Good for him. If he can create a market for the kind of philosoph graduate who knows how to help real human beings tackle real world problems, we're one big step closer to zoasophy. :-)
E On May 3, 2012, at 11:02 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > Businessweek > > January 12, 2012 > Philosophy is Back in Business > > Forget economics. Philosophy offers a deeper, broader way of thinking to help > guide companies through times made tougher by overspecialized experts > By Dov Seidman > > The financial and climate crises, global consumption habits, and other > 21st-century challenges call for a "killer app." I think I've found it: > philosophy. > > Philosophy can help us address the (literally) existential challenges the > world currently confronts, but only if we take it off the back burner and > apply it as a burning platform in business. > > Philosophy explores the deepest, broadest questions of life—why we exist, how > society should organize itself, how institutions should relate to society, > and the purpose of human endeavor, to name just a few. The Wealth of Nations, > a book that serves as the intellectual platform for capitalism, lays out how > markets should be organized and how people should behave in such markets. The > book's author, Adam Smith, was not an economist, as many believe, but a > philosopher. Smith was chairman of the Moral Philosophy Dept. at Glasgow > University when he wrote the book. > > Like other philosophers, Smith attempted to create a new framework for > understanding the world, addressing how we as humans seek alignment in our > relationships and among competing interests. > > The philosophical approach Smith pursued has faded from use, yet it's more > relevant than ever in light of the crises our organizations and countries > face. Credit, climate, and consumption crises cannot be solved through > specialized expertise alone. These problems, like most issues businesses > confront in the global marketplace, feature complex interdependencies that > require an understanding of how political, financial, environmental, ethical, > and social interests influence each other. A philosophical approach connects > the dots among competing interests in an effort to create synergy. Linking > competing interests requires philosophers to examine areas that modern-day > domain experts too often ignore: core beliefs, ethics, and character. > > When I say we need to return to a philosophical approach in relation to > problem-solving, I mean that we need to broaden our understanding of problems > by looking deeper at our own beliefs, values, ethics, and character, and then > understand how they relate to those of others who share a stake in our > problem-solving efforts. > > Needed: broader questions and goals > > This has grown difficult to do at the organizational level because so many > our businesses are packed with specialized domain experts. We are having > trouble connecting the dots among these knowledge silos to conceive enduring > solutions. > > Like philosophers, we as individuals and organizations need to keep values, > ethics, and the overall human condition in mind as we make decisions and take > actions. Among other behaviors, this means hiring for character (in addition > to specialized skills), considering the long-term implications (in addition > to the short-term rewards) of our decisions, and figuring out how we can > create value (in addition to extracting value). > > By taking these steps and embracing a more philosophical approach to > problem-solving, we will establish our character as the 21st century's > defining competitive differentiator. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus so > elegantly put it almost 2,500 years ago: "Character is fate." This holds true > for individuals and organizations. > > I see growing evidence of businesses asserting their desire to address the > human condition, which certainly marks a step in the right direction. > > My bias stems from my experience as an undergraduate at UCLA, where > philosophy lit a fire inside me. By rewarding me for the careful > consideration of one idea instead of compelling me to read hundreds of pages > of text, philosophy helped me understand why I was struggling in all other > academic areas. I studied philosophy for seven years before I went to law > school, where I took eight classes in jurisprudence, which is essentially the > philosophy of law. > > a more ethical corporate sector > > Although I pursued my philosophical studies because I was inspired by the > subject, I also reached a conclusion that led me to found LRN, a company that > helps businesses develop ethical corporate cultures: Philosophy is powerful > enough to tackle sprawling issues. The discipline remains amazingly practical > after existing for more than 2,000 years. > > Here's a timely and practical example of how applied philosophy can generate > a new business idea: At LRN, we don't think of our suppliers as "vendors" or > our customers as "buyers." They are all our "partners" in a shared effort to > build our businesses together in the service of a big idea—a more ethical > corporate sector. This may sound abstract, but it's actually quite practical. > > When you share a philosophical concept or a world view, you create alignment, > whether it's with a colleague, a trading partner, or another stakeholder. > Without that shared vision, relationships often bog down in low-level > squabbles. [ emphasis added ] > > During LRN's negotiations, for instance, instead of butting heads with our > partners across the table over low-level details, we strive to remember that > we share common ground and that we are committing to working together for > years. If we remember that, we're more likely to reach a win-win agreement > that deepens our connections. > > LRN is hardly alone. As I wrote in an earlier story, more companies appear > eager to deepen connections with their own partners and the human condition > in general. I was recently struck by the simplicity of Ally Bank's print > advertisement expressing its competitive advantage: "We Speak Human." > > Wanted: Philosophers in pinstripes > > These corporations are promoting the notion that their mission extends beyond > profit and provides new frameworks—transportation, fuel, manufacturing, and > so forth—for improving existence. These assertions require supporting actions > over the long term if they are to have merit. In our connected and > transparent world, where so many can easily see deeply into our operations, > it has become clear that companies and even nations have character—and that > their character is their destiny. For institutions to ensure that their > characters, or cultures, are consistent with their behavior, they need more > humans within their organizations who can appropriately manifest the desired > culture through leadership, business practices, and individual behaviors. > > When LRN posted the job listing for the New York office administrator > position that Emily recently stepped into, we included a specification > designed to let candidates know that we valued what they might contribute to > our company, beyond their administrative skills: "Philosophy major > preferred." We hoped to find someone like Emily, who could truly connect > with our mission and not just "do the job." That qualification seemed a > bright idea. > > It turned out to be a practical idea. Before my September trip to China, > philosophy major Emily took the initiative to join a group of staff members > who brainstormed with me about ways I might connect international company > executives, local business people, students, and Chinese citizens on the > topic of values, ethics, and behaviors. Our office manager and philosopher > added value in a way that someone hired exclusively for a skill set probably > would not have been able to contribute. Anyone—not only philosophy majors—can > think more broadly and more deeply about the beliefs and values at the root > of our crises, but Emily certainly does. > > This is hopeful news at a time when massive problems are nudging people to > hunker down rather than to lean in and connect. > > These connections are vital as we engage deeper with the 21st century's > biggest challenges. As we do this, we will find that philosophy's application > is not only "killer" in a practical sense, but necessary in a fundamentally > human one. > > > > > Dov Seidman is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of LRN, a > company that helps businesses develop ethical corporate cultures and inspire > principled performance, and the author of HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means > Everything…in Business (and in Life). LRN recently announced the acquisition > of leading green strategy firm, GreenOrder. > > > > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
