Chapter 1: A New Understanding of Community (Pages 7-22)

Personal take-aways:

One of the reasons that “committment” might be so tough to create is a possible consequence due to disconnect that appears to exist between the perceived responsibilities of companies towards their employees and vice versa. Oftentimes, it is arguable that on the one hand employees see their companies as responsible for serving their needs, without actively taking part in making sure that the business is healthy enough to “serve.” On the other hand though, companies might still follow the old principles of making money as primary objectives, instead of accepting an obligation to contribute to society and their employees as primary drivers. Although it appears to be a chicken or egg question, problems like these might become more and more important looking at generational shifts and the accompanying differences in motivating factors and work ethics.

The fact that younger people are often single longer, that marriage is not as important now than it once was might represent anecdotes for describing similar things in the job world, where job-hopping becomes a norm while adapting to company rules and its required discipline might be perceived as a threat to freedom and a reason to reject long-lasting committment on a professional level.

The book states that centralized hierarchical state systems are now paseé; this appears also to be the case in the business world. One of the reasons might be the improved accesses to education and therefore the decreased degree of differences in perceived abilities that might have made the system possible in the first place due to inequalities. In other words, as bachelor and master degrees become a standard, the “I can also do that” attitude might increase, which is something that might not have been like that in the past.

Thus, as committment and even respect are no longer “automatic responses” that once were created through the image, seniority and reputation of a company or senior manager, these drivers might only be created through giving employees the chance to participate in the design and implementation of corporate goals while communicating that this is their responsiblity to be used to make sure the company will stay healthy enough to serve their needs.

Although in a decentralized system, one must discover who should assume responsiblity and what the tasks will be, employees need not only to be able to examine outdated regulations critically, they need to be asked to do it as part of their job describtion. Thus, the task of top management might not anymore be to take the decisions, but to give everybody a part in deciding together the goals and directions of the company, being mediators of an internal discussion lead by its human capital due to the fact that hierarchical differences based on seniority might not be a differentiating factor in deciding who leads and who doesn’t anymore.

On another note the book talks about the role of the family in a state. As the family is the building block of any communal living, companies might need to start thinking about how families can be integrated into the entire ecosystem. The goes against generally accepted norms to separate the personal and the professional, but a company that goes-beyond the professional and supports in the personal might start bridging the gab between the initially described disconnect.

Finally,  although again more seen more from a political perspective, how companies work together with schools might become more and more important in creating and looking for the right work force. Like we teach how governments work, classes might need to be taught on how actual companies function, starting from company history, major problems, breakthroughs, company culture and current developments among others. Only this way, will one possibly create an “educated” workforce that can align and commit to a company 100% even before actually working there, based on transparency and a true understanding of the future employer. Although this transparency might be utopian, it only is until major players are not afraid of it.

In the end, a competitive company appears to have to become like a community that assumes responsibilities, and is transparent and innovative in accordance with its aims.
Notes:

• community as a form of self-fullfillment and commitment
  • until 18th century, demands of society and those in power were considered more important that those of individuals
  • during time, we have come to view government as responsible for serving the needs of its citizens
    • but citizens are called on to do their part as well
      • citizens expect to benefit from the state while contributing as little as possible
    • they need to participate in the design and implementation of social goals
      • state needs to inform people about what needs to be done and convince them to participate
        • benefits one receives from the state are contingent on the state´s ability to function
  • new social order cannot come about with people feeling alienated from the state and jobs
    • centralized hierarchical systems practiced for thousands of years are now pasee
  • a viable system for the future needs to consider:
    • a community without order is not stable
    • people seek and need to be part of a community
    • we must discover, who in a humane society, should assume responsiblity and what the tasks will be
    • returning to the “good old days” will not work
  • if outdated regulations cannot be examined critically, the system will not develop and its demise will be inevitable
  • people can be creative when given the chance
    • allow more freedom for creative people and sufficient scope for trail and error
    • there is no lack of creative people, only of the insight and courage to grant them the freedom they need
  • Fitness for Community Living in Different Areas of Life
    • all want to be part of a community but not everybody can behave in a way that is conducive to community life
      • cooperation needs to be learned and practiced
    • The Family
      • there is a good reason to reflect the meaning and role of the family unit as a basis for community living
        • to reflect from a social standpoint on what the family can offer toward accomplishing certain goals
      • the state can further strengthen the family by transferring educational authority back to the parents
    • Partnerships
      • young people are increasingly unwilling to commit themselves to marriage
      • communal living requires discipline and willlingness to adapt may be perceived as a threat to their freedom and a reason to reject partnerships
    • Schools
      • to ensure that the educational aims of schools are in line with those of parents, schools must ensure  that a vital dialogue takes place between the two
    • The Work World
      • management by directives wont get the job done
      • success of delegated responsiblity depends upon middle management´s conviction that the company´s aims and working conditions are acceptable to all personnel
      • a competitive company must become like a community that assumes responsibilities and is innovative in accordance with its aim
        • company accepts its obligation to contribute to society as a primary goal while also respecting subordinate goals such as the self-realization of management, staff and the capital
    • The State
      • it must regard its citizens as consumers and give them the same courtesy they would expect from any service industry
      • must learn to let its citizens evaluate its services
      • restoring  society’s ability to live as a community is the most important condition for securing our future