The DNA of the Colonial Plantation
July 12, 2024
After the Indian tribes, one of the first types of organizations built on the island was the plantation and trade houses. Curaçao was one of the principal harbors involved in the trade of enslaved people. To mention a few characteristics of a plantation, a large number of enslaved individuals were controlled by a tiny minority of whites through divide, fear, and punishment. The enslaved never considered the plantation theirs; they usually sabotaged the plantation and tried to escape in all forms. It was a hierarchical structure with top-down communication; nobody was allowed to think and express themselves besides those at the top. They were not even the masters of their own bodies and minds. They had no form of shaping their lives or future.
These characteristics still define organizations today. This has persisted through the hundred years of industrialization that took off with refining crude oil from Venezuela. Organizations remain hierarchical, based on division and control, with only the top allowed to think. As evolution continued, these characteristics remained even when, in 1954, self-rule became a reality; locals were sent to the Netherlands for education with scholarships. After the revolt of 1969, some cosmetic radical changes appeared. The change was that the top was creolized or localized, or, to put it bluntly, Black people could obtain top positions. Nowadays, they are labeled as "black jetset."
The fact is that people still treat organizations as their plantations, and workers still sabotage organizations as they did plantations.
How does this impact governance, especially corporate and public governance? We will explain and discuss this during our next masterclass. Register at www.universityofgovernance.com.
Miguel Goede
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