AI Maturity, Organizational Culture and Control: Is Plurality the Enemy of Order—or the Source of Intelligence?

In 1651, Thomas Hobbes argued in his seminal work, Leviathann that chaos could only be avoided by surrendering power to a single authority. This centralized logic shaped the Industrial Age and its institutions. But in today’s decentralized information age, we’re confronting a new possibility: that distributed intelligence may outperform the Leviathan model. That plurality, far from chaos, might actually be our advantage. Today, we navigate a chaotic infosphere—a plurality of perspectives, voices, and influences. According to Hobbes:

“The only way to erect such a common power… is to confer all their power and strength upon one man, or upon one assembly of men”—Leviathan, Part 2, Ch. 17

AI accelerates the effects of decentralization, compelling companies to reassess how to structure, scale, and lead. Organizations face a pivotal question:

Is plurality centralized control, as per Hobbes’ Leviathan, or is it something new—a multitude of voices, divergent but also potentially harmonious…capacity…emergent intelligence?

The Internet Decentralized Everything, and the new Plurality Created Urgency.

After Covid, I attended the 2023 WWD Digital Beauty Forum in NYC. Post-pandemic, it seemed that everyone was infected by both exuberance and caution—an enthusiastic kind of anxiety, driven by cabin fever and two headline-dominating platforms: Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the metaverse and the proliferation of social media. Framed by this backdrop, an unlikely pair of brands took to the stage for a panel discussion: Shiseido and ELF Cosmetics.

A demure Shiseido team carefully described their plans for a meticulously curated metaverse—a digital space designed to reflect the Shiseido brand in its purest form. Seamless, distraction-free, and fully controlled, it promised an ideal, uncorrupted brand experience. The goal was clear: reclaim the narrative and regain momentum.  In practice, their top-down vision stalled; the metaverse needed much more bandwidth and as Chinese consumer demand dropped, Shiseido posted a $71M loss the following fiscal year.

In sharp contrast, the E.L.F. Cosmetics team boasted its embrace of social media proliferation—published often, failed faster, and felt they were riding the cultural current in real time. The results were undeniable: $1B in sales and a 77% jump in FY24. And yet, the question lingers: what is the cost of constant output—not just for the bottom line, but for brand identity?

Between these two strategies, a tension emerged. The Shiseido position felt more like a retreat than an innovation, while the ELF approach seemed more manic than magical. As AI gained widespread traction in 2024, that tension only intensified. With each new tool we adopt, the question becomes more urgent: Where does true value come from—and what happens to control in an era of exponential change?

Culture is the Hidden Variable in Digital Transformation.

As AI accelerates decentralization, brands must turn inward to chart their way forward. The real transformation isn’t technical—it’s cultural. Before chasing new tools, brands must ask: what kind of system are we plugging AI into? Beneath every strategy, every org holds a messy, vital plurality—ideas, tensions, contradictions. Ignore it, and AI will only amplify dysfunction at machine speed. However, if we view plurality as capacity, and AI as a collaborative force, we can build something far more powerful: self-learning, human-centered networks.

According to a 2025 study by McKinsey, ‘Superagency in the Workplace: Empowering People to Unlock AI’s Full Potential,’ almost all companies invest in AI, but only 1 percent believe they have reached maturity.

Control Is Dead. Networks Are Alive.

Historian Yuval Noah Harari reminds us that for millennia— from Hammurabi to the metaverse—societies have traded truth for order. But in today’s hyperconnected infoverse, no central authority can truly control the flow of information, identity, or value. Information moves through memes, side chats, shared docs, and digital backdoors. Life revolves around command—and so do organizations.

So the question becomes: Will your company try to manage the chaos—or will it learn to move with it? What kind of organization do you want to be? One that clings to control, one that accelerates verbosity, or one that transforms by working with plurality?

Culture Audit – Is Your Organization Ready for AI?

1. Do employees feel psychologically safe sharing uncomfortable truths, especially with leadership?
2. Are cross-functional teams the norm or the exception?
3. When something fails, do people seek learning or blame?
4. Are decisions made based on insight or optics?
5. Do your AI tools improve collaboration, or just speed up tasks?

If you answered “no” or “unsure” to more than two, your org is likely not culturally ready for AI at scale. Build Culture First, or Watch AI Amplify Your Dysfunction. The Greatest Achievement of Technology will be Smarter Human Teams.

The transformative potential of AI extends beyond faster workflows. It includes the ability to supercharge collective intelligence: human networks, aided by machines, solving complex problems together while making everyone smarter. As MIT Professor and author, Thomas Malone notes:

“The most important contribution of computers won’t just be artificial intelligence; it will also be hyper-connectivity—connecting human minds to each other in new ways and at unprecedented scales.”— MIT Professor and author, Thomas Malone, May 29, 2025

At MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence, research indicates that human-machine collaboration in teams outperforms individuals or siloed groups, particularly in areas such as creativity, adaptability, and strategic thinking.

No technology alone can solve an organizational culture problem. The organizations that achieve AI maturity, from ethical use to infrastructure, will be those that see their people clearly, reward thinking generously, and build cultures designed to learn at scale.
Plurality isn’t chaos. Its capacity. And when it’s paired with intelligent systems and courageous leadership, it becomes the future of work.

SOURCES:

1. THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm
2. Women’s Wear Daily: Top 10 Takeaways from the Digital Beauty Forum 2023
https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/top-10-takeaways-wwd-2023-digital-beauty-forum-1235506401/

3. Mark Zuckerberg explains the Metaverse at Facebook Connect, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TJ5ENxCUQs

4. McKinsey, Superagency in the Workplace: Empowering People to Unlock AI’s Full Potential, by Hannah Mayer, Lareina Yee, Michael Chui, and Roger Roberts
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work

5. Women’s Wear Daily Shiseido’s Profit Tanks 73.1% in 2024, Due to Soft Chinese Market
https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/shiseido-profit-tanks-73-percent-2024-soft-chinese-market-1236920192/

6. ELF Beauty Investor Relations
https://investor.elfbeauty.com/stock-and-financial/press-releases/landing-news/2024/05-22-2024-210528908?utm_source=chatgpt.com

7. Quote from Thomas W. Malone, Superminds, July 5, 2018
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48979671-superminds