Reframing Organizations, 3rd ed.

Chapter 19

Reframing Ethics and Spirit

Reframing Ethics and Spirit

Soul and Spirit in Organizations The Factory: Excellence and Authorship The Family: Caring and Love The Jungle: Justice and Power The Temple: Faith and Significance

Soul and Spirit in Organizations Organizational soul: bedrock sense of identity, clarity

about core ideology and values Core ideology emphasizing “more than profits” key to

highly successful firms (Collins and Porras, 1994) Enron

Rapid shift from pipelines to deal-making produced enormous growth -- for a while

In the process, Enron lost a sense of core identity and values (“lots of smart people, but no wise people”)

Merck Core purpose: not profit but “preserve and improve

human life” Developed and gave away river blindness drug

Table 19.1:

Reframing Ethics

Metaphor Organizational Ethic

Leadership Contribution

Factory Excellence Authorship

Extended family

Caring Love

Jungle Justice Power

Temple `Faith Significance

Frame

Structural

Human Resource

Political

Symbolic

Conclusion

Organizational ethics ultimately need to be rooted in soul

Modern organizations suffer a crisis of meaning and moral authority

Leaders need to hold and model values like excellence, caring, justice, faith