And man created God (dutch titles is En de mens schiep God) by Selina O’Grady is a very interesting book. One chapter is on the metamorphosis of Rome at the time of Emperor Augustus, who managed to unite an incredibly diverse empire by introducing an emperor cult. He was clearly not a micromanager. Some interesting fragments:
“By the end of the first century BC, the empire was a patchwork of semi-autonomous cities run by wealthy, local landlords. They were brought together loosely in provinces under Roman rule. The Roman imperial administration was in fact minimal, even towards the end of the second century after Christ. There was only one Roman governor per four hundred thousand inhabitants. ”
“Partly in order to limit the power of the senators, Augustus deliberately strengthened the equestrian class by number and status and incorporated it more and more into the government of the empire. […] Augustus now appointed many Knights, especially in posts concerning the essential task of taxation. ”
“The leasing of tax collection had been a way for the Roman aristocracy and local elites to finance the costs of public life and their own system of patronage. […] Augustus appointed knights for tax collection, with the strict instructions ‘not to claim more money than the fixed amount’. These tax collectors, and even the chivalric governors whom he appointed, were given a fixed salary for the first time. The Augustan regime could thus claim that it liberated the provinces from the worst excesses of Roman exploitation. By allowing them to benefit from their own prosperity, the pax Augusta gave the provinces an incentive to remain loyal to the central authority. ”
This is very similar to a tilted organization, giving teams and people a final responsibility to be dedicated in order to give customers a concrete added value and stimulating them to achieve strong performances within the team, by offering the opportunity to reap the benefits of their work.
This book is highly recommended. ISBN 9789059778436
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