Tag Archives: Max Weber

“Ethical Capitalism – Worth a Try?” – Confusion at Davos about What “It” Is

“Ethical Capitalism – Worth a Try?” was the rather timid title of one of the open forum sessions at the recently concluded World Economic Forum at Davos.  It was chaired by Zanny Minton Beddoes, the Economics editor for The Economist, … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged Davos, ethical capitalism, Henry Schein, Ignazio Visco, Jasmine Whitbread, KPI, Martin Sorrell, Max Weber, Muhammad Yunus, Quakers, Stan Bergman, wertrationale, World Economic Forum, WPP, Zanny Minton Beddoes, zweckrationale | 2 Comments

Is Conscious Capitalism A Conceptual Mess?

Conscious Capitalism (CC) is featured prominently in the latest issue of the California Management Review (CMR) (Spring 2013, Vol. 55 No. 3.). In an article entitled “Conscious Capitalism Firms: Do They Behave as Their Proponents Say?”, Chong Wang, an Assistant … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General, Leadership, Strategy | Tagged Anglo-Saxon capitalism, Aristotle, Chong Wang, complex systems, conscious capitalism, ecological perspective, innovation, Karl Popper, Max Weber, narrative, Raj Sisodia, The New Ecology of Leadership, Whole Foods | 1 Comment

The Natural Case for Employee Engagement

Yesterday the Strategic Management Bureau asked, “Is the unending search for ‘the business case’ for employee engagement a futile exercise?” and cited an article on the topic. In my response to the question I suggested that the attempt to create … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General, Leadership, Strategy | Tagged change, community, complex systems, creativity, crisis, destruction, ecocycle, ecological perspective, ecosystem, empowerment, engagement, KPI, KSF, leadership, lean, management ethics, Max Weber, means and ends, passion, power, purpose, reason, renewal, scorecard, shareholder value model, social traps, strategy, sustainability, sweet zone, Toyota Production System, trust, value stream, wertrationale, zweckrationale | 1 Comment

Management and the Limits of Logic Part II

When I wrote last week’s blog, I was unaware that Monitor Group, the consulting company founded in 1983 by strategy guru Michael Porter and some Harvard Business School colleagues, had filed for bankruptcy in mid-November and that its assets were … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged balance, both...and, change, competition, creativity, ecological perspective, either/or, elephant, entrepreneur, Five-Forces, gardening, innovation, Jonathan Haidt, logic, markets, Max Weber, Michael Porter, Monitor Group, Protestant Ethic, rationalism, rider, shareholder value, Steve Denning, strategy, The Righteous Mind | 1 Comment

Communities of Faith and The Spirit of Capitalism

Last week I asked in the context of the US presidential elections, “Do Mormons Make Better Managers Than Leaders?” The question was intended to be provocative but I do not think it either impolite or improper, especially as well-known HBS … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General, Leadership | Tagged achievement motivation, Adam Smith, Anglo-Saxon capitalism, Catholicism, change, chocolate industry, Christian, Clayton Christensen, communities of faith, community, Crisis & Renewal, ecological perspective, education, Harvard Business School, head, innovation, management ethics, Max Weber, moral sentiment, Mormons, Nonconformists, Old Testament, Protestant Ethic, Quakers, religion, Robert Barclay, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, social entrepreneurs, spirit of capitalism, start-up, steel industry, The New Ecology of Leadership | Comments Off on Communities of Faith and The Spirit of Capitalism

The Spirit of Capitalism: the Quakers and the First Industrial Revolution

The ecological model in The New Ecology of Leadership shows enterprises as being conceived in passion and born in communities of trust and practice. My insights into this dynamic were first guided by my discovery of the Society of Friends, … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General, Leadership, Strategy | Tagged Adam Smith, Anglican Church, Anglo-Saxon capitalism, Barclays Bank, Book of John, Book of Matthew, Catholic Church, charcoal, Christian calling, Coalbrookdale, coke, community, complex systems, engines, English Civil War, English Nonconformists, First Industrial Revolution, George Fox, ideology of markets, iron, Iron Bridge, Lloyds Bank, market price, Max Weber, means and ends, pots, pumps, Quakers, Robert Barclay, Royal Navy, Sermon on the Mount, Shropshire, skillets, Society of Friends, sociology of virtue, spirit of capitalism, The Wealth of Nations, Theory of Moral Sentiments, William Penn | Comments Off on The Spirit of Capitalism: the Quakers and the First Industrial Revolution