Mad men,
excellence
and values
Men from Madison Avenue, working in a high standard advertising company in the beginning of the sixties,
are to be seen in the very popular television sequel ‘Mad Men’. It is not only about life fifty years ago, as David
Hare, journalist of the Guardian tries to convince us, it is about our own modern lives. What lessons can be
learned from this?
TEXT: HENRI GEERTS, HEAD OF THE CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND VALUES TILBURG UNIVERSITY
Hare argues that in a strange way this program is not dull as many other
is fading away when we see him with his mistress and his behaviour
television series, because of the very complicated techniques of storytell-
towards Rachel Menken, a strong and self-conscious department-store
ing. It does what is done also in the best thrillers, setting off with a ques-
owner, and Jewish. But it is not only his way of behaving towards women
tion in the beginning – and simply withhold the answer.
tending to sexism ( in a one-liner: ’What you call love was invented by
guys like me to sell nylons….’). Neither the way he keeps his own position
EXCELLENCE?
as a creative director in his firm, trying to stay ahead of the upcoming
Some of the questions seem very interesting to me when we look at the
generation.
broader theme of ‘Excellence’ in this Asset-magazine. The main character
in the play, Don Draper, is a man of his own; at least that is what he looks
Don Draper is not real, not authentic. The more we see him, drinking and
like. An advertising executive with a very high status in the big Madison
smoking in the office, as it seemed very common those years, the less we
Avenue office. We learn throughout the series that his image crumbles.
know him. The really marvellous thing which comes with this individual
The big image of a family man, with lovely children and a beautiful wife,
character is that his environment – the advertising industry – is perfect
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Asset Magazine
for his cheating. Throughout the series we are constantly remembered of
to explain. “There is a genius in this portrayal. There’s a vicarious thrill in
the play with reality that is the heart of this industry. An example: When
it. When we see people misbehave, sometimes we want them to get
the captains of the tobacco industry had to reset their advertisement
away with it.” And “I’ve gotten away with a lot in my life. The older you
campaigns when there were proofs of health damage. It is the moment
get the more you realise you’re not getting away with it, it’s taking its toll
they start selling cigarettes with a dream of freedom. Bottom-line mes-
somewhere. So you try not to put yourself in those situations. Part of the
sage: when you smoke, you’re free.
mysterious process called growing up”… Some people do that better
than others. It’s a daily struggle, especially in this city where everyone is a
It is shown that the Don Drapers of our world make these kind of dreams
child and often rewarded for it.
still come true in advertisements as marketing-instruments. And in the
same time he sells these dreams as lies for his own living, he himself is
So Mad men can be seen as a modern morality play. What is shown to
emotionally withholding because of his own past he can not face up to.
us at first sight may look very different from today’s standard – like the
drinking and smoking at work, but the insecurity of positions and the
MORALITY PLAY
status anxiety are parallel to our own experience. Mad men, refers to the
When we look at these series, we are in a world that shows this strange
theme of class, of people with ambition who think they move their way
opposition of a man who says “Advertising is based on one thing: happi-
up through social stratification – but who are all of a sudden aware that
ness” and his own enduring struggle to forget his own past. For example,
their gain may be a loss. This is superb material for screen plays – as we
he payed his own younger brother not to show up in the rest of his life.
are invited to follow with our own experiences into the development of
Just to forget. Maybe this is the tension which is portrayed with sheer
the characters of Mad Men. How are we different from these people, and
genius. The person who plays Don Draper – the actor Jon Hamm – tries
in what respect do we share their choices?
Asset Magazine
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THE GOOD WORK PROJECT
Since 1995, three teams of investigators, under the direction of
Howard Gardner, of Harvard University, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
of Claremont Graduate University, and William Damon of Stanford
University, have been researching, the ways in which leading professionals in a variety of domains carry out good work.
Here is referred to Good Work Project Report Series, Number 4.
Good Work in Business. Kim Barberich and Howard Gardner.
Augustus 2000. Jeff Solomon, series Editor Harvard University.
MODERN PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS
Why is this so important? The researchers themselves have a shared
In daily life, in companies and even when we relax for television as can
opinion that the countervailing powers to counter untrammelled market
be seen above, we are involved in a constant cultural debate: What is, or
forces in the past, like religion, ideology and the government have little
how can we be, a Good Professional? In a way the question of excellence
or no influence. They keep in mind that there is no external check system
is asked. Excellence, or more humble, good, has both senses; first being a
because the market itself serves as the checking point. For this reason
technically expert and second, being morally responsible.
they stress the importance of the development of an internal check sys-
Both senses regard to a broad field simply for the fact that the world is fast
tem by every individual, regardless of the given profession. These hold a
developing thanks to innovative technology, globalization and crises in
series of lines that will not be crossed – with an eye towards society and
financial markets. Short term decisions and international influences put
the larger world.
real pressure on being a good professional. The idea of an expert professional is more or less clear in most companies. The notion of a ‘responsible
LESSONS TO BE TAKEN
professional’ needs more clarification.
