311 Institute codex · A world first
What can leaders learn from the world's most resilient industry?
Arguably the most innovative and resilient organisations operate in the shadows. In this world first, open-minded leaders can learn legal lessons from their example.
In short
Leadership Lessons from Organised Crime is a 107-page codex by Matthew Griffin, Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, that explores how criminal syndicates keep growing under intense pressure. The second edition, published in January 2022, sets out 18 domains, from ambition and devolved decision making to lean teams and loyalty, each with legal lessons and actions leaders can apply.
Who it is for: It is for CEOs, boards and leadership teams who want to build more innovative, agile and resilient organisations under competitive pressure.
Growth under relentless pressure
Despite decades of effort and trillions of dollars spent by law enforcement, most criminal enterprises today are stronger and growing faster than ever. With estimated revenues of more than $6 trillion a year, the shadow industry is one of the world's largest.
This codex explores how an industry under such intense pressure keeps growing faster than most legal industries, and the lessons leaders can apply in their own organisations.
What you will explore
How criminal enterprises innovate under pressure.
Why the shadow industry survives relentless disruption.
What leaders can apply, legally, in their own organisations.
Key findings
Bring the codex to your organisation
Book a keynote session, executive briefing or workshop session built on Leadership Lessons from Organised Crime and its 18 domains. Or start with a free 15-minute expert call.
Questions and answers
Businesses can learn how to stay innovative, agile and resilient under relentless pressure, legally and ethically. The codex covers 18 domains, such as devolved decision making, customer satisfaction, lean teams and loyalty. Each chapter explains how syndicates operate, then applies the lesson to legitimate organisations with key takeaways and a summary of recommended actions.
The codex puts the Shadow Industry's estimated revenues at more than $6 trillion a year, making it one of the world's largest industries. Using 2021 figures, it compares syndicates with Fortune organisations: the Mafia is shown with around 300,000 people and $248 billion in revenues, close to Apple's $274 billion. It notes accurate figures are hard to obtain.
Organised crime is resilient because it must continually evolve to survive. The codex describes syndicates that innovate in every corner of their business, devolve decisions to autonomous local cells, invest in succession planning and keep customers loyal through face to face relationships. Together these traits let the industry keep growing despite trillions of dollars spent by law enforcement.
Devolved decision making means pushing everyday decisions to regional or local teams while they operate under a shared code of conduct and vision. The codex shows how transnational syndicates did this from the early 2000s, improving agility and localisation, and recommends that organisations give regional territories a high degree of autonomy within a universal governance framework.
Leadership Lessons from Organised Crime was written by Matthew Griffin, Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute and author of the Codex of the Future series. The second edition was published in January 2022 and runs to 107 pages. It is described as a first of its kind codex exploring legal lessons leaders can take from the Shadow Industry.
The codex is free to download as a PDF after a short form on this page. The 311 Institute also runs keynote sessions, executive briefings and foresight workshops built on its lessons, helping leadership teams explore how ideas such as devolved decision making, lean teams and real time reactions could apply in their own organisations.
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