The Ethics of Good Business

By Michele Cempaka

The days of working for just our basic needs are rapidly changing, as many professionals are becoming more cognizant of the fact that they are spending 60 -70% of their average day working at jobs they don’t like. Mind numbing work is no longer acceptable; most people are desirous of jobs which are more meaningful – jobs which can provide them with greater connections with their colleagues, while also allowing them to make a significant contribution to society.

Hence, it is no surprise that Corporate Spirituality, a trend once scoffed at by many large companies, is currently being put into practice by companies worldwide. What is Corporate Spirituality anyway? According to Wikipedia: Spirituality in the workplace is about individuals and organizations seeing work as a spiritual path and as an opportunity to grow and to contribute to society in a meaningful way. It is about care, compassion and support of others; about integrity and people being true to themselves and others. It means individuals and organizations attempting to live their values more fully in the work they do.

Rick Pursell, a consultant for a Singaporean company and also the owner of two businesses based in Bali: ‘Namaste Spiritual Retreat Center’ at Orchid Villa and a spiritual shop called Namaste, shares his thoughts about why corporate spirituality is critical in today’s world.

“Many people have a wake-up call or major catalyst in their lives to catapult them into delving deeper into their true nature. Mine was the Vietnam War, where I witnessed man’s inhumanity to man first hand and culminating in an overwhelming desire to end my life in order to put myself out of my misery and suffering. Obviously this did not occur and the event left me with a heightened curiosity to investigate more about this life I was so willing to snub out. And so, I consciously started treading on my Path – a Path that took me to many teachers, exotic places and eventually, to the feet of my Swami in Rishikesh.

“It was with Swami after many weeks of tortuous investigation, of having my nose rubbed into my ego and alternating this with experiencing Oneness, that I received the greatest gift of my life – shaktipat or transmission. From that point forward, I was only interested in being of service to others in some way. I set up small groups, spoke on spiritual subjects and found ways to help people to become more aware,” says Rick.

These experiences were the catalyst for Rick to move into working with his client in Singapore where he feels he has an opportunity to reach more people and perhaps effect positive changes in their lives in some small or large way.

“My job is to facilitate the changes that inculcate the principle of ‘Cause No Harm’ as a culture within the billion dollar organization of 700 people, to develop and implement responsible corporate philosophies that work towards sustainability and to research the way forward of balancing our stakeholders interests, while providing a truly caring and satisfying workplace filled with happy employees,” explains Rick.

Prior to his work as a consultant, Rick Pursell was a Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) specialist for 22 years. It was here that he learned how to easily integrate spiritual values into HSE for his client, by developing his “Cause No Harm” program. The fundamental idea behind this innovative program is to embrace the opportunity at every turn, to cause no harm to ourselves, to others, the materials and equipment we use, the environment, planet Earth as a whole and future generations. It invites all participants to query whether their thoughts, words or actions will result in harm to any of the above areas.