In this magazine we see ‘excellence’ most of the time from the outside.
People praise excellent and outstanding leaders, therefore I would pro-
In the view of a Harvard University team under the direction of Howard
pose to look for the inside perspectives, which come with excellence,
Gardner who started in 1995 The Good Work Project, several elements in
being technical or moral professionalism.
a definition of ‘responsible professionalism’ have found an outline. These
elements are crucial in our times. In their view: “The responsible profes-
The first and main important aspect is deep-seated sense of responsibil-
sional is a person who relies on moral and ethical principles to guide
ity. This is the real kernel of a good professional. In the research project
him or her, feels a sense of obligation to company and community, and
responsibility is parsed in the participants’ lives as an obligation to one’s
contributes to society.”
self, others, the company, the business profession and society. It can be
seen as an ability to counter the pressure of every day work and life and
This team has undertaken a parallel study of business by interviewing two
create an inside and outside space for the professional to take in mind, in
different groups. First a group of businesspeople, which were nominated
decision-making and in consideration one or more of these responsibili-
by academic and peers in their branch, for their excellent achievements
ties. It is therefore also a matter of monitoring against several criteria to
and social responsibility. Second a group with a high reputation in busi-
measure the own actions and the ones of a (part of a) company with a
ness, but not known one way or another for their social responsibility.
clear and critical eye.
An overall comment on both groups is that all the people see their work
as a challenge, they have changed (part of ) their companies and kept
In business this also means that profit is not only the result in money-
their commitment also in times of ‘bad ‘business-weather’ and many have
value at the end of a year, but profit as a concept makes sense when there
made sacrifices while trying to keep to ethical and moral values. In the
is the consciousness that business supports and develops the people that
research project the main goal was to learn lessons of these groups that
contribute to it. In this sense responsibility is a deep understanding of
could be of use for students and others to find a moral compass.
commitment to as many people who are involved in a company, includ-
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Asset Magazine
ing employees, partners and customers. All of them have to be proud of
‘Accountability’ at stake. These values are challenged – shouldn’t modern
the company. And for being proud you need the feeling that there are no
professionals deliver the truth when needed and stand accountable for
‘nasty’ secrets and nobody wants to betray you.
their mistakes or problems? Honesty and accountability are essential for
building a lasting and reputable enterprise. While often requiring more
Honesty and accountability
are essential for building a lasting
and reputable enterprise
work, these values force one to consider the repercussions of providing
poor service, faulty products, or making frankly unethical or immoral decisions. Lets look and have a few moments in between the program were
we asked ourselves: is this a company where I would like to work? And if
it is, what would and what could I change? In no time it would be pos-
In the research project of Gardner and others they cited Michal Murray,
sible to develop a program that could be really helpful to think about a
a former vice-president of Microsoft, who wanted to create a work place
future professional life.
where all employees could feel a sense of accomplishment and pride
based on their work and at the same time be able to participate in a life
And no doubt about it – it will be a matter of excellence too.
outside work, that was meaningful and purposeful. Murray firmly believes
that the “soft stuff, as he puts it – structuring a successful team, rewarding
good work, being a good leader – are just as essential for the health of an
organization as making a profit in terms of money. Mr. Murray introduces
Referemces:
in his company a dialogue program for the senior management to dis-
tMad Men: The future of American film is on television
cuss ‘responsibility’- just for developing an awareness of the significance
tDavid Hare. The Guardian, Wednesday 8 september 2010.
for the corporation.
tDe jaren zestig-fabel Mad Men gaat over ons.
tRaymond van den Boogaard. NRC Handelsblad zaterdag 11 september & zondag 12 september
The same kind of initiatives could be seen in the work of others who were
participant in this project. Another example is William Pollard, a CEO of
ServiceMaster, a company that provides outsourcing services; lawn care,
2010.
tThe Ultimate Guide to Mad Men. The Guardian companion to the slickest show on television.
Edited bij Will Dean. London 2010.
landscaping, heating and air conditioning to customers worldwide. He is
deeply convinced that it is necessary to spend as much time to decisions
in the company which effect the profit as it is necessary to examining
what a decision can do to develop and empower an employee…
When we take these kind of lessons in consideration, wouldn’t it be a
wonderful idea for the faculty-association Asset to watch the television
serial Mad Men? In a very interesting way here are values as ‘Honesty’ and
The Centre for Science and Values (CSV) explores
the limits of science: where science meets moral
issues, religious belief and social responsibility. It
challenges people to discuss cultural and religious values, personal inspiration and fundamental presuppositions by organizing conferences,
building networks and publishing articles. For
the actual programme see www.uvt.nl/cwl
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