The Advantage of Developing Authentic Connections in Business

In the modern business world, companies are constantly on the quest for quality improvement. While it is simple to post rules in a company handbook to achieve this, this strategy alone rarely leads the company to its desired outcome. Establishing ground rules for company operations is necessary, but how can we shift our approach when we discover that our organization stagnates despite traditional work policies? Could there be an area of development within the organization, often overlooked, that can help propel the company forward toward its mission and goals?

The Humanistic Approach

Human beings have advanced greatly in technology, medicine, agriculture, and our general lifestyles. But what about the authentic connections between human beings that precede all other advancements? How are we faring in this area of development, and how is this related to a business enterprise or organization aimed at achieving its goals?

To illustrate, let's use an example of a child who needs healthy and wholesome nutrition for its development. However, because the child has acquired a taste for sugar, the parent, neglecting their responsibility, decides to make things easier on themselves to appease the child. The parent gives the child foods laden with sugar while withholding foods with nutritional value because the child prefers the taste of sugar above nutrition. Is this an effective strategy for the beneficial and holistic development of the child?

Likewise, although humans have made great strides in technology, medicine, agriculture, and lifestyle, which is the equivalent of the sugary foods in the example, we have fallen behind in connecting authentically with one another, for example, choosing digital media devices as an easy replacement, leaving us free of the responsibility of engaging in authentic connections. This conscious or unconscious choice to leave the building of genuine connections unattended in our development is the equivalent of withholding the nutritional food necessary for growth in our example. This choice leads to underdevelopment in our relations as human beings. This underdevelopment of genuine connection or the humanistic approach affects all aspects of our lives, including our personal relationships, well-being, as well as our careers.

Leadership's Role

Leadership styles within businesses often determine whether the enterprise fulfills its mission and desired goals. The attitude of leadership has a trickle-down effect through the organization's structure. For example, making demands on employees with very little investment in the person, the necessary systems for work completion, or systems that provide ongoing holistic support can leave the employee feeling underappreciated, impacting well-being and work performance while contributing to company stagnation. On the contrary, leadership's commitment to embracing a humanistic approach that promotes authentic connections within their enterprises can lead to increased employee engagement, acceptance of company culture, increased productivity, loyalty, and quality improvement.

Employee's Role

The employees' responsibility is no less important within the organization. For example, while it may be easier to adopt the attitude that "I'm just here for eight hours, and I'll do the minimum to get through the day," does this attitude reflect a willingness to be concerned about the people we work with directly? Does this attitude add to improved morale, collaboration, and trust among coworkers? Conversely, suppose we are willing to assist the company in fulfilling its mission and goals by accepting the humanistic connected approach exemplified by leadership. In this scenario, we can experience increased motivation, an environment of collaboration, and job satisfaction through a greater sense of belonging.

Conclusion

A holistic approach that goes beyond conventional practices and the willingness of both leadership and employees is required to achieve quality improvement in enterprises. A humanistic approach within corporate structures that encourages genuine connections is frequently dismissed as an impractical or ineffective strategy because it necessitates our growth in an area of our overall development to which we are resistant. Because effort is required, we naturally tend to resist this kind of expansion, as evidenced by our simple interactions or lack thereof with our surrounding neighbors, and we carry this resistance into our places of work. Despite this natural inclination to resist, recognizing and prioritizing the need to develop genuine connections as part of a humanistic approach to business is essential. By making this shift, the company can experience desired measurable results in quality improvement, productivity, work environment, and the fulfillment of its goals and mission.