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Organizations which make a difference: a philosophical argument for the “people focused organization”

Ed Weymes (Dr Weymes, on completion of his doctorate at Cranfield School of Management, conducted a number of marketing studies for the fast‐moving consumer goods industry in the UK before moving to Canada, where he taught at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Dr Weymes then joined Saskatchewan Government Insurance as Manager, Market Research and Planning, before returning to the academic world at the University of Regina. Here, he held the position of Assistant Dean and then Associate Dean of the Faculty of Administration. In 1991, Dr Weymes was appointed Director of Executive Education at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, responsible for the design and implementation of the MBA program. Today, he holds the title of Associate Dean, responsible for the development of international programs within the Waikato Management School. He is co‐author of Peak Performance, Lessons for Business from the World’s Leading Sports Organizations by C. Gilson, M. Pratt, K. Roberts and E. Weymes, published by Harper Collins, 2000.)

Corporate Governance

ISSN: 1472-0701

Article publication date: 1 April 2005

4149

Abstract

Traditional management theory is grounded in the concept of bureaucracy which provides a platform for managers to control behavior. When behavior is controlled, personal freedom and the ability to innovate are curtailed, yet creativity is a key driver competitive advantage. Creativity is unleashed when individuals are provided with the opportunity to express their individual freedom, when they feel their actions make a difference. Organizations, bounded only by economic motives, fail to provide such an environment, but when an organization extends its focus to encompass society and the environment, members of the organization can be inspired to share the dream of the organization. This paper explores the traditional management concepts, and presents the reader with a philosophy that both encourages individual freedom and maintains an ordered society. The paper concludes by applying the philosophy to a model for organization design, which facilitates individual freedom and retains the controls necessary to meet performance targets.

Keywords

Citation

Weymes, E. (2005), "Organizations which make a difference: a philosophical argument for the “people focused organization”", Corporate Governance, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 142-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/14720700510562721

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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