Structures of economics and change

Economic governance

Big, our small world's structure

Here are two drawings from Roger Searle, a participant in the 'Profit vs Prophet' seminar, reflecting on economic governance and perceptions of size in relation to change.

Many of Roger's drawing are based on the open structure of leaves and reflect his offering of process as a wave, as in Heraclitus, Whitehead, Bohm. This is in contrast, he believes, to rational dialogue since Plato which has concentrated on structure with the circle as the ideal shape (i.e. atoms, spheres etc.) leading to fragmentation. It may seem strange, he suggests, that geometry could transform an economy but cause and purpose, while at either end of the wave, must both be held in the mind at same time like a Buddhist Koan.

'Profit vs Prophet' - Mannie Sher

Biblical prophets preached at a time when their societies were agrarian and their times were harsh and under threat from warring neighbours.  But for the Prophet Micah, one of the minor prophets who lived in the 8^th Century Before the Common Era, it was a time that witnessed the emergence of a commercial civilization of great material prosperity.  Its foundations were laid in the peace and security established under Jeroboam II and Uzziah during their long reigns and in the extension of the borders of their kingdoms, giving the Hebrew States command of all the main trade routes.  But it was a civilization which displayed all the problems of a society making haste to be rich – greed and covetousness, reckless and unscrupulous competition and a pitiless disregard of the claims of sympathy, charity and brotherly consideration. 

Extremes of wealth and poverty, which had been impossible in an agricultural society based on the Biblical system of land tenure, were dividing the nation into classes of possessors and dispossessed.  The rich built up large estates and with the help of corrupt judges added house to house and field to field while the oppressed and dispossessed peasantry sought in vain for legal redress.  The pursuit of commerce encouraged the development of cities to which the landless farmers migrated in search of a livelihood, where wealth, luxury and vice dwelt side by side with poverty, misery and squalor.  With the exchange of goods went the exchange of ideas.  New age cults, pornography, standards of luxury and splendor and materialistic aims of living which hitherto had been foreign were introduced.

Against this moral and social background Micah received the call to prophecy.  Himself a countryman, he felt the deepest sympathy with the misery and destitution to which the rapaciousness of the rich and powerful had reduced the masses; but he also saw clearly that a society built on tyranny, corruption and false standards of wealth was a society doomed to destruction.  Micah fearlessly denounced the demoralizing pursuit of wealth which he considered the opposite of the demands of righteousness.  He inveighs against the seizure of houses and estates, the expropriation of peasants, the cruel use of the rights of creditors, the corruption of rulers and judges, the venality of priests and prophets who lived by the flattery of the rich.  He attacks the utterly mistaken conception that no harm can befall the rich; he announces in unequivocal terms the inevitable consequences of the corruption of his society – defeat and exile.  And over against the injustice, cruelty and luxurious ostentation of his age, he states in simple terms the essence of God’s demands: Justice, Mercy and Modesty.

It has been said that Micah combines in his character the ethical fervour of Amos and the compassion and love of Hosea.  His denunciations of injustice and oppression were as fierce and categorical as any in Hebrew prophecy, his threats as absolute and unconditional.  And since those whom he denounced were the rich, the powerful and the privileged, one marvels at his courage and his fearlessness.  They writhed under his verbal lashings; they called on him to cease his prophesying, but they must have recognised that his prophesying came from on High and they did not harm him. 

Here is what Micah says in Chapter 3; Verses 9-12

Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right;

Who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with wickedness.

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us."

Therefore because of you, Zion will be ploughed like a field; Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

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Jeremiah 6:13 – 15

For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

Ezekiel 22:25 – 28

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.

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Isaiah 42:22

But this is a people robbed and spoiled,

They are all of them snared in holes,

And they are hidden in prison houses;

They are for a prey, and none delivereth,

For a spoil, and none saith: “Restore.”

