by Daryl Conner The article provides a cookbook approach on how to lead effective change in an organization. The article begins by describing the change process and identifies the key approaches needed to effectively affect change. The first section describes the pitfalls of doing change badly. In fact, it’s clear from the text that a badly executed change can result in far worse consequences than not trying the change in the first place. Furthermore, leaders identified with failed change related projects are diminished and are often rendered ineffective in all future endeavors. The first step in effectively accomplishing change is... Continue reading

by Michael Thomas & Bill Veltrop Our corporations are the proverbial children of the world, who have been allowed to create any amount of mess they choose, without consequence or comprehension of the true nature and effect of this mess on the world. It is time for companies to “grow up” in a sense and take responsibility for their actions. The time of ignorance has passed and it is a time for conscious actions. Three reasons why the corporations have been unconscious capitalists: Design Flaw #1 — Narrow and Limited Definition of Success For the longest time, the success of... Continue reading

This commentary by Peter Senge opens with part of a speech given by John Browne, CEO of BP, stating “there comes a time when prudent precautionary actions must be taken…if we wait until there is complete unanimity among scientists about the effects of continued increases in carbon in the atmosphere, we will have waited much too long to do anything about it.” He uses motivation and goal setting to boost morale and interest around this environmental concern. Browne is also making a significant point that it should not take unanimity among scientists for actions to be taken; actions may be... Continue reading

by William H. Marquard and Ann B. Graham At the beginning, the author objected the conventional wisdom of viewing corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues as a burden—a necessary cost of doing business in a multi-stakeholder environment. People generally view increasing shareholder value and serving the needs of society’s stakeholders as mutually exclusive: the Great OR of business. By citing Peter Drucker’s statement of “Every single social and global issue of our day is a business opportunity in disguise.” the author argues that Finding the AND transforms corporate social responsibilities into corporate social opportunities and converts those opportunities into sustainable profits... Continue reading

The Thinking in Systems book introduces a reader to a different way of thinking about everyday problems that are found in nature, business, society and life. The book begins its narrative by introducing a concept of simple systems, as illustrated by a thermostat which controls the temperature in a room. This illustration introduced the notion of control and feedback loops. The simple system shows the effectiveness of the system, while illustrating how system failure can occur if the strength of control loops does not match the power of feedback or other loops that influence the behavior of the overall system.... Continue reading

Sustainability: what it means to people and companies and what they are doing (or need to do) to go about it. The interview between Peter Senge and Michael S. Hopkins touches upon various issues and wake up calls companies have faced or soon need to face in order to survive. According to Peter Senge, sustainability is not one of his favourite words because he feels it dilutes the true essence of the phenomenon associated with sustainability. Sustainability, he feels does not capture the true sense of what needs to be done and the steps companies and we as consumers need... Continue reading

Review of “Unrequited Profit: How Stakeholder and Economic Values Relate to Subordinates’ Perceptions of Leadership and Firm Performance,” by Mary Sully de Luque (Thunderbird School of Global Management), Nathan T. Washburn (Thunderbird School of Global Management), David A. Waldman (Arizona State University), and Robert J. House (University of Pennsylvania). The article is based on a study that examines the indirect effects of executives’ stakeholder and economic values on firm performance through their followers’ perceptions of leadership and followers’ extra effort. Two types of leadership are perceived by followers in the study, autocratic and visionary. The study notes that leaders’ emphasis... Continue reading

Videos from Bentley University CCC Conference, May 28-29, 2009 This is an all-star lineup of leading thinkers on Conscious Capitalism, including Peter Senge, Roy Spence, Ed Freeman, Raj Sisodia, John Mackey, Glen Urban, David Wolfe, Jag Sheth, Jim Post, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Joshua Margolis, Sandra Waddock, Mark Albion, Phil Mirvis, Debashis Chatterjee and many others. Continue reading

To be conscious means to be awake, mindful. To live consciously means to be open to perceiving the world around and within us, to understand our circumstances, and to decide how to respond to them in ways that honor our needs, values, and goals…. A conscious business fosters peace and happiness in the individual, respect and solidarity in the community, and mission accomplishment in the organization. Fred Kofman, Conscious Business Business today needs a new paradigm because “business as usual” is just not working any more. Public distrust of business is at historic highs; many employees, customers and other stakeholders... Continue reading