When transitioning from a moment of crisis to a fundamentally new normal, further reflection is required of us. We must ask ourselves not only how our decisions and action will affect this moment in time, but also we must ask how we foresee a future for all. It is only through this type of reflection that we can genuinely and optimally create a present that is informed and encouraged by our reimagined future.
We are living through a revolution towards cohesion.
As protesters line the streets of every major city, I can not help but hear the cry for a just and green economy. All over the world, people are looking at the old and stagnant economic system of the past and recognizing the absence of its place in this new normal. This new normal, instead, invites an economy generated by and for the people, and I see humane entrepreneurs as the leaders of this movement.
If we want to set the groundwork for circular systems of growth that uplift the humanity in each individual involved while working to protect the planet, then we might just create a world in which representation, equity, and empathy come naturally to leaders and followers alike.
Nation as an Enterprise
Currently, we are in the preliminary stages of change. The collective world population is waking up to realize that the injustices that established nations can not go unnoticed and unrepaired. If we think for a moment as if a nation was an enterprise and, further, an entrepreneurial enterprise, what rating of Humane Entrepreneurship would the nation receive?
If a country was an enterprise, would it present IDEAL, MODERATE, NEGATIVE, or HARMFUL Humane Entrepreneurship? Seeing how the leadership and top managers have established cycles of harm that consider the financial profitability of the company over the well-being, enablement, and empowerment of their employees, it would seem that a country can also demonstrate systems of HARMFUL Humane Entrepreneurship.
Within the transition from destroying to recreate, we might seek the HumEnt principles of empathy and equity as our guides to ensuring that the new company created does not repeat the same vicious cycles of the past. We must emphasize that within every structure of society, and therefore including business, “respect for human dignity demands respect for human freedom.”
The Role of Empathy and Equity
Understanding the characteristics of humanistic management, empathy is an essential “driving factor for employee engagement and communicative business culture, leading to a better understanding between organizational members and stakeholders.” If empathy can significantly enhance engagement at a business level, imagine the incredible changes that could arrive on the greater scale of a nation.
From empathy, comes a movement towards equity. At the firm-level, equity encompasses the “extent to which a company treats individuals in a fair and equal manner.” This essential component promotes “a sense of proportion,” agreeing that the outcomes individuals receive should be awarded in proportion to their inputs and outputs, while understanding that not all individuals are starting in the same place because of embedded covert discrimination.
Leaders that manifest the principles of Humane Entrepreneurship will undoubtedly feel more guided than others when system-shattering moments come about. It is leaders such as these who can understand the opportunities in differences and similarities that will continue to build a world made for everyone, one flowing virtuously, greeting growth for all.