Since Rick began his work with his client in Singapore positive changes have gradually occurred which are having a notable rippling effect. “Major cultural changes need time to take effect and percolate down through an organization, so it isn’t easy to definitively measure the success; however, when you hear and see people using the principles of ‘Cause No Harm’, then you know that the message has gotten through. When the CEO announces very publicly and genuinely to his VPs and senior staff, that it is unacceptable for us to cause harm in the course of conducting our business, then you know the organization is led by a caring and compassionate leader. When the message is displayed for all to read on the Company’s website, then that is a measure of commitment, but the best of all is the fact that the employees embrace this philosophy and take it home with them to apply to their families and lives in general.”
Yet still there are many companies that resist the notion of Corporate Spirituality, thinking that it is just a waste of time. Their pursuit of the almighty dollar has come at a very high price taking a great toll on our planet and humanity.
“We see many corporations (not all) motivated by; greed, unawareness, separateness and fear. But the good news is, like many people on this planet, corporations or at least those that work within them, are waking up to their own true nature; they realize that ultimately we are all interdependent on each other for our survival. Now we are witnessing more recycling and environmental awareness these days. There are companies that specialize in ethical investments, donate a percentage of their income to charitable causes or caring organizations, seek only sustainable products where the originators receive the rewards without exploitation and many other fine examples. The Enrons of this world and more recently, the collapse of several huge financial institutions in the US bent on greed and led by grossly overpaid CEOs, are helping people to awaken to the reality and forcing them to demand change, whereas before they sat by either in oblivion or apathy. I believe over the next few years we will see a systematic dismantling of those organizations, political structures and unworkable educational systems, etc., that no longer serve the greater good. People on the streets all over the world are demanding change. The Internet has given us a portal to permit our voices to be heard and grass roots organizations are springing up all over the place to bring about change. This is part of our natural evolution,” says Rick.
When asked about the people who stand out for their ethical business practices or ways of living Rick says, “I have always had the deepest respect and admiration for Mahatma Gandhi, with his relentless pursuit of justice and equality, his non-violent principles and the personal sacrifices he made for the good of others. Richard Branson also features high on my list for his unspoiled successes and failures and his adventuresome manner. Mother Teresa, Bob Geldoff, Bono for his work on debt reduction and poverty, Sting for bringing awareness to the world of the rainforest destruction and the adverse effects on the Yanomami Indians and Bill Gates and Warren Buffett for their philanthropy. These are (or were) ordinary people leading extraordinary lives and effecting much needed changes in our world, beyond their own self-serving needs.”
Patricia Miklautsch, who was an independent consultant/contractor for HP in almost every marketing-communications group at the product-originating R&D levels, shares her insights into the corporate world.
“There is a distinct culture within each and every company and corporation. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work for several that pioneered support and development of the human potential. Serious problems only arose when people felt threatened or the trends were moving so incredibly fast that people became unreasonably competitive. Which is really fear of being left behind – again feeling threatened.
“In a few of those situations, I had the opportunity to experiment with the power of positive energy. To step back in time several years prior - before I ever knew about yoga or an asana, a wise mentor, shaking his head in sadness and eyes that said, “Foolish child, but don’t change; the world needs this,” referred to me as a Bhakti Yogini, and warned me that it was important to just accept myself as that, but some people would be very uncomfortable with the person I was and that I couldn’t please everyone. I had no idea what he meant at that time.
“Several years later, I found myself amidst corporate gnashing of teeth and jumped into the war zone with unusual weapons. I would drop into my well of Divine Source, which is a yummy state of glowing spiritual bliss, and filled up my gas tank so to speak. Then I’d walk into a conference room determined to hold that love energy come drought or high water. And to my surprise, but ecstatically so, all those people at ego-odd-ends either raised their energy to cooperative levels or left the room. I was amazed and thrilled and took every chance to experiment. The result was a commitment to this type of non-violent, non-ego, non-competitive problem solving. However, I also discovered that this method for meetings on the telephone didn’t have quite the same impact. Additionally, I observed that when I felt personally threatened, it interrupted the intensity of my love channel and diminished the positive impact of the interaction. So, although my intent was not specifically designed for “no harm to others”, the result was such.”
The question of how companies can conduct their business ethically is a big one. According to Patricia, companies need to be legally and intelligently responsible to their stockholders, thus, making the bottom line profitable. Stockholders consist of all levels of society including 100’s of thousands of little people invested in mutual funds for their children’s education or for when they retire, so that they will be able to live above a subsistence level.
“At a basic level of humanity, the corporation, as well as the stall at the public market are similar, because they share the same stories; we all tell ourselves a story to justify little and big lies, thefts, and all acts of unkindness. The difference between the huge corporation and the warung in the village is just a matter of degree. But the incentive or story is pretty much the same . . . we think we need more. The concept that less is more; to give all in order to get all, is a concept that seldom keeps company with conversations associated with profit. I had friends who were environmentalists with strong convictions until they inherited a little money and began to consider where they’d invest it, at which point, oil companies and big “bad’ corporations were viewed as a means to higher profit than the green funds,” says Patricia.
So what can big corporations do to overcome the stumbling blocks which prevent them from conducting ethical business? Patricia suggests three clear steps:
1. Values that have a structure to measure against.
2. Business practices that parallel life practices.
3. Methods that insure fairness and choice to all involved, including employees and investors.
Two people whom Patricia greatly admires for their ethical business practices are: David Packard and Bill Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard or HP, (one of the biggest and oldest computing companies). HP has always believed in putting people first. According to Patricia, the people who choose to work for HP were the cream of the crop, because they had values in common, embracing honesty, integrity and respect for their customers and each other. HP as a corporation frequently led responsible business practices and environmental programs long before general trends.
“Although times always change, I hope HP still has a thread of the original values from Dave & Bill’s garage where they started, (now a historical monument as the birthplace of Silicon Valley) referred to fondly as the HP Garage Values,” says Patricia smiling.
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