Ross Honeywill
Encyclopedia
Ross Honeywill is a social scientist
and internationally published author.
Honeywill specializes in social research
and the understanding and application of social theory
. He is Research Director at the Social Intelligence Technology Group Ltd, and a doctoral candidate at the Philosophy School of the University of Tasmania
.
Creator of the NEO typology
- a population classification providing a unique measure of high-value consumption
- his work is predominantly applied in North America, Australia and Asia. He lives in Tasmania with his installation artist wife, Dr Greer Honeywill
.
(Asia Pacific) between 1997 and 2001. Prior to KPMG Honeywill was a research director and business strategist. Before that, he worked as a retail manager for national chains and in arts administration, including general manager of the Queensland Ballet
at age 21.
He is currently Research Director at the Social Intelligence Technology Group Ltd.He has advised global and national brands including Qantas, Telstra, David Jones, Lexus, Sony, Westpac Broking, Moët-Hennessy, National Australia Bank, Yahoo!, Fosters, Macquarie Bank, Energex, TXU Energy, among others.
To place this in a scientific context, all the simple questions had been answered by the second half of the 20th century - the general theory of relativity, quantum physics, biological evolution, molecular genetics and the rest. And yet the most complex feature of the universe remained unexplained. And that was human behavior and what underpins it; what directs it.
NEOs, an acronym for New Economic Order, are 24 per cent of the population but account for 54 per cent of all discretionary spending
.
Honeywill combined 64 attitudinal, behavioral and spending factors to identify the mindset underpinning the consumers with both (a) the highest social intelligence
; and (b) the highest spending behavior.
. Social intelligence describes the exclusively human capacity to use very large brains to effectively navigate and negotiate complex social relationships and environments. A social intelligence quotient or SQ is an aggregated measure of self and social awareness, evolved social beliefs and attitudes, and a capacity and appetite to manage complex social change. A person with a high SQ is no better or worse than someone with a low SQ, they just have different attitudes, hopes, interests and desires.The social intelligence quotient is a statistical abstraction similar to the ‘standard score’ approach used in IQ tests with a mean of 100. Scores of 140 or above are considered to be very high. Honeywill's NEOs have an average SQ of 140. Unlike the standard IQ test however it is not a fixed model. It leans more to Piaget
’s theory that intelligence is not a fixed attribute but a complex hierarchy of information-processing skills underlying an adaptive equilibrium between the individual and the environment. An individual can therefore change their SQ by altering their attitudes and behaviour in response to their complex social environment.
by 50 years, created the first comprehensive theory of evolution. Honeywill, citing the work of Dr Edward J. Steele
created a concept he called meta-lamarckism bringing together the best of both Darwinism
and Lamarckism
.
According to Honeywill's work on Steele, forces outside DNA are at work determining which and why different genes are turned on or off. Meta-Lamarckism has RNA collecting changes from the soma
(body cells) and not only taking them back to the germline
(sex cells) but also translating them into DNA language. Characteristics acquired during a lifetime are being transcribed back into DNA.
Reflecting on Steele's work and the visceral reaction it produced among some scientific communities, Honeywill stresses that the real issue is whether a modern, well supported Lamarckian theory can be devised, consistent with well-documented parts of modern molecular genetics, and be able to be articulated with a surviving core of Darwinian natural selection
. A kind of meta-Lamarckism that combines the best of both Lamarck and Darwin.One outcome of this work was the publication in 2008 of Lamarck's Evolution: two centuries of genius and jealousy.
Honeywill's project takes the best of the Renaissance
and Enlightenment
with their humanist
tradition of self-determination and binds it to a quantum reality. While postmodernism
was unscientific, the ability of science to generate useful knowledge cannot be waved away when considering what comes After.
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
and internationally published author.
Honeywill specializes in social research
Social research
Social research refers to research conducted by social scientists. Social research methods may be divided into two broad categories:* Quantitative designs approach social phenomena through quantifiable evidence, and often rely on statistical analysis of many cases to create valid and reliable...
and the understanding and application of social theory
Social theory
Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...
. He is Research Director at the Social Intelligence Technology Group Ltd, and a doctoral candidate at the Philosophy School of the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
.
Creator of the NEO typology
New economic order
The NEO typology is a population classification that is widely regarded as the determining economic framework of post-industrial countries...
- a population classification providing a unique measure of high-value consumption
Consumption (economics)
Consumption is a common concept in economics, and gives rise to derived concepts such as consumer debt. Generally, consumption is defined in part by comparison to production. But the precise definition can vary because different schools of economists define production quite differently...