This is a description of the pitiable plight of the people, the homelessness and bondage (bankruptcy).  The people’s insensibilities and lack of understanding are rebuked.  The disasters Isaiah says are the result of lack of moral discipline leading to the deliverance of a chastened people.

So what about profits?  Are the Prophets against profits?  No, they are against excessive profits, unequal profits, profits without moral justice.  Profits are meant to be put to social and economic use, not feed the greedy parts of our natures.

Even in early agrarian society it was understood that production was not meant only for immediate consumption; a proportion had to be left over and saved for the next year's planting.

How much is enough?

It is a generally accepted principle that the proportions of the selling price of products or services divide into thirds - one-third covers direct costs; one-third covers indirect costs; one-third is meant to be profit for future investment (seed corn)

Profit and Prophecy are linked to ideas about future time.  Work processes are geared to time – it is essential to calculate the amount of time required to complete a task and if possible to shorten it; in prophecy too, time is calculated for the present downward spiraling of moral and unjust behaviour and a future state of affairs of contrition, retribution and redemption.  For unrestrained profiteers, the constraints and limitations of time do not seem to apply – their behaviour suggests that for them time is focussed on the now - it all has to happen immediately and forever – the unbridled escalation of value and wealth, supporting a rags to riches fantasy.

For example, the “Double or quits” proposition of gambling supports phantasies of unlimited wealth for no effort - greed is what we call it - having it all - supporting a phantasy of I am the greatest - I am king of the castle – I am capable of creating my own personal invulnerable universe.   These dynamics are characteristic of big multi-national corporations where the corruption of the idea of greed is common, e.g. media stories of Enron, Worldcorp (in the USA), Parmalat (in Italy), and HIH (in Australia), often focus on what seems to be the intent of senior executives to have huge salaries, plus shares, and other financial interests in the company and its future.   Stories of lies, fraud and cover-up, where the company’s true financial status is hidden from the market, confirm our cynicism about big business being a potential breeding ground for greedy and exploitive executives and board members.

Our title is prophet/profit.  That brings to my mind another pair of words with an “f” and “ph” usage - fantasy/phantasy.  Fantasy with an “f” refers to a paraphrasing of conscious imagination – the things we can conjure up in our minds; phantasy with a “ph” is located firmly in the inner unconscious world of the psyche in which all sensations and perceptions are interpreted and represented under the influence of the pleasure-pain principle.  We all have feelings about money – about wanting more of it (pleasure) or fearing not having enough of it (pain).  But money is primarily a means of sustaining reciprocal relationships. Reciprocity is the key because it maintains social relationships – it is not wealth for its own sake.  No exchange is ever equal. All exchanges are unequal.   It all depends on what can be tolerated to maintain good reciprocal feelings.  Usually an imbalance in the order of 60-40 is tolerable.  Anything beyond that begins to feel uncomfortable and ultimately socially and politically unacceptable.

What feelings does it evoke?

In a piece of research I conducted this year with a colleague, Alison Gill, we attempted to assess the thinking of the people who look after our money - senior bankers - about the financial and banking issues they were involved with on a daily basis.  In conversations with us, our respondents appeared to confirm a view that they inhabit a bubble in which they talk only about their investments.  Day-to-day dialogue revolved around investment opportunities.  We heard how investment decisions were made solely on ‘how much this has gone up in the past’, not ‘what is this worth?’  Greed had overcome fear.  They focused exclusively on the upside and ignored the downside.  Prudent risk assessment stopped.  They were disconnected from the true value of what they were selling.  Their organisations were over-leveraged and investment bankers borrowed whatever they could.  Huge mortgages, often as much as 125% the value of the property, or 6 or 7 times earnings, spoke of a system drunk on debt.   In the complexity of a financial system driving debt, innovation in finance meant intelligent individuals, who should have known better, were maximising returns primarily to satisfy shareholders and some banks were borrowing as much as forty to fifty times their capital base.  Being caught in the cross-fire of high leverage was the only means of keeping up with other banks.  To be sure, most of our respondents struggle to understand the global, social and systemic nature of the financial crisis, but they seldom came up with anything better than headline catch phrases like ‘trust’, ‘behaviours’, ‘relationships’, ‘inter-dependence’ but they could not go further to help them really understand what had happened to their industry, nor lead them to effective solutions.  Despite their many words, and they were articulate, to us they seemed lost.  For many of them, it seemed their distress was about their careers ending on a note of appalling indignity, some even facing the prospect of criminal charges; they appeared to be saying that they could not believe that they had been found wanting, caught out by such a catastrophic failure. They seemed unsure how to judge their own part in the failure; unsure as to whether their failure should be judged as personal rather than systemic. To what extent did they understand their roles in choices they made and their accountabilities that could have prevented the failure?  They had become unconscious players in the dramas of the groups to which they belonged.

