This is an introduction to the movement and our plans

1. A DEVELOPMENT OUTLINE
PAUL BARNETT
MAY 2020

2. INTRODUCTION
The Enlightened Enterprise Movement is a response to
the current global recession, barely a decade after the
last. Both crises have provided more than enough
evidence of the need to question existing theories, then
work-out how to re-design systems to achieve our
goals.
It is time to question perceived wisdom and ensure we
are focused on the right goal, sustainable widely shared
prosperity.And that must be defined in terms of human
flourishing and wellbeing.
The current crisis not only demonstrates the need for
change. It also provides the opportunity for it. Out of
necessity, radical change is much more likely to be
accepted.
There is no going back. Consensus points to a “new
normal”. It needs to be born of enlightened thinking
and guided by an Enlightened Enterprise Manifesto.

3. The word enterprise can be narrowly defined as a
company or business. It can also be more broadly
defined as “the ability to think of new ideas and make
them succeed”, “an important project, especially one
that is new or different” and “the willingness and
energy to do something new that takes a lot of effort”.
We define enterprise in the broader sense, and not just
in relation to business.And we refer to enterprise, by a
person or an organisation, and in any sector (private,
public, government, not-for-profit etc), not only
business.
This is important because the traditional boundaries
between sectors are becoming increasingly blurred and
enterprise is increasingly likely to demand closer
collaboration in the co-creation of value, solutions to
problems and the meeting of our needs.
Enterprise: A Definition
The bee. A symbol of enterprise

4. The Enlightened Enterprise Movement will bring together
experts from a broad range of disciplines, inviting them to
contribute their progressive ideas, theories and practices.
In this way hope to help establish the “new normal”.
The movement will facilitate a broad range of initiatives:
Inquiries, Forums, Events, Publications and a University,
for example. All will be practical and global in outlook.
Our ambition is great.This is illustrated by three of the first
long-term Inquiries:
• A 21st CenturyTheory of Moral Sentiments
• A 21st CenturyTheory ofValue
• An Inquiry into the nature and causes of the
prosperity of nations
Two are inspired by the 18th Century work of Adam Smith.

5. The Enlightened Enterprise Manifesto
is currently being written.

6. Research-led inquiries will be a core focus of the Enlightened Enterprise Movement.They will be large in scale, global in
outlook, long-term and open.The next three slides introduce three key inquiries that will run simultaneously.They will
each be guided by a Advisory Panels of experts from a wide range of disciplines.

7. Adam Smith’sTheTheory of Moral Sentiments (1759)
provided the ethical, philosophical, psychological, and
methodological underpinnings to Smith's later works,
including his Inquiry IntoThe Nature And Causes ofThe
Wealth of Nations (1776).
Our Inquiry into the 21st CenturyTheory of Moral
Sentiments will provide the ethical, philosophical,
psychological and methodological underpinnings to our
other Inquiries, including our Inquiry into the Nature
and Causes of the Prosperity of Nations.
It is important to re-examine Smith’s thinking, to see
how much has changed in 261years, and to ensure our
work is based on solid foundations.

8. Adam Smith did not publish a separateTheory ofValue,
but his work was based on a LabourTheory ofValue –
the idea the economic value of an item or service is
determined by the total amount of labour needed to
produce it.
Today economics is based on a differentTheory of
Value which we take for granted. But it needs to be
questioned. It has created many problems and is
fundamentally flawed.
How we define ‘value’ has far reaching consequences
because, as Mariana Mazzucato says in The Value of
Everything, “If we cannot define what we mean by
value, we cannot be sure to produce it, nor to share it
fairly, nor to sustain economic growth.”

9. Adam Smith’s Inquiry IntoThe Nature And Causes of
The Wealth of Nations (1776), is now 244 years old.
Today the word wealth has a different meaning.
Prosperity defined in terms of human flourishing and
wellbeing is a modern understanding of what Smith was
talking about when he referred to wealth, not today’s
meaning of the word.
Our Inquiry IntoThe Nature And Causes OfThe
Prosperity of Nations aims to understand how nations
prosper and how we should measure economic
prosperity.We currently use Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), a very poor proxy that was never intended to be
used for this purpose. It must be replaced.

10. Enlightened Enterprise Forums will support global communities of interest focused on particular topics related to the
goals of the Enlightened Enterprise Movement.They will benefit from the insights generated by the Inquiries, from
the content of our events, and from the product of our publishing platform.Their aim is the facilitation of purposeful
dialogue.The next three slides introduce forums that exist or are due to be launched.

