ResponseAbility’s project over the next year is called ‘L’Chaim : To Life’. Abigail Morris, ResponseAbility's Director, will be speaking about this project in Profit vs Prophet, the first in our seminar series entitled Renegotiating 'value'. To get a preview of the project click here.
In introducing the project, ResponseAbility write:
"What it means to live a good life lies at the heart of this project. The theme of life pulsates through Judaism; it is, most would say, its fundamental tenet. We may be unclear about life after death but we are very clear about life. We hope for a long life, and a good life – a life that embraces the here and now. Judaism is fundamentally about giving us pointers as to how to achieve this.
ResponseAbility is exploring this theme in a way that is both thought provoking and groundbreaking. The simple questions ‘what does it mean to lead a good life?’ and ‘how does one live a good life?’ underpin Judaism. These questions are now being asked across various disciplines. Cutting edge philosphers, pyschologists, economists and even epidemiologists are already addressing this issue.
Lying at the heart of these ideas are the ethics of the Jewish tradition. For example, Shabbat, the idea of a day not being a producer or a consumer. A day not working has been accepted in the Western world but shoppins is seen as a leisurely pursuit. Tzedakah, the idea of sharing wealth and giving to charity, and Tefilah, reflection on positive aspects of life. Mitzvah, being a volunteer and performing good deeds, and Kashrut, being aware of what we eat ...
ResponseAbility’s interest in this project grew out of the realisation that cutting edge scientists, such as positive psychologists, were producing work that was a secular version of much of Jewish teaching. ResponseAbility became aware that growing secularization meant this teaching was being lost and that this loss might be contributing to the rise in mental illness. It sees this as an opportunity to reclaim and popularise these ideas and help to help people lead better lives, better for themselves as individuals and better for society as a whole."
ResponseAbility will be working with both private sector and third sector organizations to examine what steps an employer would take to safeguard the wellbeing of its workforce. They will examine the creation of a Chartermark of Wellbeing for workplaces which would form part of the company’s annual report. The incentive for business, they argue, is the proven data about this reducing absenteeism, incapacity benefit (the biggest percentage of which is due to stress at work) and higher productivity. There is also research which shows much higher satisfaction of clients and customers of workplaces that really promote the wellbeing of their employees.
Friday, 20 August 2010
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Renegotiating value in association with ...
Renegotiating ‘value’ is a seminar series organised by Faiths in London’s Economy (FiLE) in association with: Ethos HumanCapital; Faith Regen Foundation; The Grubb Institute; Mission in London’s Economy; St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace.
FiLE is a network-based organisation working with faith communities in order to create coordinated faith-community responses to the issues facing London's economy. FiLE's initial seminar, Ethics in a global economy, led to the creation of a Shared faiths response to the credit crunch. This paper was included on the faiths discussion page of the London G20 website. FiLE also provides on its webpage information on faith-based business organisations and resources through an alphabetical listing of organisations and a thematic listing of resources.
Ethos HumanCapital is Europe's first ethical holistic human capital solutions provider. Their knowledge, practical experience and deep networks in the Finance, Responsible Business, Media, Green & Charity spaces allow them to provide our clients and candidates with practical solutions to their recruitment needs.
Faith Regen Foundation is a unique national charity which works in the Employment sector to secure sustainable jobs for the most disadvantaged individuals such as BAME, women and those with disabilities. FRF works with the full knowledge that these individuals have many barriers and issues which have to be overcome before they even reach the stage of entering the labour market. However, they care and believe in the clients that walk through their doors; and that everyone’s journey is different and special. FRF simply wish to provide a safe and secure place where an individual is inspired to unleash their potential. They are a Muslim inspired multi faith organisation with a strong track record of achieving targets and outcomes to ensure positive change since their inception in late 2001.
The Grubb Institute is an applied research foundation working globally to enable leaders, managers and others to achieve personal and organisational purpose, using their values, passions, faiths and beliefs as resources to be more effective in their responses to the constantly changing geopolitical context, locally, nationally and internationally, transforming their organisations and institutions. As leaders and managers in a range of organisations we are likely to be filled with a range of conflicting thoughts and feelings, fears and anxieties as well as optimism and hope. The Grubb Institute sees 2010 as presenting enormous opportunities for transformation, development and growth for leaders and their organisations when able to work with the emergent realties in this chaotic context, resisting repetition of previously unsuccessful strategies and through a spirit of inquiry bringing forth creativity, innovation and wellbeing.
Mission in London's Economy which is a London wide ecumenical Christian organisation set up in 2005 which has set itself the following objectives: to co-ordinate the churches' interventions in discussion of London's economy; to respond on behalf of the churches to consultation exercises on London's economy; to recruit, train, support, insure and supervise workplace chaplains; to support Christians working in the institutions of London's economy; to educate churches in the issues facing London's economy so that they might be able to respond appropriately; and to work with other faith communities in order to create coordinated faith-community responses to the issues facing London's economy.