Our respondents stressed the importance of collaboration and interdependence as the most viable way forward for government and society, but on the whole they seemed unable to consider that rivalry, envy, fear, greed, competition and conflict - the dark side of human functioning - had played a significant role in the financial meltdown, and how ignorant they really were of human psychological, systemic and ecological systems and complex, large and impersonal organisations. The balance between the positive forces of optimism, humanitarianism and hope and the negative forces of competition, rivalry, envy and greed had been distorted to such an extent that they had actually been re-defined and glossed over as all positive in their own right.  (Greed is good) Little regard was given to how the forces of irrationality had inverted the meaning of language and had distorted and perverted reality.

So, is it all about making money or making a difference?  On balance I think I am more on the side of the Prophets than on the side of the profiteers.  But we have to strive for a middle way.  Of course, with no profits there would be no commerce and we would have to revert to a barter-type economy and that is unthinkable, although that almost happened in September 2007 when the ATMs nearly stopped issuing notes.  Maybe, with more education and training, everyone involved in the money business will come to understand that money is more than the value of the things it buys – it is a medium that serves as a receptacle for our fantasies with an “f” and our phantasies with a “ph” and that unless we understand the feelings and dynamics of money, we will always be heading for the next crisis in unending cycles of growth and bust.  What I am saying here is we will always need both our Prophets and our profiteers – the challenge is not whether they will be one versus the other, but whether we, as individual consumers or corporate market-makers, can acquire sufficient wisdom, humility, moral integrity and care alongside our intelligent, gifted and quick-witted economic and financial selves.

'Profit vs Prophet': seminar 1 summary

Presentations from  Mannie Sher (Tavistock Institute), Abigail Morris (ResponseAbility) and Harmander Singh provided a rich variety of perspectives on and approaches to the topic 'Profit vs Prophet: making money and making a difference, are they opposed?', as well as clearly demonstrating the relevance of faith traditions in grappling with the issues.

Mannie Sher began with the Biblical prophets, and the prophet Micah in particular, sketching out the context into which they spoke and highlighting the way in which they demonstrated the courage to denounce the corruption of rulers, sympathise with the poor and call for justice as being the essence of God's demands. The prophets however were opposed to excessive and unequal profits, and not profit per se. In an Agrarian society, production cannot be solely for immediate consumption, some produce must be stored for future planting and a contemporary equivalent may be the division of one third for direct costs, one third for indirect costs and one third as profits for future investment. Time is a key factor as profiteers seek to shorten work processes to maximise profits and are solely concerned with profits in the present rather than investment for the future.

Current research undertaken with Alison Gill seems to suggest that bankers are currently inhabiting a bubble where their only talk is of investments and decisions are made solely on the basis of how much a particular investment has increased. In speaking about the banking crisis they seemed only able to talk in terms of headline phrases and seem unsure of how to judge their part in a systemic failure. The system is drunk on debt and has distorted negatives into positives, so that 'Greed is good'. A middle way is needed which understands that money is more than the value of the things we buy as it is also a vehicle for our fantasies (conscious imagination) and phantasies (inner unconcious). We need both prophets and profiteers in order to marry the wisdom, humility and care of the prophets to the wit and acumen of the profiteers.

