Talking About Organizations Podcast 131: Commitment and Community -- Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Part 1)
Nov 11, 2025
A deep dive into communes and utopias across American history. They explore why people join or start communes and what commitment means for group survival. The conversation covers study design, success criteria, and commitment mechanisms like sacrifice, rituals, and control. Financial viability, leadership versus structures, perfectionism, and lifecycle challenges are also examined.
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Kanter's Personal Involvement With A Commune
- Rosabeth Moss Kanter personally engaged with a Perfectionist commune, using it as both research and lived experience.
- Catherine notes Kanter participated in the community, blending academic study with direct involvement.
Economic Viability Trumps Ideology Alone
- Financial sustainability separates successes from failures; successful communes ran viable businesses rather than relying on ideology alone.
- Examples: the Shakers and Hutterites endured via sustainable economic organization, while Brook Farm failed from financial weakness.
Commitment Is An Organizational Design Problem
- Commitment is organizational, not merely individual: long-term survival depends on structural mechanisms, not just personal attitudes.
- Kanter's mechanisms emphasize collective procedures, rituals, and boundaries over individual charisma or sentiment.
