Category: 9th Global Peter Drucker Forum

“We can make business competition extinct.”
by Anne Twombly

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The largest and most lasting idea that I’ve taken from the Drucker forum is the words of a fellow challenge winner, Nayyara Rahman: “We can make business competition extinct.” That short, bold statement contained an idea that I never thought was possible. As most do, I viewed competition as a fundamental aspect of business. Competition certainly isn’t always negative, and there are plenty of examples of competition being the driving force for progressive improvement. But it is critical to remember that change is possible, even at the very foundation. I heard these words against a backdrop of red curtains in a theater, a few hours before the 9th Global Peter Drucker Forum officially opened. I […]

Please welcome CSR 2.0
by Henry Mintzberg

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(See lisamintzberg.com for more of her photography.)   I address this especially to business executives, but as citizens of their societies and neighbors in their communities.   Why do we focus on the conditions of our problems instead of addressing their root causes? Medicine, for example, gives far greater attention to treating diseases than to preventing what caused them in the first place. Jonas Salk provided a telling exception: instead of treating polio, he created a vaccine to eradicate it.   0.0, 1.0, 2.0    Much the same can be said about corporate social responsibility, or CSR. A corporation is considered responsible when it attends to the evident conditions of some social or environmental problem. But […]

Does Inclusive Policy and Strategy Making Matter for Entrepreneurial Organisations?
by Jay Mitra

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Inclusive policy and strategy making tends to be associated with policy matters affecting developing countries. This is mainly because of the gap between the rich and poor in relatively poor environments, and the relatively low income levels caused by significant levels of poverty. An excessive share of riches being concentrated in the hands of the few is not a developing economy prerogative. Income and wealth inequalities have attracted much attention in the developed economies in particular since the last economic recession began in 2008, generating the iconic ratio of 99:1, although there are wide variations between countries. The richest 1% of Swiss manage to survive with half the income of their UK counterparts, and in […]

Why it’s time to bring back –and modernize– government
by Carlota Perez

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Government lag When Ronald Reagan said in the 1980s that “government is the problem”, he was right in only one sense: that the specific policies that were designed to enable the full deployment of the mass production revolution were inadequate for dealing with its exhaustion and decline. In fact, government did not yet know – and indeed could not know – how to deal with the emerging information revolution. It was true, as Schumpeter would have said, that unfettered free markets were better suited for the period of experimentation with new Silicon Valley technologies; and open competition was more likely to persuade the old industry giants to modernize with computers and take-up the new organizational […]

Humanity at a Crossroads
by Charles Handy

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We cannot let technology, however advanced, replace humanity with all its sensitivities, it’s appreciations of love, beauty and nature, it’s need for affection, sympathy and purpose, it’s hopes and fears, intuitions, imagination and leaps of faith.  Technology, even AI, in all its possibilities, can never replicate these. We must not let the demands of economic man/woman dominate our fuller humanity.  AI must be our servant rather than our master, economics the basis of a good life for all but not its purpose. In the past century the organisation, the company (literally a gathering of companions) at its best, recognised this.  It offered security and personal development in return for commitment.  My own company, Shell, was […]

Growth and Inclusive Prosperity: The need to create a positive utopia for the upcoming age of artificial intelligence
by Charles-Edouard Bouée

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We have just begun to acclimatize to the changes that our economies and societies have undergone due to digital technologies. Yet people, companies and governments must now ready themselves for the next big wave of technology; artificial intelligence (AI). This new leap into the unknown arouses many fears and fantasies. Yet the massive diffusion of AI will not just deepen and accelerate the economic and social transformations initiated by the digital era. It will also bring forth new business models, new organizational patterns and new social practices, which, in my opinion, possess the power to reverse some of the negative trends for which we tend to blame technological change.   AI: More than a new technology […]

What has sustainable inclusive growth got to do with corporate strategy?
by Martin Reeves

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The world has done well by corporate capitalism – a historically unprecedented period of economic growth and human development, with millions lifted out of poverty to name but a few of its achievements. But the sustainable growth which is necessary for economic prosperity and human development alike appears to be faltering. So, how should corporations adapt their strategy agenda to respond to this challenge?   The challenge to corporations comprises not merely a moral imperative for successful corporations to give back, or to manage reputational risk prudently. The very growth which demonstrably generates the majority of corporations’ returns in the long run is under threat. If this claim sounds dramatic, consider the following facts: growth […]

The Power of Human Potential in the Face of Workforce Upheaval
by Rick Goings, Chairman & CEO Tupperware Brands Corporation

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In some respects, graduates entering the workforce today seem incredibly well-prepared. They’ve learned how to tackle financial models, build marketing plans, and lead complex projects. And yet, they’re just not ready. What they haven’t been taught – even at top-tier institutions – are vital soft skills like resilience, empathy and confidence. In a recent McKinsey survey, 60 percent of employers said that new graduates were not adequately prepared for the world of work. Forty percent reported the main reason for entry-level job vacancies to be a lack of skills – notably, including in soft skills such as communication, teamwork, a love for learning and a willingness to take risks. These traits aren’t always listed as […]