Creation needs people. A popular saying is that there’s no such thing as a free lunch; the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing. Even maintaining a status quo can destroy value by undervaluing time and competition. In pursuing value it is therefore necessary to take action(s). To win the competitive game, these actions must be better/earlier/faster than those of others. Plus they must avoid risk.

This conundrum of seeking growth while simultaneously reducing risk is why value needs people, good people. People that are motivated, entrepreneurial, intelligent, diverse and have a shared culture that allows for those values to flourish.

People can be augmented by technology, but to this day there’s no example of an organization that was autonomously conceived, built and operated by technology on its own.

Because business is operated by and for people there’s one topic so important that it could warrant it’s own chapter; Trust!
Organizations that rely heavily on Trust, will outperform those without it. Although Trust is mostly conceived in interpersonal relations, it’s application is boarder. E.G. considering the 14 leadership principles of Amazon, all of them have an element of Trust in them. Even further, an IT system will never work efficiently if the people working with it do not trust it.