Abigail Morris provided a different model for translating the wisdom of the Jewish tradition into the contemporary business world by utilising the insights of psychological and sociological research into wellbeing. Research demonstrates that beyond what is, in the West, a minimal level of wealth (£20,000 per annum) levels of well being do not increase with income. Levels of well being for those with wealth are reduced by surrounding poverty and levels of mental ill health are also high and rising in the affluent West. Positive psychology impacts on wellbeing, including health and longevity.

Based on such scientific evidence, the new economics foundation has created a set of five simple actions which can improve well-being in everyday life. These have clear corrollaries to teaching within Judaism: Give (Tzedakah) - being a volunteer and giving to charity has consistently been shown to be hugely beneficial, both mentally and physically; Connect (Kehilah) - people cope better if they are part of community networks and possess strong relationships with friends and family; Be Active (P’ilot v’kasher) - exercise is not just about physical health, but mental wellbeing as well; Keep Learning (Torah) - learning new skills stimulates the mind and can have long term benefits in reducing your chances of developing dementia or alzheimer’s; and Take Notice (Tefilah) - reflecting on your surroundings and your feelings can help you to appreciate what matters to you most. To these, and based on the work of Martin Seligman, ResponseAbility add Gratitude (Berachot) as studies have shown that if people take time at the end of every day to reflect on things that have gone well there is a marked increase in well-being. It is worth oting that none of these steps towards well being are about making money. Instead, the scripture says, "choose life, that you may live."

Harmander Singh noted that the Sikh Gurus bestowed upon the Sikhs the concept of "Miri-Piri" and "Raj Jog" which is princely living according to Gurmat (Guru's teaching/thinking) and therefore attuned to the Almighty. Miri-Piri is the balance between Spiritual and Temporal living and is denoted by the two crossed swords in the Sikh symbol, the Khanda. All Sikhs are encouraged to be householders but this does not mean becoming property developers or Peter Rachman's. It is acceptable to be rich as long as you live according to the principles of Gurmat and not indulge in un-Sikh businesses or those businesses which force you to a life that is anything but "honest living."  

Here, the three basic principles of Sikhi always apply.  These are: Naam Japna, Kirat Karni and Vand ke Shakna. Naam Japna is to remember God lovingly during all waking moments. Kirat Karni means making an honest living that is according to Gurmat living. Selling alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and being in the adult entertainment business are activities which Gurmat strictly forbids. Vand Ke Shakna is to share with others, especially the needy and vulnerable. As there is no Welfare State equivalent worth mentioning in certain parts of the world and certainly not in the times gone by, Sikhs donate (Daswandh or Darshan Pehta) whatever they can from their earnings to the Gurdwara – which is more than just a place for congregational worship as it provides a centre where support of all kinds can be sought either directly or signposted.

Among the responses made by seminar participants to these presentations were the following:

• There needs to be a relationship between the systems we inhabit and our human emotions. Systems need to accommodate the expression of emotion and imagination.
• Wealth can feed a feeling of omnipotence but common wealth can equal common well being and is similar to the concept of shalom.
• Often we begin with the present situation and apply theology to it. This is secondary theology. Primary theology begins with God's economy and challenges the current situation. Primary theology sees most Western life as built on the exploitation of others.
• Change is afoot as organisations recognise that in order to gain business you also have to contribute to society. Corporate Social Responsibility is one aspect of this change.
• We need to explore the idea of common wealth, which was there in the Early Church but was quickly lost as the Church became a defender of private property. Wealth is a gift from the Almighty; a loan to us with a duty to ensure that everyone beefits according to their need.
• Society promotes greed and consumption; we all bear responsibility for this and need to learn to live within our means. Small businesses and enterpreneurs can signal a different approach to that of the multi-nationals.
• Money has been fantasy since Nixon delinked the dollar from gold. We have experienced hyper-Capitalism from this point onwards. 

