The manipulation of the Libor interest exchange rate, rings of "non-insider" insider trading, rings of cell phone hacking, an established Quattrone syndrome in the Valley of Silicone, gentlemen agreements in engineering circles overriding quality controls, and just out, puerto rican tax refunds going through an organized interception on the week of the NFL draft. Poor Griffin the Third, it is hard to go against those odds.
It was noise and incoherent appearances until now, but it is a noise that is starting to become a whistle. Once unknown to the many, it is becoming a symphony with each passing year: the voice of the wisdom of the crowds in an interconnected world.
Meanwhile corporations look desperately for innovation. Motor companies are opening labs in Silicon Valley hoping to harness creativity. Dell wakes up in the middle of the night with cold sweats. Japanese companies are slowly vanishing. Sony is seeing its previous aura in Apple while institutional investors want to cash out from Apple to avoid re-investments they never intended. Panasonic refocus its business to dishwashers. The circle in the financial industry ends up overriding the core businesses and the banker's reputation.
There are no tools to categorize and easily reference* the power of the circles. It seems the only defense businesses have is the esoteric solution of corporate culture and values. It is esoteric at the present time, but it becomes very palpable with every passing year. In this new world, only the ones who managed to keep the old ways, private, and established cultures might have a true chance to last.
The other true solution is accommodating global minds. Higher management is more and more: more international. The inherent value that can bring global minds together is the business, not the circle. A person Art is the hot sale. With the new wave of people who abstained from online interactions, I wonder if the new Art has to be conceived in an old fashion, archaic, unconnected brick and mortar mind.
*Delightful X Files Reference
