The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy

Ron and Ed usually wait six months before having a previous Guest reappear on the show. This is one of the exceptions. Our conversation today focuses on a new conference that Hector and his team are developing, Business Models of the Future Knowledge Worker. Hector will share his thoughts and we will have a live brainstorming event around topic for conversation at the conference. Participate live by posting on X to @asktsoe.

Diving into topics like education reform, immortality, history lessons to prevent atrocities, China's potential decline, benefits of a multi-party system, the future of the car industry, psychological safety in the workplace, and the role of timesheets in revenue generation for professions.

Ron and Ed welcome Bryan Caplan, professor of economics at George Mason University. Bryan is a prolific author and speaker on wide range of economic and other fantastically nerdy topics from voting to role playing games. Bryan's substack, Bet on It, has addressed the following topic in the month of July alone: * Cars and convenience * An offer to illustrate a book of his using AI * Abusers giving vice a bad name * Non rival assets for the poor * Open borders on trial * The status of women Prepare to be impressed. If you have question or comment for Bryan, please email us at asktsoe@verasage.com or tag us on Twitter (soon to be X.com) using @asktsoe

Blair Enns is the founder of Win Without Pitching, the sales training organization for creative professionals. He is the author of two books, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour. He is the co-host, along with David C. Baker, of the podcast 2Bobs: Conversations on the Art of Creative Entrepreneurship. Best of all, he is the guest on this week’s show with Ron and Ed. A good portion of the show will be spend talking about The Innoficiency Principle. Blair laid out the thoughts behind this principle at this link and described it quite succinctly. From Blair: “The Innoficiency Principle states that innovation and efficiency are mutually opposable goals. In any reasonably functioning organization, one cannot be increased without decreasing the other.”

Join Ed and Ron as they discuss the book William Donaldson, PhD: Simple_Complexity: A Guide to Systems Thinking. Systems are both simple and complex, which contain amazing constructs that one often must marvel. Systems also have a mind and a rhythm of their own. The parts do not exist independent of the whole, and you can't understand the parts without understanding the whole, and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Your organization's culture is an emergent property of your system. If you want to change the culture, you have to change the system, which is comprised of three components: Elements; Interactions; and Purpose. Hat tip to Mark Gandy at CFO Bookshelf for interviewing the author of this excellent book.

For the third time, Ron and Ed will welcome back Tim Williams, one of the foremost thinkers about professional firm strategy and positioning. Tim thinks deeply about these topic, but has the ability to simplify and communicate complex topics to us and his audiences worldwide. We will also ask him about his thinking with regard to generative AI and the potential impact on advertising and marketing. If you have a comment or question for Tim, please tag us at @asktsoe on Twitter or send an email to asktsoe@verasage.com.

In this episode Ron and Ed will dissect a recent blog post by Marc Andreessen entitled Why AI Will Save the World. It is a deep and thoughtful piece by someone who has done some very deep thinking. We will discuss the items upon which agree and those with which we quibble. The post can be found here - https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/ - and we welcome any thoughts or questions you might want us to explore. Hit us up on Twitter @asktsoe.

Ron and Ed welcome back the Godfather of modern consulting Peter Block for his second appearance. This episode is dedicated to the possibility that human beings are better served when we confront our freedom (the title of Peter's new book). Doing so, is difficult, challenging, and not for everyone. If you want to begin the process of confronting your own freedom, you are invited to participate in this episode. Safe return doubtful!

Another deep dive into the perils of ESG. This is based on Vivek Ramaswamy's latest book, Capitalist Punishment: How Wall Street Is Using Your Money to Create a Country You Didn't Vote For. Ed and Ron will provide the main points from this critical look at ESG. If you've wondered how FTX can achieve a higher score on its G (Governance) than did Exxon-Mobil, you won't want to miss this show.

Joining Ed and Ron this week is Robin D. Hanson of associate professor of economics at George Mason University. Robin is the author of two fascinating books, The Age of Em and The Elephant in the Brain. He has worked with the Foresight Institute and DARPA, but perhaps his colleague at George Mason Bryan Caplan put it best: When the typical economist tells me about his latest research, my standard reaction is 'Eh, maybe.' Then I forget about it. When Robin Hanson tells me about his latest research, my standard reaction is 'No way! Impossible!' Then I think about it for years.