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The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century by John Kay
Description
“Why the Old Corporate Machine Is Broken — And What Comes Next”
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Title: The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century
Author: John Kay
Category: Leadership & Team Building, Business Strategy, Decision-Making & Critical Thinking
Why is the old corporate machine broken, and what comes next? Sam and Sophie dig into John Kay's provocative argument that the traditional corporation is obsolete.
They walk through Kay's critique of the machine metaphor, the myth of the all-powerful CEO, and the shift from an economy of things to an economy of ideas. The episode covers why culture beats strategy, why shareholder value maximization is a flawed goal, and what a trust-based, networked company actually looks like. They also discuss how work is becoming more fluid and why investing in human capital is key.
This episode is for anyone who works in or with organizations and wants to understand why the old rules no longer apply. The takeaway: the future belongs to companies built on trust, purpose, and adaptability, not command and control.
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Chapters
00:00The Broken Machine Metaphor01:12From Things to Ideas01:38The Myth of the All-Powerful CEO02:07Culture Beats Strategy02:30The Flaw of Shareholder Value04:11The Network Model and Trust
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