You know what's the most amazing thing about the Dutton ranch from the series "Yellowstone"? No, not the fact that every second character manages to kill someone and get away with it. But that their ranch management model works and stays afloat in conditions that would make any large business – be it Google or Toyota – look like a kindergarten. Although the series flashes huge sums of money for cattle and land, the owner continues to personally control every aspect of the business, and having hired a gang of bandits and ignoramuses, he is surprised that there is no one to delegate his tasks.

The John Dutton Management Model

Imagine you are the CEO of a company and every morning you start by riding around your domain on a horse. A great start to the day, isn't it? John Dutton, the head of the family, runs his ranch with the grace of an enraged bison and the subtlety of sandpaper. Like any successful businessman, he has an iron will and a willingness to do whatever it takes to protect his business – even if it means taking up arms.

Now imagine John Dutton running Google. Meetings with investors would be held in a wood-paneled conference room, where everyone would know that any mistake could cost not only a career but also, perhaps, a peaceful existence. Dutton would not waste time on useless meetings or PowerPoint presentations. Instead, he would hold strategic sessions in nature, where each department head would prove their loyalty to the cause and ideas in practice, perhaps somewhat detached from real tasks and laws.

Corporate Culture

Now imagine your office is a ranch, and every employee knows that for any mistake they can be thrown not only out of work but also off a cliff. Such "motivation" leads to amazing results. Everyone knows what they are doing and works like crazy. And if someone decides to cross Dutton, the end will be not only for their career but also, possibly, for their life.

At Google under Dutton's leadership, the corporate culture would be filled with a spirit of adventure and personal responsibility. Employees would know that their work matters and every contribution is important. At the same time, pay could be called decent only for management, while real workers perform duties for little money, while being in hellish conditions. We don't even need to imagine that; we all know that such a scheme works great at Amazon, where employees who fainted and ended up in the hospital due to heat in the warehouse received a letter of support from Bezos, which included a fine for leaving the workplace and failing to perform duties. And they could have grabbed a little package for the ambulance and delivered it along the way! This management model and corporate culture strongly resemble the Dutton ranch, where every employee goes to the ranch because there is no other way, and there they may die, but they must fulfill their work duty!

Business Model

The Duttons' business model is simple. They are engaged in cattle breeding, farming, and selling animals. However, the ranch is not so much in a stage of development and business planning, but in stagnation and endless defense of its own interests, both from the state and from competitors and just any enemies. This is clearly a job for a crisis manager who can quickly and without regret "cut" weak assets and invest all efforts into something profitable.

If John Dutton were to lead a large company, he would focus on core products – in Google's case, search, advertising, and cloud services. He would cut all unnecessary innovative projects, development projects, and focus on what brings in revenue and carries the least risk. Main investments would be directed to strengthening key areas, and any distracting projects would be shut down without ceremony. All projects of self-driving cars, venture funds, support for culture and social initiatives would be axed. Of course, all games with gender identity and racial diversity would immediately end, and the staff would be at least halved.

Could Such a System Exist in Reality?

Of course not. Or yes? It all depends on the point of view. In the modern world, corporations face risks ranging from financial crises to cyber threats. But if you had an army of loyal employees ready to do anything for your company, you could overcome a lot. True, John Dutton probably violates all possible laws, and in real life he would have been sued or arrested long ago. But his methods are not only an interesting spectacle but also a reason to think: what if the corporate world were a little wilder and less regulated?

In the real world, Google under Dutton's management would face numerous legal problems, from antitrust investigations to conflicts with governments of different countries. However, his determination and uncompromising approach could allow the company to remain a market leader despite all difficulties.

The only limitation is that a company cannot live long in a crisis stage, because without development projects, current products that bring profit will become obsolete and gradually become non-competitive. Therefore, crisis management in companies is always temporary. Its task is to bring the company out of a sharp decline, ensure cash flow and a positive balance, and then hand over the company to those who can build a long-term development strategy. So in real life, the Dutton ranch will sooner or later go bankrupt and the main fear of the head of the family will come true – the land will be sold, they will all become millionaires, but without the ranch. All he needs to do is stop creating problems, and after another stabilization of the company, hand over its management to people more experienced in business development.

So what can we take away from this for real business? Perhaps a little more determination and willingness to take responsibility never hurts. But Dutton's methods, although effective in his world, are hardly applicable in ours. However, watching his adventures, we can at least for a moment imagine what it's like to run a business where the laws are dictated not by the government but by you. Such markets exist now; everything created new outside the legal framework often works in a gray area, like cryptocurrencies. So, your next meeting in the office – try holding it on horseback. Of course, I don't promise it will help, but it will definitely be fun!