They are and remain criminal organisations: the mafia. But without being aware of it, we are talking about very well organised organisations from which the average Dutch company could learn a lot. Not from the criminal side, but from the organisational side at least that is what Jan-Joost Kroon, today's guest at the Werkprofessor, thinks.
Jan-Joost Kroon is a business expert, presenter and organizational consultant. He also wrote the book 'van capo tot ceo'. For more than 25 years he has been fascinated by the Italian Mafia. Combined with his work, he has seen enough insights from the mafia that 'normal' companies can learn something from.
From capo to ceo
Touched by (mafia) films, Jan-Joost has been set thinking. As a business expert he believes that companies can learn a lot from the Mafia. Films were a start for the subject of his book, but in terms of content he used both English and Italian-language sources. "The book is based on real sources and not on Hollywood movies."
One of the most powerful things about the Italian mafia, according to Jan-Joost, is communication. "They are very concise and punctual. Things are straightforward there. There is no time for discussions on the mail and everyone in the CC who also has to think something of it".
The contrast within business and the mafia is great. Within organizations, transparency and communication are very important. If you want people to take more responsibility we learn, also from science, that you have to make sure you involve people in the bigger picture. Unlike the mafia where you only receive a brief instruction and where there is little or no transparency.
Core Values
"The strength of the mafia lies in the ideology of their organization. From the ideology flow core values. They have traditionally had their own world within which they are a kind of alternative to the government in Rome and northern Italy. In that way they know how to bind people who also believe in that. Who don't trust the people in Rome or the wealthy in Northern Italy. Those core values are highoverhead terms that you either tap into or of course you don't. In any case, they are not the marketing terms you normally see in an organization."
Curious about what core values Jan-Joost is talking about? Then listen to the latest episode of the Work Professor!
Links
More about Jan-Joost Kroon
See the book here
More about the Working Professor
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