Governance covers a wide range of topics with the common denominator being the extent to which governments or corporate boards co-align their policies with the interests of their stakeholders, now and in the future, reducing inequality and aligning with nature and climate. In terms of content, there are many similarities with Kate Raworth’s ‘doughnut’ approach.
The first group of posts is about the need for companies and other organisations to harness the power of the growing empowerment of all stakeholders, both inside and outside.
The second group – loss of engagement – addresses companies, organisations and governments that exclude some stakeholders by disregarding their interests. Companies then focus mainly on shareholder value and governments on party interests. The result is the loss of engagement.
The third group deals with the alternative, the introduction of self-governance in both the political and private domains. Self-governance in higher education for academic staff and students together counterbalances the trend of ‘managerialism’ and makes organisations more transparent.
The fourth group is innovation. Innovation thrives only thanks to broad involvement of all employees. Startups have the potential to realise this. In practice, startups unfortunately quickly adopt all the bad habits of other companies.
1. The empowered citizen
“The Big Shift” No single organization will be the same
December 2, 2014
Looking back in 2050 at the first decade of the 21th century our (grand)children will probably recognize the characteristics of another industrial revolution. The Edge, the research institute of Deloitte is speaking of The Big Shift’[1]. The ‘Big Shift’ is the joint effect of two processes: Distributed growth of knowledge During the past 10 years,…
Own country second, world first!
April 15, 2017
Fighting the inequality that results from lobalization is in everyone’s and in every country’s interest
Democracy beyond voting
June 17, 2022
This post is about one of the highest forms of participation in political decision making by citizens, the commons
2. Loss of engagement
The failing doctrine of shareholder value maximization
February 9, 2017
The Purpose of the Corporation Project has redefined the standards for the management of companies. Its recommendations earn broad acceptance
The disappearance of engagement and passion
December 1, 2020
Next months, these posts deal with the challenges of Earthlings of bringing humane cities closer. These posts represent the most important findings of my e-book Humane cities. Always humane. Smart if helpful, updates and supplements included. The English version of this book can be downloaded for free here and the Dutch version here. For centuries, entrepreneurship has been motivated…
3. Self-government
Will Self-management replace managerialism in higher education?
June 12, 2016
Both democracy and autonomy are necessary countervailing powers to managerialisme in higher education
No democratization of universities without self-government
December 24, 2015
Internationally, movements like ReThink University are criticizing the governance and policy of universities. In this blogpost I plea for adopting principles of self-government as a desirable step forwards.
Decluttering higher education
May 29, 2016
Many organizations suffer from organizational clutter, which is reducing employee satisfaction and productivity
4. Innovation
How to reduce the failure rate of innovation
December 13, 2014
‘The innovation journey’ – written by Andrew van de Ven and his team – is offering a vivid description of the innovation experience of 14 North American companies. The book offers snapshots of brilliant ideas, whimsical processes, failure and success. After having read the book, you will understand why 50% of all investments in R&D…
Innovating forwards and backwards
April 5, 2015
I follow #innovation, resulting in an all-day parade of tweets about self-driving cars, intelligent robots, business models, CO2-neutral buildings, growing efficiency in solar energy and smart gadgets. I feel at odds with those ‘experts’ who applaud innovation as the Holy Grail for our society’s future without making any difference. In this post…
Startups: Between the Curse of Becoming a Taker and the Prospect of Being a Maker
October 17, 2021
For centuries, entrepreneurship was linked to art and craft and rewarded by personal fulfilment, satisfied customers, and a good life. A description that applies to the self-employed, franchisees or intrapreneurs and includes both commercial, institutional, and artistic activities. However, the focus on financial gain will result in losing sight of governance principles. This can be prevented by….
Music: Listen, Look and Enjoy 