Business Leaders in Glorious Transition

The entire world is in transition: Business must transition, too.

Here, you'll read contributions of my friends, other business professionals who are working to turn from their Mechanical Business Models to ever more profitable Organic Business Models.

You'll read their successes as well as their difficulties in making the transition from the hierarchical, control based practices characteristic of most of our years in business. You'll see how wonderfully profitable companies can be when they learn to tap the powerful creative energy of employees.

CJ Coolidge & Richard Squaredime - 2008
Showing posts with label Mechanical Business Model. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mechanical Business Model. Show all posts

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Politicians are Just Bad for Business - They Only Think Mechanically

Rigidity has never produced a structure capable of good function in an environment of changing conditions.

Skyscrapers are designed with the ability to "sway" in the wind, or to "flex" in case of an earthquake. The wings of the great airliners are designed to "give and take" in the face of changing air density and current so that the body of the plane can maintain maximum stability in turbulence. Bridges, towers, roads, ships are strengthened with flexibility. Attempting to eliminate this "flux" with rigidity would result in disaster.

Why, then, do politicians continue to press as though greater centralized control and rigidity offers anything of a benefit to America's economic strength in the face of ever changing conditions? Why do so many otherwise intelligent Americans fall for the same tripe? Simple. They all must be ignorant of the way things really work.

As I will continue to suggest, whatever economic conditions may seem to create problems for our society, each is solved when individual participants learn to contribute in a value producing and meaningful way.

It's the way of the organic business model.

  • Every participant can then know what he/she does best.
  • Every participant can then discover how what they do makes a difference for the people or companies they serve.
  • Then, because the organic system strives to compensate based on the actual value delivered, each participant may elect to contribute, and therefore earn, as much, or as little as they desire.


No heavyweight management is required. No supreme controller or almighty decision maker is necessary. No artificial value requirements need be imposed.

It makes sense.

All of the mechanical model "controllers" ought to pay attention to Brian Wesbury, chief economist for First Trust Portfolios, LP. In an editorial published June 11, 2008 in the WSJ. Brian astutely observes:

"In contrast to what some people seem to believe, having the government take over the health-care system is not change. It's just a culmination of previous moves by government. And the areas with the worst problems today are areas that have the most government interference – education, health care and energy."

"The best course of action is to allow a free-market economy to reallocate resources to the place of highest returns. In the midst of all the natural change, the last thing the U.S. economy needs is more government involvement, whether it's called change or not."

The Organic Model makes this possible.

In today's hyper-dynamic world, hardening mechanical models in attempt to improve economic conditions will prove no more successful than removing the flexability from the wings of an aircraft. Such a practice will at best, only increase the discomfort of the passengers. At worst, it will render the plane unfit to fly.

CJ Coolidge is managing director for The Institute for Inangibles-Driven Enterprise, and a consultant with Administaff, Inc. He writes for No More Androids: People-Profits X Factor on Blogger.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Mechanical Model in Action

I just went to the local Cheddar's restaurant and encountered a typical mechanical business model full-force. My family had just sat down in our booth and we decided we wanted chips and salsa as an appetizer. So we told the waitress and she went to put in the order. While she was gone, we decided we wanted some queso, as well, and asked her to add that to our order. Her mechanical response was, "I just put your order in. I would have to go back and change it to get you the queso." We told her that is what we wanted and to please change it. She huffed off and reluctantly "allowed us" to pay the restaurant more money.

How frustrating the oppression of the mechanical business model is on line staff! Why did they instill in their customer service worker that when customers ask to spend more money, it is a hassle because the system does not work with you easily on such a change? Please "Go Organic", Cheddar's!