The Emerging Mind
Enterprise at its best—decoupled from self-interest?
Julia Middleton has written an interesting piece for the Institute of Directors. She argues that we need to decouple 'enterprise' from 'self interest'. Julia contrasts the motivations of the bankers - 'primarily financial' with the interests of Narayana Murthy, Chair of Indian IT giants Infosys - primarily about a 'wider social gain'. Julia suggests that 'Bankers' are primarily motivated by self interest, while Murthy was motivated by a wider social need that 'transcended' personal gain. "Many people wondered why I wanted to take such a risk, to create, at that time in India, a company that would set a new standard of ethics in business. I had a good job, I was married, I had a small child, and I was brought up middle class. It was no easy decision. But all of us are driven by factors that transcend the hygiene factors: money and position. We all want to do something noble and make a difference to the context." Julia argues that this view of enterprise is "glorious and grand and is delivered the world over by people motivated not only by personal gain but also by the needs of their communities and countries. It is enterprise at its best—enterprise decoupled from self-interest." But Murthy was acting EXACTLY in … [Read more...]
The Emotional Content of ‘Enterprise Support’
I am no fan of entrepreneurship based reality TV - however I do make an exception for Gerry Robinson's Big Decision. The basic premise of the programme is as nauseating as most - Sir Gerry Robinson, one of Britain's most respected businessmen, comes to the rescue of several companies across the UK, armed with his personal cheque book. The 'white knight' rides in carrying all before him with his expertise and cash. But the reality of the programme is somewhat different. On occasion Gerry refuses to open his cheque book because he recognises that an injection of cash will actually prevent the management team from doing what has to be done. And he seldom 'diagnoses and prescribes', preferring instead to use good questions to get the various members of the management team to face up to what they know has to be done - but have previously repressed. It is also clear that any help that Gerry is able to offer is based on a real human connection. There are tears, anger, fear and real affection and caring as well. And in my experience these emotions are always present whenever help is 'non-trivial'. Yet most business advisers tend to professionalise their relationships with clients. They objectify both the … [Read more...]
Teaching Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (or any other Significant Learning)
When I did my teacher training back in 1986 I remember having my world rocked by a book called 'Teaching as a Subversive Activity' by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner. They make reference to a piece by Carl Rogers in 'On Becoming a Person'. "Rogers concludes: My experience has been that I cannot teach another person how to teach. It seems to me that anything that can be taught to another is relatively inconsequential, and has little or no significant impact on behavior. I realize increasingly that I am only interested in learnings which significantly influence behavior I have come to feel that the only learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered, self appropriated learning. Such self-discovered, truth that has been personally appropriated and assimilated in experience, cannot be directly communicated to another. As a consequence I have realised that I have lost interest in being a teacher Rogers goes on to state that the outcomes of trying to teach are either unimportant or hurtful and that he is only interested in being a learner. Some of our students react to this statement snidely, claiming that Rogers feels this way because he is a bad teacher. Honest, but bad. Others … [Read more...]
