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Sustainability Is Flexibility
by Mary H. Ruth There's an underground evolution going on at all levels of business these days, and though its strategies may run contrary to custom, the likely outcome is victory for this new species of economic life. Sure as the mimeograph drifted into oblivion, so are many standards, structures, and protocols of traditional business soon to become obsolete, no matter how high a company's status on Fortune's list. Since the '90s or so, our economy, cultures, technology and environment have made irrelevant many business assumptions we've previously taken for granted. Consider this recent commentary from madmargaret on her Sobrietyland blog, after two upsetting events in her professional life: a cultural organization decides against investing in making their website more attractive; and then her bosses at the corporation where she works disable employee use of the internet: …How do … short-sighted companies manage to survive? On the one hand you have (a nonprofit business) who cannot understand that the internet isn’t just some passing fad that all the teenagers are into. Then you have (the business I work for), run by people who cannot fathom that a move like severely limiting internet access will paralyze our ability to do our jobs. How do they manage to stay afloat? Or do they? The answer is that they may be floating now, but clearly they'll be soon swept out to sea. The business, whether commercial or nonprofit, that refuses to dialog and morph is a drowning business in our time. The new syndrome is poignantly told in Patrick Schaber's recent blog at The Lonely Marketer: A True Story About a Chair. The message is straightforward: business needs to listen more and listen better. Laura Spencer of businessandblogging.com says the story "…ought to be required reading for anyone in business." So, for example, despite the infamous corporate issue of employee time wasted while internet surfing, big business leadership has to be a lot smarter than simply pulling the plug. Perhaps it used to be that pulling the plug, or dropping the bomb, or just raising prices (or executive bonuses) was the way to solve problems. But the power of the global market, real-time media, and other forces (like ecological fragility) makes things much more complicated now. How do we find these smart new solutions? We're offered thousands of possibilities every day through advertising, television, newspapers and all forms of communication. How does the individual business select appropriately from the plethora? How can flexibility not become chaos? The answer is simple, and also complex. The enterprise that is dedicated to open and regular dialogue with all its constituencies is the sustainable business of today. Such a business starts from the premise of balance, understanding trade and livelihood as vitally connected to the constantly changing surrounding world. The healthiest commerce will be found around businesses that use this balancing act as basic structure, and develop systems of sustainable interchange in all aspects of their operations. We used to ask, How can we make a profit? But now the question is, How can we make a sustainable profit? And the answer, which used to be, By beating out the competition, is now more along the lines of, By answering real needs within my chosen niche. It's a slight but significant metamorphosis. It means that business in 2008 requires vigilant personal care. It means that in order to succeed, a business must be authentically remarkable (to borrow Seth Godin's term), transparent and available. It's the opposite of the imposing edifices of yesterday, rigidly defending their prowess through bureaucracy and hierarchy. In short, we are solicited by current world standards to make the transition from a competitive economy to a cooperative one. Though it may be anathema to some readers, this phenomenon deserves open recognition, as it precisely characterizes many successful business practices today. Small business owners already understand this precept. Not possessing the resources for intense competition, the small business is more likely to refine its niche services, locating markets that no one else is approaching; or to define its core skills in new or more specialized ways. Success is achieved through focus on the quality of goods and services more than through advertising blitzes. Getting better is more important than getting bigger. Shouldn't it be that we humans are capable of evolving, perfecting our lives and systems, and seeking intrinsic peace in the 21st century business world? Isn't such a thing as cooperative capitalism not only possible but happening right now? See you online! Home | Benefits | Services | Process & Costs | Consider This ... (samples and articles)| Contact Copyright ©2007-2008, |
