The twisted vortex that is the world of "management", mostly centred on business schools and their refined, efficient graduates, has always loved a good analogy. Historically it was the old-fashioned baseball game--a business as a "team" playing the game to win it. Then there's the obsession with airplane-inspired terminology--are you "on board"? Are you "on course" and "on track"?
So it's not surprising that the management debate has taken a big trend and harnessed it for its own purpose, however awkwardly. That's right, I'm talking about the so-called "Arab Spring" and the extraordinary role social media is playing in putting political power in the hands of a newly networked global public.
Here's old-timer Gary Hamel, management guru, on how this trend could apply to the business world: "I don’t think it’s crazy to ask if your CEO is the next Mubarak."
But wait! It gets even better. Some actual corporate leaders are willing to take the analogy even further. “The elites—or managers in companies—no longer control the conversation. This is how insurrections start.” Says Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, Inc. “This isn’t just about Arab spring. This is about corporate spring.”
Wow (all via Forbes).
No comments:
Post a Comment