Questions arising from our discussion included:

• How to define excess?
• Who will be our Micah?
• Our use of discernment questions developed by the Amish Community: Is it useful for our community? Is it doing God's work? 

These and other questions will be discussed further through this blog and at the subsequent seminars. The next seminar is Bonus vs Pro Bono which will explore the place of inspirational leadership in renegotiating 'value'. Speakers are: Peter Hyson (Change Perspectives), Bruce Irvine (Grubb Institute), and Baronness Uddin. The seminar will take place on Thursday 4th November, 4.00 – 6.30pm, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ. Cost: £5.00. To register, phone 020 8599 2170 or email jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

Faith goes walkabout

Sue Martin is among those working with Faiths in London's Economy to deliver the Renegotiating 'value' seminar series. Sue is, among other roles, Consultant in children's services, children's literacy specialist and Curate at Gayton Benefice, Norwich Diocese. She has set up a website called Faith goes walkabout which seeks to bring faith, work and life together. On the site she writes:

"Life and work: these two are inextricably linked. Life includes work and work includes life.

They go in hand in hand. It seems when they are out of balance we can lose sight of what is important. Time is crucial and for many of us is a resource that we use to the full;never enough time, never enough time for the little things in life that make it a real joy.

“Some have work and money but too little time, while others have all the time but no work and no money. …. We seem to have made work into a god and then made it difficult to worship.”
Charles Handy – 'The Empty Raincoat'

If we can create a harmony between work and life without the need for more, and an achievement we can find ourselves in a good place."

As part of her ministry, fundamental to her sense of calling, is work in communities, with children and families, with areas in need and where the space for creativity and imagination has been lost by pressures of living and hard times.

As an expression of this she has an ethical partnership (SmithMartin Partnership LLP) with social aims which delivers projects supporting the development of social enterprise, governance and funding advice in the charity and education sectors. The partnership also offers project and change management for new capital and revenue projects which have social outcomes.

Faith-based leadership models

What faiths offer 21^st century business leadership

Introduction

The Management Agenda 2003, produced by Roffey Park, claimed that nearly three-quarters

of workers are interested in "learning to live the spiritual side of their values". The report

also claimed that more than 40% of UK managers would value the opportunity to discuss

workplace spirituality with their colleagues and 53% were experiencing tensions between "the

spiritual side of their values and their work."

George Starcher has argued that a new paradigm of management is emerging which

involves:

·          the formulation and communication of purpose, vision, and process (leadership);

·          the balancing of economic and material goals with spiritual and human values; and

·          the recognition by growing numbers of organisations of a social responsibility as well as an economic mission.

Such a paradigm must inevitably reflect the spiritual values and teachings of the faith

communities, all of which contain resources for leadership. Sometimes these come through

the teaching of these communities and sometimes through the examples of past or current

leaders within the communities. In recent years such teaching and examples have been

increasingly applied to the realm of work with the result that a broadly-based Spirituality

at Work movement has emerged in this country to provide additional resources relating to

leadership.

This paper tries to summarise and signpost people to some of the resources for leadership that the faith communities and the Spirituality at Work movement contain. The range of resources now available for aspects of management and leadership from these sources is vast and this section can do no more than dip a toe into the ocean. The fact that each heading does not contain resources from each faith group is not an indication that those faith groups not mentioned have no resources in that area.

Equality in leadership

Guru Nanak taught Sikhs “the unity of all existence, the equality of all human beings, the diversity of life and opinions, the acceptance of pluralism and the sanctity of human life.” Sikhs have followed the Guru’s teaching by emphasising that we are all learners, students and seekers of truth. Sikhs have also attempted to destroy the system of hierarchical orders by “making every human being equal in power and dignity.”

Similarly, Bahá’ís seek to work towards:

• equality of opportunity for men and women;

• elimination of prejudice of all kinds;

• universal compulsory education;

• a universal auxiliary language;

• abolition of extremities of poverty and wealth through international legislation; and

• the establishment of universal peace by a world government which will have international courts and military.

