Corporate Bodies

Episode 11: Brainwaves

Join Mark and Kate as they look back over the last ten episodes of Corporate Bodies and talk about what they’ve learned. They particularly talk about how their thinking about legal personhood and the other “original sins” of incorporation has changed. They talk about how organisations might change if we conceptualise them as ecosystems that need tending rather than people that need animating, and other day-to-day practices we might use to change how we approach work. They also consider what the next step for the Corporate Bodies project might be – and are looking for funders, supporters, and fellow travellers as they explore next steps. Should they examine organisational weirdness in bigger organisations? Uncover more links between work and intimate relationships? Maybe think about more structural or legalistic changes to corporate structures? Let them know what you think by emailing corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com [corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com] or dropping a voicenote to www.speakpipe.com/corporatebodies [https://www.speakpipe.com/corporatebodies] Resources: The article accompanying the episode is here [https://open.substack.com/pub/corporatebodies/p/from-corporate-bodies-to-gardens?r=1iays&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]. * You can see all the podcast episodes we refer to here [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/podcast] * Find more on the original sins here: incorporation [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/original-sins-incorporation], limited liability [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/original-sins-limited-liability], legal personhood [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/original-sins-incorporation-ed1] and employment contracting [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/always-read-the-fine-print] * Annette Dhami and her team’s work on Beyond the Rules at Dark Matter Labs [https://darkmatterlabs.org/] – more here [https://darkmatterlabs.notion.site/Beyond-the-Rules-19e692bf98f54b44971ca34700e246fd], or a great overview here [https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/beyondtherules-balanced-governance-and-behaving-well-everywhere-every-day-5aa852b4843e] * Esther Perel’s “How’s Work” [https://www.estherperel.com/podcasts/hw-s1-episode1] podcast Follow us: at … or wherever you get your podcasts. Email us: at corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com [corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com] Presenters: Kate Swade (she/her), independent organisational development and governance consultant Mark Walton (he/him), Founder and Director, Shared Assets Editor: Katie Revell [https://katierevell.com/] (she/her) Artwork: Hanna Norberg-Williams [https://hannanorbergwilliams.myportfolio.com/home] (they/them) Music: fête beat [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/huit-moments-avec-jean/fete-beat/] by Jean Toba [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/] 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 [http://cusp.ac.uk]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit corporatebodies.substack.com [https://corporatebodies.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 10: Composting

What might lie beyond the corporation? In the previous episode (Death [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/episode-9-death], with Louise Armstrong) we explored how the end of an organisation could liberate the people and resources within it to do new things. In this episode, Kate and Mark consider whether we might move beyond the idea of the corporate body entirely, and explore what other ways we might organise collectively. They are joined by Esther Foreman from Social Change Nest to talk about the potential for thinking about organising collectively as more like an ecosystem than a human body. They discuss how such a shift might need us to become more comfortable with mess and death, how we might need different rituals for marking endings and setting boundaries, and how we need to think differently about our own roles as individuals and about the sort of infrastructure a post-corporate world might require. Resources: The article accompanying the episode is here [https://open.substack.com/pub/corporatebodies/p/moving-beyond-the-corporate-body?r=22nd8k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]. * Esther’s organisations * Social Change Agency [https://thesocialchangeagency.org/] * Social Change Nest [https://thesocialchangenest.org/] * Social Change Hive * Young Trustees Movement [https://youngtrusteesmovement.org/] * Brent Giving [https://www.brentgiving.org/] * Mycelial networks resources * The Overstory by Richard Powers [https://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/] – novel * Bioneers: The Universe Beneath Our Feet: Mapping the Mycelial Web of Life [https://bioneers.org/universe-beneath-our-feet-mapping-mycelial-web-of-life/] – podcast episode * Suzanne Simard [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Simard] – researcher on forest ecology and plant intelligence * Kew Carbon Garden [https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-in-the-gardens/carbon-garden] – exhibition * Good Ancestor Movement [https://www.goodancestormovement.com/] * Farming the Future [https://www.farmingthefuture.uk/] * Healthy Food Healthy Planet [https://www.hfhp.eu/] * KIN [https://www.kinfolknetwork.com/] * Scaling Land Based Social Enterprises [https://www.sharedassets.org.uk/resources/scaling-land-based-social-enterprises] Follow us: at … or wherever you get your podcasts. Email us: at corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com [corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com] Presenters: Kate Swade [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-swade/] (she/her), independent organisational development and governance consultant Mark Walton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-walton-9b2aa023/] (he/him), Founder and Director, Shared Assets Interviewee: Esther Foreman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherforeman/], Chief Encouragement Officer, The Social Change Nest CIC [https://thesocialchangenest.org/] Editor: Katie Revell [https://katierevell.com/] (she/her) Artwork: Hanna Norberg-Williams [https://hannanorbergwilliams.myportfolio.com/home] (they/them) Music: fête beat [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/huit-moments-avec-jean/fete-beat/] by Jean Toba [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/] 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 [http://cusp.ac.uk]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit corporatebodies.substack.com [https://corporatebodies.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 9: Death

