Middleground
By Alfons Cornella

For society to maintain its level of well-being and progress, it must join its talent with its resources, and its dreams. It must break the paradox that has been persistent throughout history, summed up by Alfred Whitehead: “Those who have money have no ideas and those who have ideas have no money”.

It makes sense to connect these two economic poles of society: the solid, established companies (the upperground), and the weaker, upcoming initiatives (the underground). The established companies are like the leaves of a tree, which generate oxygen for society (the creation of riches). The upcoming initiatives are like its roots, searching constantly for new nourishment to give them life.

The established companies are economically and financially solid, and above all, have good knowledge and experience of management and the workings of the markets. The new companies have audacity and vision, and the passion of entrepreneurs, plus a certain amount of motivation and positive bravado that generally no longer exists in the established organisations. The established companies have their confirmed routes (positive aspect) but are over cautious with their brakes (negative aspect); whereas the upcoming companies are keen to advance (positive aspect) but have little power for acceleration (negative aspect).

A society has other examples of upper and under: the nationals of a country and the expatriates who live there (a curious euphemism to describe emigrants who carry a postdoctorate qualification). Hard industry and soft services. Supply and demand. The normal (mainstream), and the different (greenfield). The establishment and the challengers. Quite simply, the old and the new. The company (past) and the school (future). Business and research groups in a university, etc.

Future organisations (and society) will need new tools, new “institutions” (see Hayek), new social mechanisms, which connect the upperground with the underground. Something which we might call middleground. Connecting mechanisms that will allow upper and under to meet and begin a dialogue, to develop new projects together to which each can bring its best qualities.

In the tree metaphor in the drawing, a tree with abundant leaves and strong roots is nothing without a trunk to connect them. The new nutrients that are constantly absorbed by the roots need to reach the higher branches so that the leaves that allow the tree to breathe can form. Without a trunk, there’s no tree. Without a middleground there’ll be no progress. This is something that perhaps wasn’t necessary a few decades ago, but is now imperative in an age marked by short life cycles, the increased speed of ideas-to-value conversion, and innovation as a fundamental mechanism of an organisation’s survival.

For 10 years, Infonomia has had the vocation to function as the middleground between Spain’s established businesses and its upcoming ideas and companies.