What's The Difference?

Post by David Mead

What makes us amazing as human beings is our ability to form communities and groups. Our survival and our progress has depended on working together. And yet, as it turns out, most people seem to miss the connection between success and progress in a business environment and the way we naturally form groups and communities.

Think of it this way - we gladly sacrifice time, energy, money and other resources to join groups, clubs, political parties and associations outside of work. It's natural. We seek out others who share common values, beliefs and interests and we choose to spend our free time with them. We find fulfillment in it. We enjoy it. This is how humans biologically operate.

And then, most of us wake up and go to work at a place that pays us to be there and we can't wait to leave! Something is missing there. It's based on an assumption that we, as a society at large, have adopted over time; the assumption that we go to work to make money. Think about it. When most people look for a new job, what are they most concerned about? Pay and benefits. The criteria that apply to join any other social group don't seem to apply. At least they're not high up on the list.

I'm not suggesting that we don't need money or that making money (even a lot of it) is a bad thing - far from it. However, it's the way we perceive the paycheck. It's a result of the work we do, not a reason to do it.

A community, a club, a party and an association are simply groups of people who share common values and beliefs. Is there any good reason a company shouldn't follow the same pattern? After all, companies are just groups of people too.

Comments

[Rexalma]

Great concept! It's probably hard to get to know all the internal groups in a company before you join, but if the subject of what the company produces is something you're interested in, then essentially you can find common ground with your co-workers. Some jobs need to be done, even if they're not too exciting. So if your job is to take out the trash in a non-profit that helps handicapped children, you should still be able to experience some joy and satisfaction that you are part of an organization that is making a difference in the world.