Institutional Failure as Surprise | Samo Burja
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Institutional Failure as Surprise | Samo Burja
Another change has been the abject failure of leaders to govern as if outcomes matter. Leaders who can’t identify objectives, exercise authority, and get results—who are forever redefining what they are there to do—invite contempt for their office. Institutions struggling to fulfill their core function are taking on vast new tasks at which they hav
... See moreA biologist observed that “when a territory holder is challenged by a rival, the owner almost always wins the contest—usually within a matter of seconds.” In human affairs, the same simple rule explains much of what happens when institutions attempt to reform themselves, in “reorganizations” and “restructuring” of companies, and in efforts to ratio
... See morePeople worry about culture because they know it sets the agenda for the future.
And who wouldn’t want to be in charge of that?
Wall Street and the City held the crown through economic dominance, regulatory capture, and cultural philanthropy. They faltered in 2008 and never regained their pre-crisis legitimacy. The presumptive heir to the throne, th
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