one of our ongoing projects, we’ve been speaking with people about death, remembrance and how they maintain a connection with loved ones who have passed away – a heavy topic, but discussions were fascinating. What was clear when speaking to people is that there is no single way to remember someone. For some, a grave, plaque or other physical memorial provides an important place to visit, reflect and feel close to the person they have lost.
For others, remembrance is less tied to a particular place. It may live through photographs and meaningful objects, plants in the garden, family stories or personal rituals (such as raising a glass on an anniversary). While the role of traditional memorials may be evolving, the need to maintain an emotional connection remains.
Mahalia: Generation generalisations
The media loves to play up the divide between generations, teasing out the differences to make conversation fodder. Baby Boomers are portrayed as rigid or self-serving, Gen X as cynical or detached, Millennials as entitled or lazy, and Gen Z as screen-obsessed and overly sensitive. But reducing people down to these stereotypes only serves to generate clicks. Looking into generations when marketing or developing products isn’t as popular as simple age segments, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to be learnt there. Generations tell how historical events, economic shifts, and new technologies shape human values, behaviour, and social attitudes.
Jason: The amazing 20%
Everything will be okay, even if we don’t know what okay will look like.
I spoke with someone earlier this week who seemed like he was on speed. “How are you!?” he asked.
“OK,” I remarked. “And you?” His response was, “I’m always AMAZING.”
While it is nice to be positive, it seemed to me more a tone of delusion than true contentment. Things are pretty tough out there, and even if you are riding the gravy train through rainbows and lollipops, there have got to be days when things are at least a little bit shit. That’s not being negative. Reality can suck at times.
And in our current times, it feels particularly tough. Transformation with the glass half full, or doom with an empty glass. Most likely, the glass will be somewhere between full and empty.
One thing that struck me this week through our projects is that the silver lining in all this change is the need not only to be resilient, but also to think more deeply to find solutions. And from the workshops I’ve been running, the next generation of thinkers—and doers—is pretty amazing.
They are taking the empty glass and filling it with possibilities, and the flywheel of opportunity in this time of change is pumping our little steamboats in a good direction.
Yep, many of the next generation will be dumber than ever. Opting for the easy route, not thinking, waiting for others to find solutions, or blaming others for the situation they are in.
But we don’t need 100% of one generation to be amazing to create a better future. We need 10–20% or so with that something special, who can add AI to their thinking and transform the shit we are in into something special.
Square Holes is a cultural insight studio.
We design mixed method explorations of people and culture beyond the category, uncovering the patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour to inform strategy, inspire innovation and enable confident decisions. Our studio model brings together the right mix of thinkers, researchers and specialists for each exploration. If you’re navigating change, entering a new market, or seeking deeper understanding of people and culture, let’s start a conversation >
