"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." -Will Durant
I had heard this in the movie Apocalypto - an awesome movie if you ask me !
The news of Lehman brothers filing for bankruptcy makes me remember that little sentence again. The nature of a great corporation today is so similar to the "great civilizations" of long ago. They have their work cultures, they have their own hierarchies, and they have their dedicated ground staff defending the institution.
The fall of companies like Lehman brothers is an eye opener for us. We have trusted the system of massively incorporated companies and banks to produce productive sustenance to the people employed as well as for the population in general. We believe that these companies with their immense work force, hierarchy and accountancy departments cannot go wrong in evaluating their self-worth and can in fact change the course of money to make the ends meet. But how wrong we are - and more often than not.
In a structured multi layered corporation it is quite impossible for every employee to have personal knowledge or interest in what the corporation is all about. They, like little ants fulfill their little tasks - all the while trusting their work-masters to have all the answers.
But that is so far from the truth in the present times. In these times when we have quantified our resources into an abstract concept called money. Hence we often get deluded into making these "billion dollar deals". We believe that the coming together of a lot of money means a lot of nodding heads. So wrong, so very wrong. Its like believing that "The Blair Witch Project" is about some real footage - just because the video is as shoddy as from a hand held videocam.
How can we avoid an impasse like this ? This questions begs asking - as we boldly march into the age of Corporations. Well the answer is neither simple to comprehend or to implement. First of all its imperative that the corporation has an ideologue - could be a loose one - but should atleast exists. It should be obvious to an outsider as to what this company will do and what it will not do - in effect the ideologue. Secondly every employee should be made aware of the "ideologue" and asked to acquiesce or leave. (In this case there will be arm-twisting with money and lollipops - but at the least the employee will be aware of the circumstances he made his decision in). Thirdly anyone who contracts/deals with the corporation should also be asked to have these practices in place.
These three simple steps might one day prevent such disasters. To quote Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve - “Let’s recognize that this is a once in a half-century, probably once in a century type of event.” He continued by saying that it was the worst “by far” he has seen in his career.
We are at a very real crossroad now. This is not a Rambo movie where "with grit and brutal determination" the "good" in the end overcomes the "evil". There is no clear enemy here - the devil they say lies in the details. We have put our money behind these corporations for a long time now. Its time we examine the authenticity of these institutions and question the malpractice which is evidently inside most private corporations. Money and its accumulation in one place - can no longer be the best yardstick for the "free economy".
In the present context we should now start a new "economy of choice" - a place where the participants are aware of their personal as well "corporational" responsibilities. That would be a truer testament to the will of the masses. In fact it may lead to some good social evolution.
