This site sets out the key elements of the Escondido Framework, an alternative way of thinking about organisations.
Latest reflections and comment appear under the “Latest” tab. Most recent posts:
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The Escondido Framework builds on existing theories that argue that humans come together in organisations like the commercial firm because they generally provide a more effective and cost efficient way to get things done than relying on a mass of separate market transactions. It takes these theories further by looking at all the sets of transactions that a firm undertakes: with customers, suppliers, employees, investors, and external parties such as government in which the transactions may be conducted in the exchange of influence rather than cash. The result is a new model of the firm that provides new insights into the role of the management of companies and of the relative place of those parties frequently described as stakeholders.
The model is further developed by examining the various “currencies” in which the parties that transact with organisations: not just cash, but also influence, and in some circumstances physical force. The model is also extended to apply to organisations other than commercial firms, including public sector bodies and voluntary organisations, not just those that are regularly described as non-profit organisations but also bodies like trade unions and professional associations.
The outcome can be applied to a wide range of organisations in a wide range of circumstances. It should help those at the heart of these organisations think about the strategies that the organisations adopt. It should also help the stakeholders – a description I use only as a shorthand for those that deal with organisations because, as I explain later, the word itself is generally very misleading – understand better where they stand in relation to the organisation and consequently the options that may be open to them. It also raises important questions about the place of the individual and his or her values in relation to the organisations that they work for or have dealings with. And the model sheds light on the issue that fired my own interest in the subject many years ago, the nature of the ownership of organisations, particular the relevance of public versus private.
You will find material relating to the framework itself in the pages and papers in the Key Ingredients section of the site.
The Building Blocks section provides more detail about the foundations, components and assumptions underpinning the framework
The Implications section draws out lessons for the governance, strategy and regulation of organisations, for what we should expect of them, and for the responsibilities of those who work in them.
The Origins section provides some background to the development of the framework itself.
The Resources section provides a bibliography and in due course will provide a commentary on some of the other texts addressing the topics within the scope of the Escondido Framework and is designed to become a resource also for students and teachers tackling these topics.
Finally, the section called Latest provides up to date commentary on issues relevant to the Framework, on the relevance of the Framework to current stories, and on the observations of others interested in this field. The posts in this section are categorised under the page headings for the sections of the website that describe the Escondido Framework.
For an introduction to the Framework click on the following paper which looks at the Framework in the context of the Cranfield Institute’s Renewing Capitalism project: Contribution of Escondido Framework to Renewing Capitalism project .
To contact me, or if you have any comments or suggestions, please use the comment box below.
Tom Hayhoe