Harvard Business Review’s Spotlight this month is on “The Good Company”. 

If, like me, you have been a little cautious of past attempts to define a mission or purpose for managers that reaches beyond their increasing value for shareholders (i.e. the owners) then Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s article, How Great Companies Think Differently is a must-read.  By taking a longer view of great companies, she has succeeded in framing the task of increasing shareholder value within a broader context which doesn’t jar.

For Kanter, the six facets of what she terms “institutional logic” are:

• A common purpose
• A long-term focus
• Emotional Engagement
• Partnering with the public
• Innovation
• Self-organisation

It’s a persuasive concept and worth considering. 

Business Strategy, Organisational Humanity