What is money?

Money, of course, is why most people are involved in business.  At its basest level, it is anything that represents the value of a person's actions.  In the case of the USA, that means green slips of paper.  Canada, it was multi-colored slips of paper.  In Yap, they use giant stones.  Seashells, silver, food.  What makes thedollar, yen, and euro special is that they don't have any purpose beyond representing a person's value to society - and money allows people to exchange it.

Power

To some, money represents power.  It has long been known that the people who have the most money tend to have everything they want - even things that are not for sale.  It can get people to do things they wouldn't normally do.  The phrase "Everybody has a price" refers to the cost required to get people to do something they wouldn't normally by paying them enormous sums of money.  And with enormous wealth, often comes the ability to break the law and receive a reduced punishment, even for such heinous crimes as murder.  

Living

While money does sometimes bring out the worst in people, it is a strong means to the end of living in our society.  The capitalist system works under the assumption that every action should receive a reward based on the demand for that.  Companies pay people for their services in the form of employment.  Employees pay companies for food from a store.  Each person, in theory, receives money from the market that is comparable to what the market will pay for their services.  So you need to use and be familiar with money to live.  Caves in the woods are no longer prevalent in North America.  

Side-item

Then there is the concept that you should do what you love.  If you find something that the market will reward, and that you love to do, you will do your job for pure enjoyment, and the money will be just a side benefit.  This represents the ideal strategy because it reduces the severity of the word "work" to the fun of the world "play."  

Tool of Oppression?

The problem with money is that it tends to accumulate over time.  And that means that people who have made a lot of money, and are prudent, can continue making more and more money, passing it on to their descendants.  And where there is no money, it is difficult for people to achieve.  Which is one reason why the black minority in this country isn't making drastic financial steps, even 40+ years after what some consider the "end" of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.  

I like money.  From what I've learned, I believe that it enabled the world to grow beyond a few small city-states through trade.  We just have to make sure that it isn't also our downfall.  

Setting Boundaries in Business

I've been involved in several projects, and the one thing that keeps coming up is the scope.  It is supposed to draw the line about where the project can and can't go.  Boundaries help determine where people should spend their time.  And its great for focused creativity.

Benefits

Drive Decisions

Similar to a vision statement, the scope of a project allows people to make tactical decisions about how to proceed on a project without direct supervision.  When people are unclear about the next move, referencing the scope helps.  Boundaries keep people from wandering from the vision.  It keeps them from regularly chasing new distractions and forces them to focus on the task at hand.

Focused Creativity

Creativity, too, can benefit from some limitations.  Often I've been told that you shouldn't take any idea out of the running during the brainstorming phase, and I agree with that.  But you need to start with some boundaries on the brainstorming phase itself, or the mind wont' have any place to begin.  For example, if I said "Let's discuss how to make money," your mind may go blank.  It would be more helpful to say "How do we use our people's skills in a different way to make money?"  Now you have something to analyze (the people), making for a more fertile discussion.

Comfort

We should never forget the psychological benefits of boundaries - that they make people comfortable.  You may view this as either positive or negative, but people feel safe when they know the boundaries of their life.  that is why changing jobs, corporate restructuring, and new product launches can be very stressful.  

Downsides

The greatest downside to using boundaries is in overuse.  People will resist innovative ideas specifically because they are outside their current boundary.  They allow great ideas to pass, often to their chagrin, because they can't aren't open to the possibility.  Or they may see its potential, but use their job scope to prevent it from moving forward.

-sjk