Re-envisioning the Corporation as an Embedded Community

The traditional approach of viewing a corporation as a stand-alone entity operating on its own terms is no longer valid or viable. Changing circumstances force us to re-envision the corporation as an embedded community, operating in harmony with other communities and even eco-systems, and especially with itself. The character of decision-making changes radically in this view, as previous notions of individual discrete decisions, criteria, influence, and authority become broader and more diffuse. Notions of making optimal single decisions must give way to an emphasis on win-win relationships over time. In this paper, we discuss the forces that motivate this re-envisioning of the corporation and articulate an Embedded Community Model that t provides guidance in meeting the challenges required to be successful in this new environment. We discuss how this framework helps to explain the successes as well as the failures experienced in securing support for COVID-19 vaccination. Applications to Technology Planning and Decision Making are also discussed.