Remaking Ourselves, Enterprise and Society

Book excerpt: Decision makers interested in going beyond their own personal and professional interests and involving themselves in humanising their organization, community and society should read Remaking Ourselves, Enterprise and Society. This book is about adherence to human values at an institutional level, and its starting point is the belief that human beings have basic goodness, which in turn is reflected in the desire to be of help to others and to do good. Professor Rao introduces the Indian concept of 'Spandan' (Heartbeat). Spandan is operationalized through a process of diagnosis, discovery and development enabling organizations to achieve an optimal balance between what are defined as transactional, transformational, and terminal human values. This leads to management and organizations developing sensitivity to the needs of others, which they come to understand. When such sensitivity becomes integral to its work ethic and culture, an organization is able to temper its commitment to task with humanity and it becomes functionally humane. Experience suggests, not surprisingly, that organizations that can achieve this optimal balance between results and relations achieve higher employee commitment and productivity and increased accommodative spirit that better equips them to deal with difficult times. This exciting addition to Gower's Transformation and Innovation Series will enlighten business leaders, governmental and non-governmental policy makers, management educators, organization developers, and researchers.