My concern is that what I will call "cheerleading" on the sidelines
won't do any good if we don't have a transparent, managed system that
controls the self-serving nature of the "invisible hand." "Go get 'em!"
is useless unless and until, I believe, we have long-term vision,
careful oversight, and national and global economy vision. The same
applies in business, I think, that rhetoric in direction A without
careful construction of systems that drive in A not B, will ultimately
create cynicism and distrust. In this regard, I think the concept of
corporate character has been vastly overrated. We should assume that
people in positions of power will be tempted beyond their ability to
make deals that "extract" from the economy rather than leave a lasting
legacy. (also not a new concept) I find it embarrassing that American
auto manufacturers are HOPING an Italian or other firm will buy them and
bail them out. America it seems to me has lost much of its moral,
ethical, and business acumen leadership. We need a new model, a
stakeholder model (Ed Freeman's work) to take hold. Even among 30 year
old MBAs now, I hear constantly the "extraction" model--how can I make
my millions by ST investing, flipping, and bailing? We need a long term
"investment" model in which as a nation we think about how to create a
positive lasting legacy rather than thinking about how to extract as
much as I can.
Best Regards,
Jim
James G. S. Clawson
Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration
Darden GSB, University of Virginia
Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906
100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903 USA
Tel: 434 924 7488 Fax: 434 243 7680
Web:
http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/clawsonj
-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:
OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Martin Evans
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 7:38 PM
To:
OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: [OB-LIST] Thi may be of interest: An old concept but still
relevant
FYI
http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/archive/x549602152/Guest-commentary
-Groupthink
--
Martin G. Evans
Professor Emeritus
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
URL:
www.rotman.utoronto.ca/~evans
,,, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American People
upon which this nation relies. It is ... the selflessness of workers who
would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job.
Barack H. Obama
The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of
those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have
too little.
Franklin D. Roosevelt