Business and the Spirit: Management Practices that Sustain Values [Archive.org URL]

“We have come to somehow, almost unconsciously, accept the idea that the ends justify the means. If organizations need to be centralized, lean and mean, impermanent, and control-oriented in order to succeed in the marketplace, this is the way it is and we need to accept these facts…[I] suggest that the premise is wrong and so is the conclusion…the evidence continues to grow that organizations that have and live by their values, that put people first, and that manage using high commitment work practices outperform those that don’t…An individual’s desire and right to be treated with dignity at work, to be able to grow and learn, to be connected with others, and to be a whole, integrated person can not simply be sacrificed for economic expedience. For once we start down that path, where do we stop in justifying the treatment of people for economic results? We have an obligation, a duty, to build organizations that help build people’s spirits, not destroy them.” [MeansBusiness annotation]

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