Page 23 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

The Abundant Organization

In this book we refer to companies that are meaningful in
both of these senses of the word as abundant organizations.
An abundant organization is a work setting in which individu-
als coordinate their aspirations and actions to create meaning
for themselves, value for stakeholders, and hope for humanity
at large. An abundant organization is one that has enough
and to spare of the things that matter most: creativity, hope,
resilience, determination, resourcefulness, and leadership.
Abundant organizations are profitable organizations, but
rather than focusing only on assumptions of competition and
scarcity, abundant organizations also focus on opportunity
and synergy. Rather than accepting the fear-based breakdown
of meaning in hard times, abundant organizations concen-
trate on bringing order, integrity, and purpose out of chaos
and disintegration. Rather than restricting themselves to nar-
row, self-serving agendas, abundant organizations integrate a
diversity of human needs, experiences, and timetables.
In good times and in hard times, abundant organizations
create meaning for both the employees who comprise them
and the customers who keep them in business. Employees,
customers, investors, and society benefit when employees
find meaning at work and when companies give meaning to
society. This logic applies to small and large organizations,
to public agencies and private enterprises, to local storefronts
and global conglomerates.

The Market Value of Why

Even if you are not one of those rare folks blessed with a
gift for finding joy in the concentration camps of life, you
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