The Dead Machine and the Living Field — Luminous Entrepreneurship examination

Eleven questions. Nine of eleven passes, and you can take it again as often as you like.

How does the module characterise the machine metaphor for business?

Complete for stable markets and needing no supplement Simply wrong, with no gifts that are worth keeping Partial, and a prison when mistaken for the whole truth Useful for manufacturing but never for service firms, at least at first
Which single shift does the module say changes everything about how a venture is built and led?

From growth to efficiency From intuition to analysis From planning to execution, at least in some cases From control to cultivation
What did the study of founders' language find about burnout?

Founders using organic language were the most resilient Founders using mechanistic language reported the least burnout Language showed no measurable link to burnout at all Founders who avoided metaphor entirely burned out least
According to the module, what really happens when a person is removed from a team?

Nothing changes so long as the role is refilled quickly Their relationships, tacit knowledge and trust go too The team becomes more efficient with fewer moving parts Their skills are replaced and the team runs as before
How did Maria's bakery come through the pandemic?

She waited patiently for her restaurant accounts to return She closed the bakery and reopened once lockdown had ended, particularly at first She executed a backup plan she had prepared for lost wholesale She sensed her neighbours' needs and pivoted to a sourdough school
What does autopoiesis mean?

A living system continuously producing and maintaining itself Handing tasks down to the subordinate parts of a company A detailed plan that fixes every process well in advance, though not always A founder personally generating all of a venture's energy
What does the module call a venture that exists only because the founder generates all of its energy?

Emergent Founderpoietic Self-organising Autopoietic
Why does the module insist that autopoiesis is not delegation?

Delegation is a living concept, while autopoiesis is mechanical They are exactly the same practice under two different names, particularly at first Delegation hands out tasks; autopoiesis is whole-system self-renewal Autopoiesis means the founder performs every task personally
Which three conditions does emergence need, conditions that machine thinking undermines?

Diversity, interaction, and autonomy within constraints Standardisation, clear silos and firm central control Speed, scale and relentless operational efficiency, regardless of context Planning, careful measurement and swift correction
What does the module call the single most important thing a founder can do?

Engineer the organisation chart for maximum output Write a vision statement and align the team to it Learn to tend the venture's relational field Optimise every process before hiring more people
How did Gridline's CEO respond when the team said it no longer knew why it existed?

She began talks to sell the company to its Series B investors She paused the roadmap and asked when they had felt most alive She replaced the engineers who quit and accelerated the roadmap She handed the matter to HR as a culture problem to be fixed