Adding Value: the Podcast Jeffrey Glazer

Today we’re going to discuss two very related concepts: organizational structure and network governance. The first deals with how the firm itself is organized, the second deals with how the various stakeholders within the firm (or network) communicate. We’ll see the interaction of these as we explore different forms of decentralization.


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Like the steam-engine factories, it will take re-engineering the whole system to unlock the real gains. Or, as the USDA suggests: “Some potential strategies include the use of mobile slaughter units and the development of local and regional market aggregators.” In other words - decentralization.


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If you’re looking for a model of centralization, you need look no further than Star Wars. Emperor Palpatine runs a tight ship. There is a clear hierarchy and command structure. The goals and decisions are set by the Emperor, implementation is managed by the Mofs, enforced by Darth Vader, and carried out by the Storm Troopers. Communication goes one direction. Due to this centralized structure, they were able to build the first Death Star (a feat of architecture and design) in 20 years and it took them only 4 years to build its replacement. Vertical integration from the mines to the manufacturing sites to the final product was planned and implemented from the top down. There were no RFPs or MTAs or contract negotiations; no design committees, no mines competing for funding, no manufacturing sites competing for workforce talent. Now that is efficiency.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit addingvalue.substack.com

What does decentralization have to do with the things you’ve tuned in to read about: farming, sheep, and consumer goods? By the end of this, I hope you’ll agree with my central theory that decentralization might be the Philosophers’ Stone of agricultural systems.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit addingvalue.substack.com

When I think about the content I like to consume, what stands out is the focus, detail, and through-line storytelling. This often means short runs on a specific topic rather than just a constant discussion of the world. So, the near-term future of Adding Value will be that: series of posts, followed by a break, then a series of posts. It won’t be the forever-model, but it will be the model for the foreseeable future. And, I will definitely post updates about the farm along the way.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit addingvalue.substack.com

Our priorities are based on how we categorize tasks and the importance we attribute to those categories at the time we need to prioritize them. Our task, then, is how to re-prioritize the tasks in a way that still continues to test our hypothesis. To move the needle or move towards our hypothesis in a way that doesn’t involve real sheep on a real pasture.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit addingvalue.substack.com