Today, it should be apparent to everyone that we are in the midst of a global epidemic of institutional failure. Not just failure in the sense of collapse, but the more common and pernicious form--organizations unable to achieve the purpose for which they were created, yet continuing to exist as they devour resources, demean the human spirit, and destroy the environment.

Unhealthy health care systems,

Welfare systems in which no one fares well,

Schools that cannot educate,

Corporations that cannot cooperate or compete,

Universities that are far from universal,

Agriculture that destroys soil, poisons water, and degrades food,

Police that cannot enforce the laws,

Unjust judicial systems,

Governments that cannot govern, and

Economies that cannot economize.