11. Paul Barnett, Founder of the Enlightened Enterprise
Movement, also founded the Strategic Management
Forum (SMF). It exists to advance the professional
practice of strategic management within businesses
and organisations of all sizes in all sectors.
Paul believes the creation of sustainable widely shared
prosperity, measured in terms of human flourishing and
wellbeing, should be the noble cause of strategic
management as a discipline.
He has come to realise, “the only way to achieve
sustainable widely shared prosperity is to adopt a multi-
disciplinary approach to bring about a more
enlightened approach to enterprise”.The current
economic crisis makes this crystal clear.
In lunching the Enlightened Enterprise Movement, the
inquiries and other initiatives Paul is reaching out to
progressive thinkers in all relevant professions to re-
think how we achieve prosperity and measure progress
based on a shared understanding of morals and values.
SMF focuses on strategies to achieve this.

12. The Enlightened Enterprise Movement, Manifesto and
other activities all have implications for the boards of
businesses and organisations of all types.And, given the
board is a key institution in resisting or facilitating
change, it is important that we engage with directors.
The On-Board Forum will explore “What the
Enlightened Enterprise Manifesto Means for the Future
of Corporate Governance”.
The Forum is primarily designed for boards and those
they are responsible to including investors, policy
makers and other stakeholders.
Boards are already aware of the need for change.
Recent announcements on changes to governance
regulations and related guidance require a shift from a
shareholder to a stakeholder perspective, for example.
The shift is consistent with our goals and the Forum will
assist the change.

13. Undaunted is a Forum established following the
Strategic Management Forum conference on the topic
“Undaunted: How Successful Leaders Face UpTo
Wicked Problems and Avoid Predictable Surprises”.
The scale and complexity of business, and the impact of
political, economic, social, technological, legal and
environmental factors have introduced daunting
challenges.The last crisis, and the current crisis, are
both a consequence and a cause of these problems.
We will share the insights generated by the conference
and the related inquiry.They offer insights to guide
practical solutions: how to embrace and manage
uncertainty, how to build resilience, how to make better
decisions and how to adopt a systems thinking
approach, for example.
These are some of the new competencies enlightened
enterprise leaders need if we are to address global
challenges and achieve sustainable widely shared
prosperity.

14. Enlightened Enterprise Events, both online and offline, will take many forms.They will be related to the Inquiries and
the Forums. And their purpose is to both disseminate and create thought leadership content for a global audience.
They will also be supported by our publishing platform.The next slide provides one example.

15. Just as the Covid-19 pandemic started to impact on life
in the UK, the Strategic Management Forum ran a
conference at the Royal Society of Arts in London. It
was more timely than we ever imagined it would be.
The topic was “Undaunted: How Successful Leaders
Face Up toWicked Problems and Avoid Predictable
Surprises.
Twelve world class speakers addressed risk, decision
making and systems thinking, as ways to cope with
volatility and uncertainty.The event is to be followed by
the publication of a book and series of video interviews.
It was also the precursor to the “Inquiry into the Nature
and Causes of Predictable Surprises and How to Avoid
Them”, due to start later this year.
This wide range of events and activities on a specific
topic illustrates how the Enlightened Enterprise
Movement will work, both online and offline, to serve a
global audience in the promotion of Enlightened
Enterprise in organisations of all types and everywhere.
This is essential if we are to address the global
challenges we face and achieve our goal - sustainable
widely share prosperity.

16. Enlightened Enterprise Publishing is a multi-media platform in the process od being developed.The following slide
introduces they ways in which the platform will work to support the movement.

17. Enlightened Enterprise Publishing is a multi-media
publishing platform. In addition to producing our own
publications we will soon be able to offer publishing and
promotion solutions to experts who wish to contribute
ideas consistent with our objectives.
The platform is primarily designed to communicate the
manifesto and all related thought leadership to the
widest possible audience, as a way to spread the
message and support the growing number of people
that join the movement.
We will also use the platform to promote ideas already
published and any new content from any source,
provided it is consistent with the movement’s aims.
All the content we publish will be carefully curated and
thoroughly reviewed. And authors will also be invited to
take part in curated events. Additionally, authors will be
interviewed for our video and podcast channels.

18. The following page introduces our plan to establish the Enlightened Enterprise University.The primary goal is to
promote progressive new ideas from a wide range of disciplines, with a focus on practical applications that serve
those contributing to our sustainable widely shared prosperity, to human flourishing and wellbeing.

19. A couple few years ago Paul Barnett, Founder of the
Enlightened Enterprise Movement, and CEO of the
Strategic Management Forum was asked to write a
textbook on strategic management by Oxford
University Press. He eventually withdrew from the
project.The book had to teach a syllabus which, in his
view, is based on outdated management theories,
nonsense accounting practices and discredited
economic principles.
Business schools and the professions mentioned are all
aware of the problems with the disciplines they
promote, and the dangers associated with them.They
caused the global banking crisis and Great Recession.
And they are making the current crisis far worse.They
are being addressed, but far too slowly.
The Enlightened Enterprise University will offer
practical alternatives based on carefully curated
concepts from progressive thinkers with expertise in
their fields, including the academics helping to break
the mould.