Mary’s “cheat sheet” on the pre-modern, the modern and the post modern These slides are intended to broaden your understanding of these concepts and help you forge links between these concepts and CSR The Pre-modern world (~1770-1870~) This worldview sees the universe and all in it as interconnected through a great chain of being held together by and under “God”, Tradition guides The Modern world (~1870-1970~) This worldview sees rationality, discoverable pattern and quantifiable relationships at the core of things The Post-modern world (~1970-current) The more we know, the closer we come to realizing how unpredictable, ephemeral, uncontrollable and chaotic is the very nature of order we use to provide us with the illusion of stability, order and control The Pre-modern world Nature God acts indirectly in nature through natural laws. God provides and God denies. Nature is beneficial as well as source of trial; punitive. Society Rooted in tradition and sacred laws interpreted from fundamental texts. One remains in social role to which one is born; that is the will of god. Local orientation. One engages in changing the world by appealing to those in authority who control what is allowed and prohibited in social life. Hierarchical and xenophobic Person Made of body and soul. A child of “god”. Life on earth is struggle to overcome sin through faith Work In work, use energies to save soul, serve “god” and build community therefore renunciation of pleasure For business, this means… The concerns of business are tied to a series of known and agreed upon doctrines, often originating in religious practices and beliefs. Those who violate the ethics of the tightly-bound community and are found out bear severe penalties of a religious, psychological and economic variety. The Modern world Nature Everything in nature has a natural cause which humans can discover for their use of science. Anthrocentric. Science, over time, can help us control and mitigate the harmful effects of nature. Once we know the underlying pattern of nature, we can use it to aid our species to live more comfortably Society Society is man-made, not a divine construction. Social contracts are made and changed by humans. Citizens have both right and duty to participate in and seek to influence debate on public policy and distribution of social benefit and harm therefore democratic Person Persons are individuals who are free to try to become masters of own fate. Humans take responsibility for themselves and world. Individualism Work We take responsibility for self, by joining into larger workplaces whose goals are to satisfy publics. Functions are routed in rationality of science. Fordism/scientific mgt For business this means… Business ethics is focused on resolving ethical quandries in an expedient and rational fashion. The Post-modern world Nature Our badly wounded natural environment may be unable to survive continued destructive impact by human kind. Rationality has been applied badly, with short term and exploitive zeal. Society Society is a loose coalition of perspectives, Many “rationalities” with accompanying ideas of evidence coexist. Political context. No center; all is fragmented. Each fragment makes a claim to truth and virtue and insists others desist in victimizing it. Change orientation. Person We are not sure who we really are. Our self-creation is a matter of public image and impression management. Behind these public images and managed impressions, we re not sure that there is a genuine person Work Work is the process of managing meaning in a market context. It determines your voice, your consumption and the rules made by others. We are all replaceable and therefore hedge our risk of displacement by increasing our ability to update education, skill and contacts. For business this means… Business ethics is not a rationale problem solving exercise. Subjectivist and relativist. Search for the origin and claims of rationality that has created privileges for some at the expense of others. The changing dynamic nature of environments is a focus with an emphasis on decline of job security, information age, rise of service sector and surveillance mentality Change Change Postmodern Implications Service Revolution Productivity and value in that which cannot be stored is abstract and difficult to quantify Globalization Take into account multiple cultures– each with a different orientation to meaning and perhaps even of the good life Participative revolution In a quickly changing and uncertain world people fare better in teams which are empowered to use discretion, learn and make decisions on the spot Information revolution Information and access to it are building blocks for a system in which change will accelerate and greater access to more and more useful information will heighten obsolescence for those who do not enter the revolution Feature of Postmodernism Pessimism Optimism Dispersed Nihism Genuine dialogue Fragmentary No rational planning or Improvisation aids in big picture uncertainty Involvement Biased and subjective over engagement Enhances commitment and sense of engagement Networks Decentralized inefficiency and poor coordination Fosters adaption and quack response time which accelerates learning Virtual reality Disorients and confuses what is fact and what is image Creates a new more user friendly reality which increases connections and fosters dialogue