Middleground
For society to maintain its level of well-being and progress, it must
join its talent with its resources, and its dreams. It must break the
paradox that has been persistent throughout history, summed up by
Alfred Whitehead: “Those who have money have no ideas and those
who have ideas have no money”.
It makes sense to connect these two economic poles of society: the
solid, established companies (the upperground), and the weaker, upcoming
initiatives (the underground). The established companies are
like the leaves of a tree, which generate oxygen for society (the creation
of riches). The upcoming initiatives are like its roots, searching
constantly for new nourishment to give them life.
The established companies are economically and financially solid, and
above all, have good knowledge and experience of management and the
workings of the markets. The new companies have audacity and vision,
and the passion of entrepreneurs, plus a certain amount of motivation
and positive bravado that generally no longer exists in the established
organisations. The established companies have their confirmed routes
(positive aspect) but are over cautious with their brakes (negative aspect);
whereas the upcoming companies are keen to advance (positive
aspect) but have little power for acceleration (negative aspect).
A society has other examples of upper and under: the nationals of
a country and the expatriates who live there (a curious euphemism
to describe emigrants who carry a postdoctorate qualification). Hard industry and soft services. Supply and demand. The normal (mainstream),
and the different (greenfield). The establishment and the challengers.
Quite simply, the old and the new. The company (past) and the
school (future). Business and research groups in a university, etc.
Future organisations (and society) will need new tools, new “institutions”
(see Hayek), new social mechanisms, which connect the upperground
with the underground. Something which we might call
middleground. Connecting mechanisms that will allow upper and under
to meet and begin a dialogue, to develop new projects together to
which each can bring its best qualities.
In the tree metaphor in the drawing, a tree with abundant leaves
and strong roots is nothing without a trunk to connect them. The
new nutrients that are constantly absorbed by the roots need to
reach the higher branches so that the leaves that allow the tree to
breathe can form. Without a trunk, there’s no tree. Without a middleground
there’ll be no progress. This is something that perhaps
wasn’t necessary a few decades ago, but is now imperative in an age
marked by short life cycles, the increased speed of ideas-to-value
conversion, and innovation as a fundamental mechanism of an organisation’s
survival.
For almost 15 years, Infonomia has had the vocation to function as the middleground
between Spain’s established businesses and its upcoming
ideas and companies.
From my book Visionomics.
