What is a Loving Organisation
What is an organisation?
An organisation is any group of individuals who combine their resources and work for a purpose. But every organisation also needs to satisfy the needs of all the individual men and women and the groups whose work and resources help to achieve its aims.
What is a Loving Organisation?
A loving organisation is any organisation where all (or at least some) of the men and women aim to create loving relations with each other and with whoever they meet.
An organisation is any group of individuals who combine their resources and work for a purpose. But every organisation also needs to satisfy the needs of all the individual men and women and the groups whose work and resources help to achieve its aims.
What is a Loving Organisation?
A loving organisation is any organisation where all (or at least some) of the men and women aim to create loving relations with each other and with whoever they meet.
- So, what do we mean by LOVE in the context of our working lives.
- Some words come to our mind, but you may add many more:
- FRIENDLY, KIND, CARING, COMPASSIONATE, OPEN, TRUSTING, FAIR, GENUINE, WARM, good-natured, COURTEOUS, HONEST, DECENT, RESPECTFUL.
- We do not, of course, mean romantic or sexual relations, nor should loving relations at work intrude on privacy or people's personal space. And we are not sending a religious message.
- We dare to use the four-letter word L-O-V-E even if it may seem shocking to use it in the world of work. If you feel the word LOVE is inappropriate, can you think of better words?
- We can't prove it yet, but we believe that people feel better and do better when they enjoy loving relations at work. It is worth a little effort, it can be fun and can lead to greater success.
- It is easier if the people who lead the organisation aim to create loving relations. But even if only one or two individuals in the organisation are prepared to try a smile and some kind words, loving relations can spread through the organisation and beyond.
- We recognise that creating loving relations isn't always easy. There are many difficult problems in organisations and much pain. Sometimes the system does not encourage friendly relationships. Sometimes there are difficult, unhappy people who refuse to co-operate.
- We can tell the difference between people who come home from work tired, sad, angry, frustrated by problems within their organisation and those who come home smiling and happy because they have achieved something in a kind supportive atmosphere at work.
- Can we measure the benefits of creating loving relations at work? With your help we want to try, by collecting stories about loving organisations as well as stories about the other kind.
- Are there any academics or consultants who can devise theories and tests to show whether our proposition makes sense? We would like to collaborate with them and work with men and women within organisations to develop measures for creating loving relationships and measures to show the benefits.
- Creating loving relationships is not new. We do not need to teach you how to smile, how to be courteous and considerate, how to listen and respond to the needs of others. You know that people blossom with encouragement and can achieve more. There are many useful tools and techniques out there.