Doug Kirkpatrick is the author of Beyond Empowerment: The Age of the Self-Managed Organization.
He spent the first season of his business career in the manufacturing sector, principally with The Morning Star Company of Sacramento, California. In addition to being a world leader in the food industry, the Morning Star Company is known for being a completely self-managed organization, which we discuss in the interview.
Doug now engages with the Morning Star Self-Management Institute and other vibrant organizations and leaders to co-create the future of management.
I asked Doug to come on to the podcast because he has more experience than most with non-hierarchical organizations and I appreciate the philosophical underpinnings that shape his thinking.
Connect with Doug Kirkpatrick on LinkedIn
Podcast Notes
3:00 – Introduction to Doug
9:00 – Education system
10:00 – Doug’s background
18:00 – The Morning Star Company
21:30 – The Morning Star Colleague Principles
26:00 – Growth of the company
31:30 – Other companies/people interested in the Future of Work
35:00 – Reactions from the outside
37:00 – Doug’s work after Morningstar
41:00 – Companies that are exploring the forefront of reorganization
45:00 – Reading suggestions:
- Freedom and Accountability at Work by Peter Koestenbaum and Peter Block
- The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures by Keith McCandless and Henri Lipmanowicz
- The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom
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If you enjoyed this episode with Doug Kirkpatrick, I think you will enjoy the 2nd Annual Responsive Conference, which will be taking place this September in New York City.