St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace has arisen from the ruins of St Ethelburga's Church, after its destruction by an IRA bomb in 1993. Now 10,000 people a year from all over the world meet there to share stories, skills and insights about how we can build relationships across divisions of conflict, culture and religion. St Ethelburga's welcome people of all faiths and none as partners in the work of helping people come to terms with difference and building peace. The Centre is a Christian-led, independent charity which owns the freehold of the site, managed by a Board of Trustees, chaired by the Bishop of London. It aims "to encourage and enable people to practise reconciliation and peace-making in their communities and lives". The Centre itself is independent of the Church of England.
FiLE is a network-based organisation working with faith communities in order to create coordinated faith-community responses to the issues facing London's economy. FiLE's initial seminar, Ethics in a global economy, led to the creation of a Shared faiths response to the credit crunch. This paper was included on the faiths discussion page of the London G20 website. FiLE also provides on its webpage information on faith-based business organisations and resources through an alphabetical listing of organisations and a thematic listing of resources.
Ethos HumanCapital is Europe's first ethical holistic human capital solutions provider. Their knowledge, practical experience and deep networks in the Finance, Responsible Business, Media, Green & Charity spaces allow them to provide our clients and candidates with practical solutions to their recruitment needs.
Faith Regen Foundation is a unique national charity which works in the Employment sector to secure sustainable jobs for the most disadvantaged individuals such as BAME, women and those with disabilities. FRF works with the full knowledge that these individuals have many barriers and issues which have to be overcome before they even reach the stage of entering the labour market. However, they care and believe in the clients that walk through their doors; and that everyone’s journey is different and special. FRF simply wish to provide a safe and secure place where an individual is inspired to unleash their potential. They are a Muslim inspired multi faith organisation with a strong track record of achieving targets and outcomes to ensure positive change since their inception in late 2001.
The Grubb Institute is an applied research foundation working globally to enable leaders, managers and others to achieve personal and organisational purpose, using their values, passions, faiths and beliefs as resources to be more effective in their responses to the constantly changing geopolitical context, locally, nationally and internationally, transforming their organisations and institutions. As leaders and managers in a range of organisations we are likely to be filled with a range of conflicting thoughts and feelings, fears and anxieties as well as optimism and hope. The Grubb Institute sees 2010 as presenting enormous opportunities for transformation, development and growth for leaders and their organisations when able to work with the emergent realties in this chaotic context, resisting repetition of previously unsuccessful strategies and through a spirit of inquiry bringing forth creativity, innovation and wellbeing.
Mission in London's Economy which is a London wide ecumenical Christian organisation set up in 2005 which has set itself the following objectives: to co-ordinate the churches' interventions in discussion of London's economy; to respond on behalf of the churches to consultation exercises on London's economy; to recruit, train, support, insure and supervise workplace chaplains; to support Christians working in the institutions of London's economy; to educate churches in the issues facing London's economy so that they might be able to respond appropriately; and to work with other faith communities in order to create coordinated faith-community responses to the issues facing London's economy.
St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace has arisen from the ruins of St Ethelburga's Church, after its destruction by an IRA bomb in 1993. Now 10,000 people a year from all over the world meet there to share stories, skills and insights about how we can build relationships across divisions of conflict, culture and religion. St Ethelburga's welcome people of all faiths and none as partners in the work of helping people come to terms with difference and building peace. The Centre is a Christian-led, independent charity which owns the freehold of the site, managed by a Board of Trustees, chaired by the Bishop of London. It aims "to encourage and enable people to practise reconciliation and peace-making in their communities and lives". The Centre itself is independent of the Church of England.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Renegotiating 'value': what faiths offer 21st century business leadership
- Profit vs Prophet exploring whether making money or making a difference are opposed. Speakers: Jay Lakhani (Hindu Council UK), Abigail Morris (ResponseAbility), Mannie Sher (Tavistock Institute). Thursday 7th October, 4.00 – 6.30pm, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG;
- Bonus vs Pro Bono exploring the place of inspirational leadership in renegotiating 'value'. Speakers: Peter Hyson (Change Perspectives), Bruce Irvine (Grubb Institute), Baronness Uddin. Thursday 4th November, 4.00 – 6.30pm, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ; and
- Stakeholder vs shareholder value exploring who it is that businesses are/should be accountable to and the difference this makes to their structure and operation. Speakers: tbc. Date: tbc. Venue: tbc.
Renegotiating ‘value’: a seminar series organised by Faiths in London’s Economy (FiLE) in association with: Ethos HumanCapital; Faith Regen Foundation; The Grubb Institute; Mission in London’s Economy; St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace.
FiLE works with faith communities in order to create coordinated faith-community responses to the issues facing London's economy.
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