What does it mean for an organisation to die? It’s relatively straightforward to close a company down and take it off the Companies House register – but emotionally, it’s much more complex. In this episode, Kate and Mark explore their own experiences of being part of organisations that are closing down. They are joined by Louise Armstrong, co-founder of the Decelerator [https://decelerator.org.uk/], to explore organisational endings. This conversation covers the signs (beyond money!) that an ending might be on the horizon for an organisation, grappling with trying to do long-term work, the parallels between organisational endings and relationship breakups, and more. Endings are always beginnings – so are there opportunities that we are missing because of the stigma about shame and failure associated with organisational endings? This is a really timely conversation given how much change and volatility there is in the world at the moment – as Louise says, “the work of tending to endings is going to continue for lifetimes”. Resources: Read the article accompanying the episode here [https://open.substack.com/pub/corporatebodies/p/memento-mori?r=1iays&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]. * The Decelerator [https://decelerator.org.uk/] * Louise’s other work includes Thirty Percy Foundation [https://www.thirtypercy.org/] and more [https://linktr.ee/louise_armstrong]. * Guidance from Companies House on dissolving [https://www.gov.uk/strike-off-your-company-from-companies-register] and liquidating [https://www.gov.uk/liquidate-your-company] a company * New Constellations - entering into a chrysalis phase [https://newconstellations.substack.com/p/celebrating-five-years-and-preparing] * A “just transition” [https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/environmental-justice/just-transition/] explainer Follow us: at … or wherever you get your podcasts. Email us: at corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com [corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com] Presenters: Kate Swade (she/her), independent organisational development and governance consultant Mark Walton (he/him), Founder and Director, Shared Assets Interviewee: Louise Armstrong [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-armstrong-83143128/] (she/her), Co-Founder, The Decelerator [https://decelerator.org.uk/] Editor: Katie Revell [https://katierevell.com/] (she/her) Artwork: Hanna Norberg-Williams [https://hannanorbergwilliams.myportfolio.com/home] (they/them) Music: fête beat [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/huit-moments-avec-jean/fete-beat/] by Jean Toba [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/] 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 [http://cusp.ac.uk]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit corporatebodies.substack.com [https://corporatebodies.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 8: The Soul

