For a while I’ve had a hankering to establish some kind of centre of learning here in Brighton where we can gather, share and learn about new better ways to approach business. (And with a Wired Sussex hat on, we’ve had in parallel conversations with the University of Brighton discussions about how we could collaborate on something like this – but here I’m just thinking about what this could be like started from scratch).
This thing would be or lead to a school of thought as much as a physical school.
Where the learning blends the following influences:
- Semco
- Cluetrain
- WorldBlu companies (inc. Zappos, Namasté Solar, DaVita etc)
- Rebuild21
- Umair Haque
- SeeStep / Conscious Business
- Design thinking
- Permaculture and systems thinking
I have been thinking it might be good to start with a summer school approach, a bit like d.school.
The buzz words and values would be along these lines:
- Towards a sustainable world
- Design – matters
- Innovation – in all things
- Peer learning – we learn from one another
- Learning by doing – yup
- Diversity – in the search for the best possible results
- Open – in all things
- Different – always and above all
It’s definitely not a CSR thing. It’s a business thing. A better business thing. The Better Business School?
Will McInnes 
Sounds like an amazing idea, and could scale nicely to spread the word. Let me know if I can help, as ever.
Sounds v interesting…
A welcome notion. But I must confess to a great suspicion of business schools per se. This is largely a result of spending many of my formative years in business in both US and Europe with people from the most revered of business schools.
It always seemed to me that the products of these business schools, the MBAs, were similar. They thought the same way and celebrated the same goals. It was a way of thinking, that they had been taught. A set of tools had been granted to them. They were in business, hired by MBAs, reporting to MBAs, doing an MBA dance.
Now that is not criticise thy Better Business School idea at all. I like the concept. But in championing such a scheme making sure that the same ideas are not constantly celebrated, must be coded into the DNA. Innovation has become, I think, a codeword for doing something “slightly differently”, for instance
Also, I am very interested in dissent and how that can be meaningfully be baked into company decision making and potentially rewarded. Can such an idea be taught at a business school. I wonder? It has a rich tradition in the judicial world.
Just a few rather random, unstructured, sunday afternoon rambles. As per.
Why don’t I read your blog more often. Love this idea, the world needs one of these.
very nice… i really like your blog…