There is something ineffable in the life of an organisation that is essential to its definition or character, but is different from its culture, vision, purpose or activities. But what is it, who holds it, and how is it passed on?
In this episode, Kate and Mark wrestle with the idea that corporate bodies might have a soul, and explore the idea developed by Peter Koenig and Tom Nixon that they do have a ‘source’: a single person who takes the first risk to realise an idea, and who often has a visceral sense of what’s right and wrong for the initiative.
They are joined by Zahra Davidson and Daniel Ford from Huddlecraft, for an extraordinary and intimate conversation about their experience of ‘working with source’. Zahra, who founded Huddlecraft, has now left the organisation. During that succession process she, Huddlecraft’s new co-directors Dan and Anna, and the rest of the Huddlecraft team have worked to identify and pass on the singular role of source. We talk about separating source from our ideas of leadership whilst recognising it as a form of power, and what it means to be the singular holder of source in a context of co-leadership.
It felt like a real privilege to be part of this – up to now – quite private conversation. This was also a very personal conversation for Mark as he considers his own succession from Shared Assets, the organisation that he founded and has co-directed for 13 years.
Resources:
Read the article accompanying the episode here.
* Zahra and Dan’s organisation: Huddlecraft
* Work With Source - Tom Nixon
* Embracing Complexity with Jean Boulton
* Sophy Banks / Healthy Human Culture
* Hong Kong Phooey / Henry the mild mannered janitor
* Elinor Ostrom’s 8 rules for managing the commons
Follow us: at
… or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us: at corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com
Presenters:
Kate Swade (she/her), independent organisational development and governance consultant
Mark Walton (he/him), Founder and Director, Shared Assets
Interviewee/s:
Zahra Davidson (she/her), Non-Exec Director & Associate, and Daniel Ford (he/him), Co-Director, Huddlecraft
Editor: Katie Revell (she/her)
Artwork: Hanna Norberg-Williams (they/them)
Supporters:
The series is supported by the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), which is a cutting edge research organisation based at the University of Surrey. CUSP explores the question: What does prosperity mean in a world of environmental, social, and economic limits? For more details, visit cusp.ac.uk.
