Unlocking the power of enterprise for a more beautiful world Part #4.
This week’s article is the fourth of a series of seven about the Considerations for a Beautiful Syntropic Enterprise. In the article, we explore Pillar #3. Structural Integrity of Organisational Design. Creating Ecologies of Trust and Synergy
If you want to read the introduction article from March 17th, you can access it here. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-1/
To access Pillar #1, here is the link. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-2/
To access Pillar #2, here is the link. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-3/
As a reminder, here are the 6 Pillars we are currently working through.
Pillar 1. Clarity of the Source Idea – the original impulse and Evolutionary Purpose
Pillar 2. Self-development as a leader/steward
Pillar 3. Structural Integrity of Organisational Design. Creating Ecologies of Trust and Synergy
Pillar 4. People, teams, culture. A company of people and relationships.
Pillar 5. Networks and the field. A healthy economy is a healthy network of relationships with people, creatures, our Earth, the future, and the sacred.
Pillar 6. Strategy and Implementation. The Dance of Time, emergent strategy, strategic intention, and the autopoiesis of a living enterprise.
Let’s dive into the three elements of Pillar 3. Structural Integrity of Organisational Design. Creating Ecologies of Trust and Synergy
1. What legal governance model best fits what you are doing?
We need to know the difference between all of the corporate and legal entities. The options. It is much easier to start with the right entity that meets the purpose and aims of the enterprise you aspire to build than to retrofit it later. Plus, the legal entity will carry the energetic thread of that structure into your organisation, even if you are unaware of this.
Most organisations simply overlay their aspirational enterprise on an existing legal model, not realising that when they do, they are inviting the archetypal energy of that legal entity to the enterprise.
A limited liability corporation was designed in 1600 AD for a very specific purpose. Do you understand its history and original design principles? Do you care? Have you considered that when introducing this type of legal entity to your organisation, you are bringing in those principles and embedded codes, whether you want to or not? Do you really want to limit your liability?
Or would you like to take full responsibility for what you create and deliver? What does full responsibility mean? If you did take full responsibility, would you change your design considerations from the get-go?
We rarely stop to consider what is needed to support the fullest expression of the form of the enterprise we aspire to steward. And given our lack of future-based legal entities that express the business of being human, best for fit now is still not best for future fit. Bcorps and Benefit corporations are better, but they are still an example of deck chair rearranging of a very old and broken system.
Purpose Economy is an enterprise committed to supporting Steward Owned enterprises. Steward Ownership structures ensure the Pattern Integrity of the Source Idea can never be violated.
Syntropic World is in the process of becoming a Steward Owned Enterprise.
Katharina Pistor’s The Code of Capital – How the law creates wealth and inequality – is an excellent reference for understanding the codes embedded in our corporation and business laws.
2. What organisational design enables great, aligned people to show up with their full agency and yet work in community?
We want to be sure the design matches the purpose of the enterprise. That it is in harmony with the values and principles. This is an intricate and iterative design process. Almost every organisation steps right over this. It is entirely possible to design an enterprise that ensures people hold themselves to account, take full responsibility for their actions, take on roles and jobs as needed, and contribute with love to the success of the whole – the mission and purpose of the enterprise and the well being of all participants. Please check out the Trust Manifesto for Syntropic World for an example of an organisational design.
When we create a threshold-crossing enterprise agreement, we are deliberately designing a culture in which people like us do things like this.
3. How does your enterprise thrive? What is the business model?
The business model needs to match the future aspirations of the company. The British Company Riversimple wanted to create the most affordable environmental local transport mechanism possible. Their hydrogen cars come at a fixed monthly cost. Each month, you pay one figure that covers every single vehicle cost. No extras. Fuel, maintenance, registration, breakdown, insurance. This means that for Riversimple to be profitable financially, they need their vehicles to never breakdown down and to be super-efficient when it comes to fuel, as they are paying for breakdown service and fuel. They also wanted their vehicles to be beautiful, affordable, environmental, and long-lasting.
When we incentivise for a healthy future for all, we get a healthy future.
When we incentivise for profit, we get exploitation, extraction to extinction and colonisation.
Get the business model right, and ensure it is aligned with your values, purpose, and deep desires. Use tools such as the Business Model Canvas to work with. Invite all stakeholders to the design table.
The business model must thrive in all domains, not just a few. In Syntropic World, a central tool is Synergistic Accounting, which considers value in six domains: matter, currency, knowledge, tools and artefacts, warm data, and well-being. We use Synergistic Accounting to determine what people have the capacity, willingness and desire to bring to the enterprise and what they expect in return, plus how to provision, recruit, and define roles.
Links
If you want to read the introduction article from March 17th, you can access it here. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-1/
To access Pillar #1, here is the link. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-2/
To access Pillar #2, here is the link. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-3/
Purpose Economy https://purpose-economy.org/en/
The Code of Capital – https://amzn.asia/d/538LbWK
Create an enterprise where people do the best work of their lives for a world with a future https://syntropic.world/create-an-enterprise-where-people-do-the-best-work-of-their-lives-for-a-world-with-a-future/
It is time to balance the Declaration of Human Rights with the Declaration of Human Responsibilities. https://syntropic.world/time-for-the-declaration-of-human-responsibility-to-counterbalance-and-make-honest-the-declaration-of-human-rights/
Trust Manifesto for Syntropic World https://synergy.syntropic.world/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Syntropic-Enterprise-Trust-Manifesto-July-2023.pdf
Trust Manifesto: The Secret Ingredient for Team Success https://syntropic.world/trust-manifesto-the-secret-ingredient-for-team-success/
Synergistic Accounting https://syntropic.world/synergistic-accounting-workshop/
