Knowledge Evolution and Societal Transformations by Jerald Hage;

Author:Jerald Hage;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book Network Int'l Limited trading as NBN International (NBNi)

This training also helps individuals to engage at work with their whole person, rather than expending effort maintaining a Goffmanian mask or trying to maximize their social interactions for profit, à la Homans (Chapter Two). But in Laloux’s discussion of what he calls teal organizations and their practices (2014: chapters 2.4 and 2.5), he mentions a number of other mechanisms that facilitate communication of the whole person by encouraging individuals to bring other parts of themselves to the company. For example, one firm disseminates spiritual wisdom via recordings; another suggests that workers bring their dogs to work; and at Patagonia, the well-known outfitter’s company, workers can bring their children with them to work. Although not mentioned by Laloux, many teal companies are built around goals that transcend simply making a profit; Patagonia, for example, claims to want to protect the environment. The cause of a firm may impact its ability to recruit individuals who are more likely to be more passionate (and thus involved) in their work; this type of worker will probably be more concerned about whole person interactions given their commitment to the cause. Other mechanisms that may deepen communication among workers include rules about recognizing the reality of another person’s perspective and differentiating between what one says and what one does. For these sensibilities to have some effect on workers, they must be repeated in the workplace in various ways and with regularity.

An interesting variation on this kind of repetition may be found in Heiligenfeld—a group of mental health hospitals in Germany—in which, every Tuesday, about 350 employees meet and then disband into small groups to reflect about some important topic (Laloux 2014: 155–57). This organization also uses coaches to meet with teams to discuss various issues that may be creating tensions. Because this organization operates mental health hospitals, it is reasonable to expect that it has a deep understanding of how to deal with interpersonal conflicts. Any effort that is made to reduce conflict between/among people typically also facilitates the building of whole person interactions. Finally, in a world in which many people feel underpaid, and many also envy coworkers whom they perceive to be receiving higher salaries, peer-based appraisals and salary adjustments may help alleviate tension and build a sense of trust and fairness among an organization’s workforce (Laloux 2014: 125–26). This pattern is found in many self-management organizations.

Some of the more interesting practices involve building positive social relationships between people. For example, one organization welcomes new recruits with a meeting in which the employees bring an object to express a wish for the person’s success. This same organization has another meeting when an individual leaves, at which everyone in attendance tells a story about why they will miss the departing colleague. A progressive school in Berlin (Laloux 2014: 93–97) designates a day each week in which individual students give praise to others. At FAVI, a metal parts firm in France, meetings begin with someone mentioning someone else who helped him or her. Finally, another

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