- his work is predominantly applied in North America, Australia and Asia. He lives in Tasmania with his installation artist wife, Dr Greer Honeywill
Greer Honeywill
Greer Honeywill is an Australian conceptual artist whose work fuses sculptural conventions, autobiography and critical thinking.-Life and education:...
.
Corporate
Ross Honeywill has been researching social patterns for more than 15 years. In 1997 professional services giant KPMG bought his Values Bank Research Centre and renamed it the Centre for Consumer Behaviour with Honeywill at the helm. He became an internationally recognized authority on the impact of a rapidly changing social fabric through his leadership role as a director at KPMGKPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
(Asia Pacific) between 1997 and 2001. Prior to KPMG Honeywill was a research director and business strategist. Before that, he worked as a retail manager for national chains and in arts administration, including general manager of the Queensland Ballet
Queensland Ballet
The Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia, and is based in Brisbane.- About Queensland Ballet :...
at age 21.
He is currently Research Director at the Social Intelligence Technology Group Ltd.He has advised global and national brands including Qantas, Telstra, David Jones, Lexus, Sony, Westpac Broking, Moët-Hennessy, National Australia Bank, Yahoo!, Fosters, Macquarie Bank, Energex, TXU Energy, among others.
Books
Ross Honeywill's books have been published in Australia, New Zealand and mainland China. The author of and contributor to business books, as well as author of a number of mainstream books, his titles include NEO Power, Lamarck's Evolution and Wasted. The critically acclaimed Lamarck's Evolution was launched by Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty and Dr John Long at the 2008 Melbourne Writers Festival. In 2011, Wasted was shortlisted in Australia for the Ned Kelly Award for true crime writing.- 2001: I-Cons: the essential guide to winning and keeping high-value customers (with Verity Byth) Random House
- 2004: (Chinese edition) I-Cons: the essential guide to winning and keeping high-value customers (with Verity Byth) Citic Publishing, Mainland China
- 2006: NEO Power: how the new economic order is changing the way we live, work and play (with Verity Byth) Scribe Publications
- 2008: Managing the Innovation Faultline - chapter in Inside the Innovation Matrix (with Verity Byth) Australian Business Foundation
- 2008: Lamarck's Evolution: two centuries of genius and jealousy. Pier 9 (a Murdoch Books imprint)
- 2010: Wasted: the true story of Jim McNeil, violent criminal and brilliant playwright. Viking (a Penguin imprint)
- 2011: Water in the Wires - fiction - Island Magazine edition 126 (Spring 2011)
- 2012: New NEO business book to be launched in North America - written with Christopher Norton & Bryan Woolley
- 2013/14: The Angel's Trumpet. A novel.
Social Science
Honeywill is best known for his development of the NEO social classification and its implications for the marketplace, workplace, community and politics in the 21st century. Honeywill's social theory asserts that, as part of a multi-factoral classification, the socially progressive minority of citizens in any developed or first-world economy accounts for the majority of all discretionary spending in that economy. Ross Honeywill used data from more than one million respondents over 15 years covering 3 continents to validate that theory.To place this in a scientific context, all the simple questions had been answered by the second half of the 20th century - the general theory of relativity, quantum physics, biological evolution, molecular genetics and the rest. And yet the most complex feature of the universe remained unexplained. And that was human behavior and what underpins it; what directs it.
NEOs, an acronym for New Economic Order, are 24 per cent of the population but account for 54 per cent of all discretionary spending
Discretionary spending
Discretionary spending is a spending category through which governments can spend through an appropriations act. This spending is optional as part of fiscal policy, in contrast to entitlement programs for which funding is mandatory....
.
Honeywill combined 64 attitudinal, behavioral and spending factors to identify the mindset underpinning the consumers with both (a) the highest social intelligence
Social intelligence
Social intelligence describes the exclusively human capacity to use very large brains to effectively navigate and negotiate complex social relationships and environments....
; and (b) the highest spending behavior.
Social Intelligence
Ross Honeywill is a researcher of social intelligenceSocial intelligence
Social intelligence describes the exclusively human capacity to use very large brains to effectively navigate and negotiate complex social relationships and environments....