As a result, Sikhs and Bahá’ís, in common with people of other faiths, are often opposed to authoritarian and hierarchical styles of leadership. Feedback from one of our focus groups indicated that there could be issues here for some organisations in the sector which are perceived as hierarchies with little scope for two-way or bottom-up dialogues/consultations.

Humility in leadership

Islam discourages the practice of seeking leadership; if a person desires it for power and glory rather than serving the people by implementing the divine laws, he is not fit to occupy it. In a well-known Hadith, the Prophet has said that he who seeks leadership is not fit to assume it.

A Muslim leader should restrain from behaving unjustly — whether to community members, to customers, to suppliers or to anybody else. Muslims believe that a leader with a firm faith (iman) will not get out of responsibility for his actions, and will continuously emphasize good deeds.

In Islam a leader must be kind, compassionate and forgiving towards those whom he leads. A leader must also consult the people before taking a decision but once a decision has been made no weakness is shown and the policy be pursued with single-mindedness of purpose, determination and courage. The leader, however, must first articulate the vision and demonstrate the ability to turn it into action by aligning performance with vision to create a climate of success for the realization of the stated goal.

In summary the qualities for leadership in Islam are: knowledge and hikmah (wisdom, insight); taqwa (love and fear of Allah); ‘adl (justice) and rahmah (compassion); courage and bravery; shura (mutual consultation); decisiveness and being resolute; eloquence; a spirit of self-sacrifice; and sabr (patience).

Moral leadership

The idea of leadership by moral force is widespread in many religions, but is particularly central to the Confucian ideal of government. Leaders should be honest, moral, and virtuous people, who will not take bribes or act corruptly. Because people look up to leaders as role models, they should set a good example for others.

An example of a faith-based organisation applying this approach in their mission statement is the MATS School of Business and IT (a Post Graduate School of Excellence of the Jain Group of Institutions - http://jgi.ac.in/) which strives to “foster an intellectual and ethical environment in which both spirit and skill will thrive so as to impart high quality education, training and consultancy services, with a global outlook and human values.”

The Jewish Association for Business Ethics (JABE - http://www.jabe.org/) exists to encourage high standards of integrity in business and professional conduct by promoting and teaching the Jewish ethical approach to business and to contribute to the debate in wider society. JABE also aims to promote awareness and understanding in the Jewish Community of Jewish teachings and traditions in business.

The European Bahá'í Business Forum (EBBF) plays a similar role for the Bahá'í community by being an association of women and men involved in business and management who are exploring ways and means of applying Bahá'í ethical and social teachings to issues arising out of their business activities. EBBF aims promote the following core Bahá'í values and principles:

• ethical business practices;

• the social responsibility of business;

• stewardship of the earth's resources;

• partnership of women and men in all fields of endeavour;

• the need for a new paradigm of work;

• non-adversarial decision making based on consultation; and

• application of spiritual principles to economic problems.

Buddhists are encouraged to work hard and to be industrious but to earn money through righteous means (right livelihood). This means that no ethical or religious principles should be violated through the work done and the work should benefit both the individual and society. Right Livelihood is the fifth aspect of the Eightfold Path and has two main elements. The first is a negative aspect, deriving from the principles of non-violence, of not engaging

in work involving weapons, meat, intoxicants (e.g. alcohol), poisons (e.g. drugs) or trade in living beings (animals or human beings). The second is a positive aspect, deriving from principles of simplicity, of using technologies that are in harmony with the natural environment and its resources to produce no more than an adequate range of material goods.

Islamic moral character requires that leaders emphasize the following five key parameters of Islamic behaviour: justice; trust; righteousness; the struggle towards self-improvement; and promise keeping. A Muslim leader is expected to be just, behave righteously, strive towards self improvement, and never break his word. He is to consult with others, especially in areas where he is not competent. Islam stresses consultation in all affairs. A leader is expected to bear adversity patiently, and remain forever humble.

