Recognising a new energy in organisations

Communications helps to link people and values, create common understanding and shared meanings as well as provide feedback both from inside the organisation and outside. It also connects companies with the outside world. Two-way or symmetric communications, where both parties communicate on an equal footing, is seen as the ideal of communications. However, this "ideal" is often not found in real life where large corporations and the mass media dominate. Where each party is willing to alter their behaviour and accommodate the needs of the other, in other words, act out of reciprocity, then what is commonly known as win-win outcomes are achieved. But power, dominance, manipulation, politics, and self-interest make win-win difficult to realise.

Corporate communications or public relations practitioners should be interested in the latest trend that indicates that some organisations appear to be taking values seriously - and often as a way to address these imbalances. Richard Barrett (formerly with the World Bank), author of "Liberating the corporate soul: building a visionary organisation" and "A guide to liberating your soul" notes that we have been moving from the information age to an age of consciousness and cultural capital (see diagram http://www.paraview.com/features/barrett.htm ). The fundamental shift is to values that support the common good. "Corporations that cannot move beyond self-interest will find themselves struggling to survive," says Barrett in an interview, www.paraview.com.

The trend towards cultural capital is highly dependent on values or business principles and some corporations are even beginning to recognise the "energy" or "spirit" that people bring to their work. Speaking about energy or spirit in the workplace is often viewed as taboo in hard-nosed commercial, manufacturing, engineering and technology organisations where human values have not always been placed at the top of the corporate agenda. Instead, business people allude to these vital components of life through palatable and inventive semantics such as "business ethics", "integrity and the workplace", and "the spirit of cooperation".

Two Canadian academics Val Kinjerski and Berna Skrypnek from the Department of Human Ecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, in a paper called "Defining spirit at work: finding common ground" published in the Journal of Organizational Change Management, have said that spirit at work is a term that describes the experience of employees who are passionate about and energised by their work, finding meaning and purpose in their work. Participants in their study note that they can't be one person when they are at home and leave that person at home when they go to work. Authenticity is often described as "bringing your whole person to work." The authors also note that the spirit of the corporation is the mission, vision, principles and values of the organisation.

In another study published in an article called "The transformed leader and spiritual psychology: a few insights" in the Journal of Organisational Change Management, the authors, SK Chakraborty and Debangshu Chakraborty from management institutes in India noted how a transformed leader should practice self-leadership as a priority. They advocate that transformational leadership requires self-leadership: "leader, lead thyself".

In his book "The fifth disciple", Peter Senge in his chapter on "Personal Mastery: the spirit of the learning organisation", notes that organisations learn only through individuals who learn. He says that when one does undertake and practice the discipline of personal mastery gradual changes take place and one begins to see more of our connectedness to the world, compassion, and commitment to the whole. This is important, as companies need to be reminded of their connectedness to the outside world, where their publics reside.

Leslie Temple-Thurston, a gifted author and speaker residing in the US, has identified that the metaphysical is moving more into the workplace. She contends that business people need to be taught to hold everything (in a connected, holistic way) instead of acting in a win-lose mode. Although the win-win model seems simple it is not simplistic. We cannot continue to have situations where the company wins and environment loses, or where the company wins and the unions lose, or where the company wins and employees lose. We need to negotiate, mediate and facilitate to achieve win-win outcomes.

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal an article entitled "MBAs get lessons in spirituality" (WSJ, 11 January 2005), by Ronald Alsop (author of "The 18 immutable laws of corporate reputation: creating, predicting and repairing your most valuable asset", Wall Street Journal Books/Free Press 2005) outlined that MBAs, although they learn a lot about quantitative values, are now getting lessons in spiritual values. In the article, Thierry Pauchant, who holds the chair in ethical management at the HEC Montreal business school, says it was taboo for so many years to talk about workers' spirituality, that people are suffering by not being able to address that part of themselves and lead a more integrated life.

Management guru, and author of the business classic One Minute series, Ken Blanchard, Ph.D., appointed chief spiritual officer of the Ken Blanchard Companies, is currently working on unleashing positive human energy. Blanchard is convinced that effective leadership has more to do with character than methodology and skills.

Finally, whatever it is called, whether it is energy or spirit at work in the people employed in the company to produce and sell or those organisations themselves, which embody ethical values, we need to consider how this trend will influence workplaces, business dealings, and relationships with stakeholders in the future.

Communicators need to assess how the trend towards values, energy and cultural capital will affect the tone, style and substance of their communications. In the hard-driving business world, communicators have a hard time convincing senior managers to listen to their stakeholders, think through the consequences of their decisions and communicate authentically. Whatever the future holds, there is sure to be resistance and difficulties. As a communications practitioner, you may well shy away from the challenge of communicating in the new values-based environment, but you may also start to examine how you can rise to the challenge and communicate with a new power and energy.