Tag Archives: Quakers

Social Renewal: The Story of the Quakers and the First Industrial Revolution

“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained . . . infancy is perpetual. Those … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged Anglo-Saxon capitalism, community, context, destruction, ecological perspective, fission-fusion, innovation, meaning, narrative, Quakers, renewal | Comments Off on Social Renewal: The Story of the Quakers and the First Industrial Revolution

The Ecology of a Social Movement: The Quakers and Social Reform – Public Talk RSA London December 7 2018

On Friday December 7 2018 I will be at the RSA’s Rawthmell’s Café 8 John Adam Street, London, speaking on the Ecology of a Social Movement, using the Quakers of the First Industrial Revolution as my example. They were an astonishing … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General, Leadership | Tagged Anglo-Saxon capitalism, change, community, complex systems, ecocycle, ecological perspective, ecological rationality, innovation, leadership, narrative, Quakers, renewal, social change, social reform | Comments Off on The Ecology of a Social Movement: The Quakers and Social Reform – Public Talk RSA London December 7 2018

“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

Why Isn’t ‘Servant Leadership’ More Prevalent?

This was the question posed recently on the Wisdom Research Network of the University of Chicago by James L. Heskett, Baker Foundation Professor, Emeritus at the Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University. He continued: “Servant leadership is an age-old … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Leadership | Tagged Adam Grant, First Industrial Revolution, Give and Take, Herman Miller, James L. Heskett, Lao-Tzu, leadership, Mary Parker Follett, Max de Pree, power-over, power-with, Quakers, Robert Greenleaf, servant-leadership, ServiceMaster, Taoism, wisdom | 5 Comments

Hunting Dynamics: Why Chance Encounters Should Not Be Left to Chance

A few days ago Knowledge@ Wharton published an article entitled, “How Seemingly Irrelevant Ideas Lead to Breakthrough Innovation”. It cited several examples. The cushioning on Reebok’s basketball shoes was derived from intravenous fluid bags; Qualcomm’s new colour display technology is … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General, Leadership, Strategy | Tagged abduction, affordance, change, context, ecological perspective, exploit, explore, fission-fusion, hunter-gatherer, hunting dynamics, improvisation, innovation, narrative, Peirce, Quakers, serendipity, Wharton | 1 Comment

False Wizards Part II: A Plague of Paradigms

The English economist John Kay contends that the word “paradigm” is “the most overworked and abused term in the study of management.” I agree with him completely and must confess that I cringe every time I see the latest management … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged Anglo-Saxon capitalism, Cadbury, change, community, complex systems, Costco, crisis, customer, employee, Forbes, Fry, goals, John Mackey, life cycle, Mary Parker Follett, Nonconformists, paradigm, power, principles, Quakers, reason, Robert E. Wood, Rowntree, scale, Sears, shareholder, Steve Denning, trust, values, W.L. Gore, Whole Foods | 2 Comments

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

Tattoos That Fit: Barclays, LIBOR, Culture and Regulation

The questioning of Barclays Bank’s Bob Diamond by the U.K. Parliamentary Committee on the LIBOR rate fixing scandal a couple of weeks ago was riveting. The unflappable Diamond deflected the MPs queries with a practised ease despite mounting evidence of … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged Anglo-Saxon capitalism, banking, Barclays, Bob Diamond, community, complex systems, context, culture, ecological process, gift economy, integrity, LIBOR, management ethics, Quakers, rate-fixing, regulation, Society of Friends, values | Comments Off on Tattoos That Fit: Barclays, LIBOR, Culture and Regulation

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