Servant leadership

A servant style of leadership is fundamental to Christian teaching because of the example understood to be set by Jesus Christ in washing the feet of his disciples and in laying down his life for humanity. A servant style of leadership reverses the pyramid of hierarchy in an organisation by suggesting that frontline staff are those who are most important in the organisation (“the first shall be last and the last first”) because they are the people who

actually deal with customers and that the role of managers/leaders is to serve these people by properly resourcing them for their work.

For Christians, the primary reason for adopting this style of leadership is that it was the approach of Jesus, the pattern for both his life and death: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” As a result, for Christians, there should be a radical rejection of hierarchical power that creates dependence and patronage in favour of a servant style of leadership.

Servant styles of leadership are found in other faith traditions too. From the Buddhist tradition comes the example of the Emperor A_oka, a great ruler of the Maurya dynasty who lived about 200 years after the Buddha. Initially, like his father before him, A_oka expanded his kingdom but his sorrow at the slaughter involved in conquest led him, through his understanding of Buddhist beliefs, to turn towards the service of those he governed and to

the upholding of their welfare. H.G. Wells wrote, in The Outline of History, that:

“Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the pages of history … their majesties and graciousnesses and serenities and royal highnesses and the like, the name A_oka shines, and shines almost alone, a star.”

Shared leadership

A key aspect of shared leadership is dialogue. Good conversation involves us in cooperating, thinking of each other’s feelings and experiences, and giving each room to talk.

This is an area where faith communities hold considerable resources.

The Inter Faith Network for the UK, for example, has published a Code of Conduct for interfaith dialogue that contains useful lessons for all leaders. Their Code suggests that when “we talk about matters of faith with one another, we need to do so with sensitivity, honesty and straightforwardness. This means:

• Recognising that listening as well as speaking is necessary for a genuine conversation

• Being honest about our beliefs and religious allegiances

• Not misrepresenting or disparaging other people's beliefs and practices

• Correcting misunderstanding or misrepresentations not only of our own but also of other faiths whenever we come across them

• Being straightforward about our intentions

• Accepting that in formal inter faith meetings there is a particular responsibility to ensure that the religious commitment of all those who are present will be respected.”

Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, has written of the way in which the “wisest is not one who knows himself wiser than others: he is one who knows all men have some share of wisdom and is willing to learn from them, for none of us knows all the truth and each of us knows some of it.”

Sacks has written about argument, debate and conversation as being a fundamental aspect of Judaism. He argues that this is because Judaism is “an attempt to do justice to the fact that there is more than one point of view; more than one truth.” He says that we must learn the art of conversation as it is only as we allow our world to be enlarged by others who think and act in radically different ways from us that truth emerges.

The Hindu understanding of pluralism holds similar potential for peaceful coexistence between those holding differing views. Because each of us are different we all approach reality in different ways. Therefore none of us can claim to know absolute truth. On this basis we can simply say, “your ideas and belief suit you and are best for you, mine are fine for my purposes so why threaten or feel threatened by each other?” True leadership therefore involves the humble recognition of the necessary limitations of what we perceive as absolute.

Spiritual intelligence

Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) is our access to and use of meaning, vision and value in the way that we think and the decisions that we make. As such, it is the intelligence that makes us whole and that gives us integrity. SQ is about integrating, understanding and always adapting to new perspectives, Danah Zohar suggests that the following generate a high SQ:

• being flexible – the world is a place of multiple realities, so live in it;

• being self-aware – look inward and don’t be afraid of what you’ll find;;

• have a vision and be led by your values;

• use adversity – learn from death, failure and the things you fear;

• be holistic – see the big picture;

• be open to diversity – enjoy difference, like flexibility;

• be your own person – find true faith in your own convictions;

• ask “Why?” – it works for kids!

• reframe – step back and find the broader context;

• practice servant leadership; and

• create conditions for change.

Zohar argues that it is when we are a little uncomfortable that learning and innovation is most likely to occur.

