Call for Cases: Humanistic Management in Practice

The Humanistic Management Network tries to impact the way businesses operate by integrating humanistic thought into strategy in the quest for a more ‘life-conducive’ economy. Aiming to create actionable knowledge The Humanistic Management Network is compiling a book with case studies that represent positive examples of how businesses can succeed in generating social value whilst running a profitable organization. A prerequisite for managing a business in tune with humanistic principles is the emancipation from a singular focus on maximizing profits. The common ground such businesses share is that they are managed as an integrated and responsive part of society by:
a) Seeing their organizational raison d’être also in the promotion of social benefit for which the use of business methods and market mechanisms is a tool – a means to support an end rather than an end in itself.
b) Submitting themselves to the necessity of earning at least a sufficient income to be a self-sustaining organization but without submitting themselves to a normative heightening of profit maximization.
c) Maintaining the liberty to opt out of the application of market rationality in situations where this would create a conflict with, or decrease the social benefit the organization aims to create.

We are initially looking for case abstracts of no more than 500 words which we need to receive by July 1st 2008. These abstracts should cover the following questions:
a) Why is this case a good example for a responsible business, a business that is managed respecting the three criteria mentioned above?
b) What is the company’s name, headquarter location, and size (Start-up, SME, large corporation…)?
c) What goods or services does the business offer?

To download the full call for cases including some Background information please go to: http://www.humanetwork.org/Research_Download_Area/Research_Download_Area.htm

Please submit your abstract to Ernst von Kimakowitz: evkimakowitz[at]humanetwork.org
For further information on The Humanistic Management Network please visit http://www.humanetwork.org.

(Blog content from Michael Pirson, Ph.D. – AF300408)