Theses terms are also intended to infuse work with meaning—and, as Rakesh Khurana, another professor, points out, increase allegiance to the firm.

Most firms that can move off the mainframe have already done so, explains Rakesh Kumar of Gartner, a market-research firm.

Rakesh Khurana of Harvard Business School argues that looking outside for a “corporate saviour” erodes the morale of the talent within.