Spiritual leadership

Deepak Chopra has become recognised as one of the top motivational speakers internationally by seeking to bridge the “technological miracles of the west with the wisdom of the east", principally Hinduism. Chopra argues that leaders are the symbolic soul of an organisation or group. At different times, groups need a parent, protector, ruler, muse or visionary. Successful leaders embody the values for which their group or organisation

hungers. Leaders are born as they sense the felt need of the group or organisation.

Great leaders understand lower needs, like the need to feel safe, and meet these but also respond from the higher levels of spirit by understanding that their followers yearn for freedom, love, and spiritual worth. Great leaders, Chopra argues, are in touch with every level of human experience.

Others have argued that ‘soul’ represents our ability to hold onto the whole and create coherence through relationships with others. An ancient Sufi teaching says, “You think because you understand one you must understand two, because one and one make two. But you must also understand and.” The ‘and’ is the point of overlap that unites in relationship. Caring for the soul involves an appreciation for ‘and.’

Spiritual leadership is, therefore, about making a collective change whereby, as individuals, companies and organisations, we relate to one another and to the world, not from greed, power or control, but from empathy and caring.

Team working

The development of teams is a feature of most religions deriving from the common practice of followers gathering around a teacher. Within the Gospels, for example, Christ is seen gathering around him a team of people who learn both from his example and from his public and private teachings. When he leaves them they are equipped with his Spirit in order to take forward the mission that he has begun. From this example, a leader should aim to work her/himself out of a job through facilitation and resourcing of others leading to the delegation of responsibilities.

Drawing on his Christian understandings of God as Trinity and of the Church as the body of Christ, Christian Schumacher has identified seven principles for the structuring of team working:

1. Teams and their leaders must be able to plan and organise as much of their own work as possible. This reflects the work of God the Father in originating human work.

2. Work must be organised around basic transformations to form ‘whole’ tasks. This reflects the work of God the Son in death and rebirth;

3. Teams should be able evaluate their own performance against agreed performance measures. This reflects the work of God the Spirit in bringing work to its fitting end.

4. Team working should be encouraged in order to reflect the nature of the Church.

5. Each team member should be able to plan, do and evaluate at least one transformation in their team’s processes. This reflects the nature of the Church as a body.

6. Each team should have a designated leader in order to reflect Christ’s leadership of the Church.

7. Each team should contain between four and twenty people in order that everyone can communicate fully with each other.

Conclusion

It is not necessary to accept the belief systems underpinning these leadership models and practices in order to see that there is much that can be learnt from them and much that can usefully be applied in day-to-day leadership and management by any leader or manager. But, for those with a faith commitment, exploring the belief systems that do underpin these leadership models and practices is likely to enrich understanding of them and increase motivation in utilising them at work.

Alternative speaker

One of our speakers, Jay Lakhani, is recovering from recent surgery and is unable to join us while he is recuperating. We are grateful that, at short notice, Harmander Singh has agreed to join us as replacement for Jay.

Harmander Singh, who is a trustee/director of the National Faith Based Regeneration Network UK and a member of the Faith Community's Chaplaincy Trust at Feltham Young Offenders Institute - set up to rehabilitate offenders into to the community through their faith. Harmander is also the Sikh representative on the BBC Standing Conference on Religion and Belief and a regular guest speaker on National Radio networks on a range of cultural and current affair subjects such as immigration, security, customs and practices, with occasional contributions to the 'Cordoba Trust' publications on faith related issues. He recently worked with the London Civic Forum (LCF) faith development steering group which aims to connect faith communities with civic governance players. He became a Justice of Peace at Redbridge Magistrate's Court in 1993 and is currently the second longest serving Asian but longest serving Sikh magistrate on the Bench. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of East London for outstanding achievements in community development. He was also Sikh coordinator of the Communities and Local Government (CLG) funded Cohesive Communities project, where he was responsible for exploring reasons and seeking solutions to tensions between Muslim and Sikh communities in the UK.