JGA @ the EOA’s Robert Oakeshott Lecture 2024
‘Today, everything you did was about three motivations…’
Who knew? But then the Employee Ownership Association’s annual Robert Oakeshott Lecture is meant to be thought-provoking – and 2024’s speaker Matthew Taylor, CEO of the NHS Confederation, didn’t disappoint.
JGA’s Katy Perceval and Libby Unsworth at the event
The lecture, held at London’s Bayes Business School last week, celebrates the life, legacy and work of the EOA’s founder Robert Oakeshott.
As well as the chance to hear Matthew speak, it was a great opportunity for EOA members to network with each other and the EOA team who had travelled from Hull.
Making the case for co-ownership
A packed theatre listens to Matthew Taylor speak
So why was Matthew invited to give this year’s lecture?
In his previous role as Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), he wrote 2017’s ‘Good Work’ report – an independent review of modern working practices – for the government.
His 2021 book ‘Do we have to work?’ went on to re-examine our ideas about work and its relationship to our social and personal lives.
Both make the case for employee ownership and other co-ownership business models.
Taking to the stage, Mathew began by asking: ‘Why is change difficult?’ and how we might think differently about our approach. How indeed?
Exploring what motivates us at work
‘The most successful organisations are those that manage to achieve a balance of all three motivations [individuality, solidarity, hierarchy]… which employee-owned companies have the capacity to do’
Matthew Taylor, CEO of the NHS Confederation
He explored the ‘three motivations’ (individualism, solidarity and hierarchy) that drive everything we do – and outlined why employee ownership (EO) has a ‘substantial advantage’ in relation to human motivation, dynamism and social change.
But he also pointed out that although EO can provide a strong foundation, it’s not enough to guarantee success.
Instead, the key to achieve chosen goals is to both ‘combine and align’ all three motivations – avoiding a ‘monoculture’ or ‘deficit culture’ where only one or two are expressed.
‘The most successful organisations are those that manage to achieve a balance of all three motivations,’ Matthew explained – something he believes ‘employee-owned companies have the capacity to do’.
Even if ‘having all the ingredients in the kitchen doesn’t mean getting the recipe right’!
Topics raised in the Q&A that followed ranged from how to change a ‘deficit culture’ to whether generational differences might influence the way the motivations are expressed at work.
The value of a shared purpose
JGA’s Katy and Telos’s Alex Bloom meet in person for the first time!
JGA Associate Libby Unsworth and Comms Support Katy Perceval both attended the event. Alex Bloom, Consultant at Telos Partners, was also there.
JGA is in the process of merging with Telos, following our exciting announcement last year.
‘Matthew’s lecture was about the heart of what it means to be EO – values which clearly aligned to his own,’ says Libby. ‘It was my first Robert Oakeshott lecture and I enjoyed an insightful and thought-provoking afternoon.’
Katy agrees. ‘These in-person events have a different vibe to online, and Matthew’s ideas certainly gave me food for thought. I could see how the motivations he described influence my own work and other areas of my life.
‘Naturally, it was fun to catch up with Libby, meet Alex and chat with familiar and new connections too.’
Alex also enjoyed the event, especially ‘catching up with EOA members and hearing how they and their businesses are doing’.
‘It was a very engaging and thought-provoking lecture from Matthew,’ he says. ‘I was interested to hear his ideas around the importance of aligning individualism, solidarity and hierarchy to achieve successful organisational change, and the central importance of having a shared/common purpose.’
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