Why Communityship “Trumps Leadership” in the Era of AI Ft. Dr. Henry Mintzberg w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

AI is impacting every part of our lives—and we need to start paying more attention.

Listen to this thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Henry Mintzberg, one of the world's most influential management thinkers, whose work sits at the intersection of strategy, leadership, organizations, and community-building.

We discuss:

• How technology has steadily weakened communities over the past century

• Why "communityship" matters more than leadership—especially in the age of AI

• Why the “plural sector” (not governments or corporations) is needed to rebalance society

• How collective empathy can help restore balance to society

If you want to know why one of the world’s most influential management thinkers believes our society is out of balance —and what we can do about it—you don't want to miss this conversation.

00:00 Preview

00:50 Episode introduction

02:47 About Dr. Henry Mintzberg

05:56 Henry’s backstory

11:55 Why every major technology has weakened relationships and communities

13:43 What is “emergent strategy,” and how is it impacted by AI?

17:54 Will AI replace human creativity or unleash it?

22:11 Why AI efficiency will never supercede human judgment

26:20 Henry’s book, Rebalancing Society: Radical Renewal Beyond Left, Right, and Center

32:21 What is "communityship," and why does it matter now more than ever?

35:21 Why the “plural sector” is the glue that holds society together

42:30 What should humanity protect as AI transforms society?46:41 Dr. Henry Mintzberg's Purposeful Empathy story

Episode #4 of Empathy in the Age of AI part II, a special 25-part series: https://tinyurl.com/exyw2nua 

CONNECT WITH HENRY

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrymintzberg/ 

✩ Website https://mintzberg.org 

✩ Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@Mintzberg141 

CONNECT WITH ANITA

✩ Email purposefulempathy@gmail.com 

✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com

✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/

✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram

✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast

✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.social

HENRY’S WORK

✩ Rebalancing Society: Radical Renewal Beyond Left, Right, and Center https://www.amazon.com/Rebalancing-Society-Radical-Renewal-Beyond/dp/1626563179

✩ Understanding Organizations...Finally! https://tinyurl.com/uha2zetn 

✩ Bust Those Management Myths: What We Get Wrong about Planning, Leading, Measuring, and More https://www.amazon.com/Bust-Those-Management-Myths-Measuring/dp/B0G1YR41C2

SHOW NOTES

✩ Rebalancing Society https://rebalancingsociety.org/

✩ Back to Balance: TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1qeC68i8aA

✩ Skating with Mintzberg: Rebalancing Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe8oxmcdq6w&list=PLtiGzu7sz7w1j5oPldWhMPoiSUw23d4IE

✩ Henry Mintzberg on Managing, Communityship, and Serendipity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7My9mZUUVs

✩ International Masters Program for Managers http://impm.org/

Video edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio