Conversations on the Future of the Corporation

Dave Pollard asks can the Corporation Survive? Then links to an upcoming conference Future of the Corporation. He notes that the conference is proposing the redesign of corporations according to six principles. Dave’s not sure they will work although is prepared to listen. Still this got me thinking. Any time I get to thinking about the Future of the Corporation (Not that often! Other than where I’m going) I start applying what I know about open, transparent, trust, networks, learning etc. Then I expect them to be applied.

So Dave’s link took me to the Summit and there are all sorts of fantastic people going. Some I know, many more I have read.

Summit on the Future of the Corporation

All
plenary sessions at the Summit will be informal, interactive and
organized in a town-hall style format. Panelists will serve as
“conversation starters” to kick-off dialogue with and among
participants. Afternoon breakouts will be organized as small group,
“café-style” conversations with designated resource persons supporting
each group.

So…. great. Can I watch via video? Will it be blogged? Poptech can take electronic questions. Who’s going to record all this? Will it be on a wiki? Will neat visual records be kept and uploaded to flickr? How can this dialogue spill out into the open world? Will there be media there? Is blogging allowed? I cannot help it. I simply equate, blogs, wikis, social networking, real-time communications, identity services etc with how organizations approach the future. You cannot talk about the future of the organization without addressing tools that every college student is immerse in, uses and manages their life and social interactions around. Similarly you cannot look at the future without considering all this power in the palm of your hand. Organizations don’t need walls anymore. I truly believe in open source, leveraging community, and embracing and encouraging conversations…

So, what I’m getting at is… How will the environment at this summit be created help to stimulate the thinking on the Future of the Corporation. How and where does the agenda take in these new or emergent ideas? How will you open this summit to sustaining conversation? What emerging tools will you use and who will you encourage to use them and how. Example blogs.

I fail to see in the principles — ones that stretch the organization in terms of learning, real-time communications, or in terms of record-keeping. I believe the future of the organization rests in the “brand” and nothing here relates to either the brand or the idea that the organization exists due to or because of conversation, values and services or deliverables that are the result of this conversation.

Summit on the Future of the Corporation

Principles of Corporate Redesign

1. The purpose of the corporation is to harness private interests to serve the public interest.
2. Corporations shall accrue fair returns for shareholders, but not at the expense of the legitimate interests of other stakeholders.
3. Corporations shall operate sustainably, meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
4. Corporations shall distribute their wealth equitably among those who contribute to its creation.
5. Corporations shall be governed in a manner that is participatory, transparent, ethical, and accountable.
6. Corporations shall not infringe on the right of natural persons to govern themselves, nor infringe on other universal human rights.