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 [https://open.substack.com/pub/corporatebodies/p/source-soul-and-strange-attractors?r=22nd8k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]. * Zahra and Dan’s organisation: Huddlecraft [https://www.huddlecraft.com/] * Work With Source - Tom Nixon [https://workwithsource.com/] * Peter Koenig [https://peterkoenig.typepad.com/eng/the-role-of-source/] * Deep democracy [https://perspectivity.org/work/deep-democracy/] * Process work [https://www.processworkuk.org/processwork/] * Embracing Complexity with Jean Boulton [https://www.embracingcomplexity.com/] * School of Systems Change [https://schoolofsystemchange.org/] * Sophy Banks / Healthy Human Culture [https://www.healthyhumanculture.com/] * Strange attractors [https://www.quora.com/Chaos-Theory-What-is-an-intuitive-explanation-of-a-strange-attractor] * Hong Kong Phooey / Henry the mild mannered janitor [https://youtu.be/9FLNf1AlNSU?feature=shared] * Beating the bounds [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beating_the_bounds] * Eleanor Ostrom [https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2009/ostrom/facts/] * Elinor Ostrom’s 8 rules for managing the commons [https://earthbound.report/2018/01/15/elinor-ostroms-8-rules-for-managing-the-commons/] Follow us: at … or wherever you get your podcasts. Email us: at corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com [corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com] Presenters: Kate Swade [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-swade/] (she/her), independent organisational development and governance consultant Mark Walton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-walton-9b2aa023/] (he/him), Founder and Director, Shared Assets Interviewee/s: Zahra Davidson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahra-davidson-84710920/] (she/her), Non-Exec Director & Associate, and Daniel Ford [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ford-9726925a/] (he/him), Co-Director, Huddlecraft [https://www.huddlecraft.com/] Editor: Katie Revell [https://katierevell.com/] (she/her) Artwork: Hanna Norberg-Williams [https://hannanorbergwilliams.myportfolio.com/home] (they/them) Music: fête beat [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/huit-moments-avec-jean/fete-beat/] by Jean Toba [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/] 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 [http://cusp.ac.uk]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit corporatebodies.substack.com [https://corporatebodies.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Episode 7: The Immune System

Humans have always co-operated with each other. And formal co-operatives have been around almost since the emergence of the modern corporation, creating structures where people can work together for mutual benefit and the benefit of their communities. In this episode, Kate and Mark start by thinking about the history of the co-operative movement and its influence on co-ops today. They are joined by Mark Simmonds from Co-op Culture, and together they explore some of the nuances of co-operation in the UK today, from worker co-ops to community and consumer co-ops. We talk about the different structures and practices that are available to us, and some of the pitfalls and opportunities of working co-operatively, and explore the role of the labour movement and unions in the co-operative world. Resources: Read the article accompanying the episode here [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/co-operating-with-a-big-c-and-a-little]. * Mark’s organisation: Co-op Culture [https://www.culture.coop/] * Co-operative principles [https://www.uk.coop/understanding-co-ops/what-co-op/co-op-values-and-principles] * History of the co-operative movement [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_cooperative_movement](wikipedia) * Co-ops UK [https://www.uk.coop/] * Federation of UK Worker Co-operatives [https://www.workers.coop/] * Heptonstall Community Assets [https://www.heptonstallpo.org/] * Fox and Goose pub [https://www.foxandgoose.org/] * Community Shares [https://www.uk.coop/support-your-co-op/community-shares] * Minimum viable product [https://agilealliance.org/glossary/mvp/#:~:text=A%20minimum%20viable%20product%20(MVP)%20is%20a%20concept%20from%20Lean,customers%20with%20the%20least%20effort.] thinking * A quick guide to the different types of co-ops [https://www.uk.coop/understanding-co-ops/what-co-operative/types-co-ops] * The Labour Government’s promise to double the size of the co-op sector [https://www.uk.coop/news/unlocking-co-operative-growth-opportunities-co-operatives-under-new-labour-government] * Suma Whole Foods [https://www.suma.coop/who-we-are/our-co-op/] * Union Co-ops [https://www.union-coops.uk/about] * Cybernetics and Viable Systems Model [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viable_system_model] * Corporate Bodies Episode 2 on balancing power and responsibility [https://corporatebodies.substack.com/p/episode-2-the-head-and-brain] Follow us: at … or wherever you get your podcasts. Email us: at corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com [corporatebodiespodcast@gmail.com] Presenters: Kate Swade (she/her), independent organisational development and governance consultant Mark Walton (he/him), Founder and Director, Shared Assets Interviewee: Mark Simmonds [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markculture/] (he/him), Co-operative and Community Business Advisor, Co-op Culture [https://www.culture.coop/] Editor: Katie Revell [https://katierevell.com/] (she/her) Artwork: Hanna Norberg-Williams [https://hannanorbergwilliams.myportfolio.com/home] (they/them) Music: fête beat [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/huit-moments-avec-jean/fete-beat/] by Jean Toba [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/jean-toba/] 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 [http://cusp.ac.uk]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit corporatebodies.substack.com [https://corporatebodies.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]