. Social intelligence describes the exclusively human capacity to use very large brains to effectively navigate and negotiate complex social relationships and environments. A social intelligence quotient or SQ is an aggregated measure of self and social awareness, evolved social beliefs and attitudes, and a capacity and appetite to manage complex social change. A person with a high SQ is no better or worse than someone with a low SQ, they just have different attitudes, hopes, interests and desires.The social intelligence quotient is a statistical abstraction similar to the ‘standard score’ approach used in IQ tests with a mean of 100. Scores of 140 or above are considered to be very high. Honeywill's NEOs have an average SQ of 140. Unlike the standard IQ test however it is not a fixed model. It leans more to Piaget
Piaget
Piaget is surname of:* Edouard Piaget , Swiss entomologist* Jean Piaget , Swiss developmental psychologist* Paul Piaget , a Swiss rower...
’s theory that intelligence is not a fixed attribute but a complex hierarchy of information-processing skills underlying an adaptive equilibrium between the individual and the environment. An individual can therefore change their SQ by altering their attitudes and behaviour in response to their complex social environment.
History & Philosophy of Science
Ross Honeywill is also well known for his work on Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, an 18th century science philosopher who, pre-dating Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
by 50 years, created the first comprehensive theory of evolution. Honeywill, citing the work of Dr Edward J. Steele
Edward J. Steele
Edward J. Steele is an Australian molecular immunologist formerly with the University of Wollongong, now listed as a visiting fellow at the Murdoch University. Steele's research has led a resurgent interest in the French scientist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, the man who developed the first theory of...
created a concept he called meta-lamarckism bringing together the best of both Darwinism
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
and Lamarckism
Lamarckism
Lamarckism is the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring . It is named after the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck , who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories...
.
According to Honeywill's work on Steele, forces outside DNA are at work determining which and why different genes are turned on or off. Meta-Lamarckism has RNA collecting changes from the soma
Soma
Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the subsequent Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, whose Soma Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing qualities...
(body cells) and not only taking them back to the germline
Germline
In biology and genetics, the germline of a mature or developing individual is the line of germ cells that have genetic material that may be passed to a child.For example, gametes such as the sperm or the egg, are part of the germline...
(sex cells) but also translating them into DNA language. Characteristics acquired during a lifetime are being transcribed back into DNA.
Reflecting on Steele's work and the visceral reaction it produced among some scientific communities, Honeywill stresses that the real issue is whether a modern, well supported Lamarckian theory can be devised, consistent with well-documented parts of modern molecular genetics, and be able to be articulated with a surviving core of Darwinian natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
. A kind of meta-Lamarckism that combines the best of both Lamarck and Darwin.One outcome of this work was the publication in 2008 of Lamarck's Evolution: two centuries of genius and jealousy.
Philosophy - PhD
Ross Honeywill is currently a doctoral candidate examining the death of theoretical modernism and postmodernism, and the nature of both Before and After. His project explores the role of disruptive and destructive masculinity in the Western cultural imaginary. "Despite modernism’s demise after World War II and fifty years of post-structural male amelioration (e.g. anti-militarism in Japan), theoretical postmodernism fatally succumbed to destructive masculinity, ceased being the antidote and became redundant. Theoretical postmodernism failed a crucial purpose: to resist the pressure of man’s destruction coalescing yet again to repudiate civilization. The dominant intellectual and social framework, the cultural imaginary, had changed. While postmodernism’s cultural products were consigned to the same historicised status as modernism and romanticism, its intellectual tendencies (feminism, postcolonialism, etc.) however found themselves alive in the new cultural imaginary. We had entered a Momentous After. The Momentous After in the context of this study is characterised by self-determinism and reflects not ‘order out of chaos’ but the ‘order in chaos’; a ‘self-governing nature’. In the Momentous After, formality and freedom, boundaries and creativity coexist peacefully and sometimes passionately with science. In quantum physics a switch can be both on and off at the same time. Paradoxically, the quantum theories of chaos and complexity reaffirm the notion of structure and certainty. Both promise a Momentous After based on notions of humanism, holism, interconnection and the idea of an autonomous self-regulating nature. The Momentous After incorporates nature without making it sacred; recognising that we are free and responsible to give meaning to our existence while accepting that existence is beyond our control. The Momentous After rejects without critique what came before, embraces a humanist tradition of self-determination and binds it to a quantum reality. These glimpses of the secrets beneath the surfaces of the visible reflect the reality of the Momentous After and its role in diminishing masculine madness in the Western cultural imaginary."Honeywill's project takes the best of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
with their humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
tradition of self-determination and binds it to a quantum reality. While postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
was unscientific, the ability of science to generate useful knowledge cannot be waved away when considering what comes After.