David Nordfors :- 

Say hello to JC Spender and David Hurst, who are new to this forum. We had a great discussion just now about the future of the firm and management. JC says judgement weighs more than decisions and David says renewal is the only maintenance that works (did I get that right?). Richard Straub’s Drucker Forum 2015  was about claiming our humanity while managing in the digital age. Steve has been attacking the inhuman corporate philosophy and Curt has demonstrated in real life how to make an innovative company successful by treating people like human beings.

So why isn’t it getting better by now? Or is it getting better?

And can the gig economy be helpful in some waY

What do you think?

/D

From Curt

First welcome. 

David, that is a great question.  Why isn’t it getting better in spite of all that has been tried.  The NAE study I am on to make recommendations about US RD&I policy is asking the same question. 

Obviously a complicated question but in an exponential world if you want to win you need a faster exponential.  The only one I know of is being better at innovation–in the short term.  Long term might that make things worse. 

We are watching in real time tens of millions of jobs go away: driverless cars and trucks, automated toll takers, answering services, bank tellers, manufacturing workers, etc.  If it is bad for us imagine developing countries where these are the bootstrapping jobs to an advanced economy.

From JC Spender 

Reminds me of Ha-Joon Chang’s fine book:

https://www.amazon.com/Kicking-Away-Ladder-Development-Perspective/dp/1843310279/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467050807&sr=8-1&keywords=Kicking+Away+the+Ladder%3A+Development+Strategy+in+Historical+Perspective

if we say new technology is kicking away the traditional ladders to economic advancement in developing countries.  Instead of outsourcing to, say, Bangladesh, we are going to be outsourcing to sheds full of automata.  Though my HBR piece on AI applies.

Regards, JC

Hi Curt and JC 

Curt, innovation is the key and exponential economy is how the old replaces the new. JC, you make the point that innovation is about replacing people. 

How is the state of innovation for humane management? Who are the leaders in this and is there policy for supporting it?

/D

@tammychan

On Mon, Jun 27, 2016 at 3:11 PM, CurtCarlson <curt@practiceofinnovation.com> wrote:

Another great question.  All over but not as a movement yet.  In my experience you find them mostly in university programs giving students new skills.  And of course not all innovation is about replacing people

The problems start at the top.

See for instance President Obama’s interview in the currrent Bloomberg Businessweek: 

“There are a number of banking CEOs, including somebody like a Jamie Dimon, who I think are smart and are outstanding businesspeople, but they have different roles to play. Their job is to serve their shareholders, maximize profits…”

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-obama-anti-business-president/

Wrong!

Time that President Obama read Peter Drucker: “There is only one valid purpose of a business, to create a customer.” (1954).

Steve Denning

Forbes blog: http://blogs.forbes.com/stevedenning/ 

Curt

Right.  We call getting this right the “Value Balance.”  Yes it starts with the customer (what else could it be?) but there must also be an appropriate value proposition for the shareholders, employees, the company, and the community. “Either or” thinking gets people in trouble.  It is “and.”  They all must be in balance.  So much in life is “and.”

Ivan Kaye

Peter Druckers reason for a business – “There is only one valid purpose of a business, to create a customer.” (1954).

Obama’s role of a CEO – “Their job is to serve their shareholders, maximize profits…”

I reckon that if the CEO guides his team to live by your pulse and values – and you have a set of behaviours that guide you, the customers will come and so will the profits!

– Our pulse…. To creat generational legacies

– How – by giving clear objective advice

– The objective – to become your indispensable business partner

– Our behaviours we strive for:- TREAT Trust, Respect, Energetic, Adventurous and Team First!

– Our team is measured by how they live up to the required behaviours! 

It seems simple but has taken us 2 years to define and work towards!