We talk about bureaucracy (and its downsides) on this show all the time. But what about a humanocracy? What would that look like? Luckily, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini have written a wonderful book to explore that question. And their answer is simple: we have to abandon the ways of the past and allow organizations to be as amazing as the people inside them. Easier said than done, but more necessary than ever.

In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Michele Zanini, co-founder of the Management Lab and co-author of Humanocracy, about the overlap between Brave New Work and Humanocracy, how urgent and vital the work of change is, and how he's learned to approach it. There are few in our space that have written as poignantly and knowingly about the perils and promise of work in the 21st century, so listen and learn along with us.

Learn more about Michele on his website, on LinkedIn, or on Twitter.

Learn more about Humanocracy and get the book or take the Bureaucracy Mass Index (BMI) to see where your company sits.

Mentioned references:

Enneagram
RAND Corporation
McChrystal Group
JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command)
Abraham Maslow
Douglas McGregor
Rensis Likert
Edgar Schein
"Topeka Plant and General Foods"
W.L. Gore
Nucor
Handelsbanken
Mikhail Gorbachev's role in Perestroika and nomenklatura
Zhang Ruimin, Founder and Chairman of Haier
"like Taylor would"
Morning Star
Sun Hydraulics
Martin Heidegger
Immanuel Kant
Oliver Hart and "incomplete contracts theory"
Michelin

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Ryan Manion

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