Strategists trying to understand and influence the future of an organization will study the “containing system” surrounding it. That is, factors that affect the environment in which the organization operates. Social forces, regulatory changes, competitor actions, and global economic trends are examples. But rarely do strategists consider the notion of whether our nation remains a democracy or operates under capitalism as a component of that containing system. It may be time that we do so. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley‘s comments at his farewell ceremony moved me deeply. Appointed by Trump, he is voluntarily retiring. You might remember that when Trump refused to concede the election, Milley reached out to his counterparts in China. He said the US would not attack China during Trump’s increasingly erratic last days in office. For this act, Trump has accused Milley of…
The price of profits
Today’s youth pose burning questions about capitalism. For examples: How is it that we live in a country of extraordinary wealth but have low ratings on many societal quality-of-life measures, like infant mortality, affordable housing, food insecurity, and maternal health? How do we continue to abide by a system that generates untold wealth while risking natural calamities due to climate change? Wasn’t the point of technology to let us work less and live more freely? Instead, technology has created increased productivity that benefited incomes for the few at the top while the rest of us can’t even afford health care and a roof over our heads as gig workers. I studied economics after asking myself, “How is all this order – jobs, incomes, homes, and goods – created? What makes it all seemingly work?” I learned that capitalism is the mechanism that incentivizes…