About this episode

Eric Ries discusses why organizations often stray from their principles as they grow and how they can maintain their values.

Why do so many organizations lose their way as they grow? Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author, says that corruption inside companies rarely begins with bad people or dramatic scandals. More often, it emerges slowly, through broken incentives, unchecked bureaucracy, and systems that reward the wrong behaviors. He explains why even successful organizations drift from their values, and what companies can do to stay adaptable, trustworthy, and mission-driven as they scale. Ries wrote the book Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great.

People in this episode

Guest: Eric Ries

Topics covered

• organizational values
• business ethics
• company growth
• adaptability
• trustworthiness

Keywords

• organizational behavior
• corruption
• bureaucracy
• incentives
• mission-driven

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Business Review

Books & works: Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great

More episodes of HBR IdeaCast

• Reinventing an Organization to Do More with Less · June 2, 2026 · 28 min
• How to Break Free of Negative Thought Spirals · May 19, 2026 · 30 min
• The Leadership Skills That Make Transformation Stick · May 12, 2026 · 31 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the HBR IdeaCast podcast page.