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CGF ARTICLES, OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

Good governance, good business, good society – Where it stands or falls (2014-05-22)

Article by CGF Research, written by Dr. Gerhard van Rensburg

It is rather ironic how we all hope to have a good life, good body, good mind and good spirit; and we want to function in a good society.
And yet, most of the time we are unwilling to take an honest look in the mirror and do the needed work on ourselves to improve our body, mind, and most of all, spirit.  In order to be ‘good’ -- and experience this goodness -- it often requires introspection and lots of hard work on the right things.  ‘Good’ does not fall out of the sky…and you may have a much better chance winning a lottery.

Looking back for perspective

The Quester in Ecclesiastes 7: 10 advises: Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”  For it is not wise to ask such questions.  So let us not fall into that trap.  However, for perspective, looking back in history can be useful.  It is important to get a sense of how our collective story unfolded over years, decades and centuries.  It may help us understand some of our predicaments in modern societies.

Today, most societies are characterised by the principles of democracy and the free market.  It directs the social order and culture of doing things.  If in the past it were philosophies, religious doctrine, science and political ideologies that were the major elements of influence in how people lead their lives, then today it is the economy, and more specifically a capitalist and free market economy.  One might say the energy that propelled the changes across the globe in recent decades was the ongoing lure of the emancipation and freedom of the individual.  There was -- and still is -- a lot of good in the story; however people who are willing to keep a balanced perspective of the past will largely agree that today we are suffering from different ailments, and we have lost much of the foundations we have built on in the past.

In the early days of capitalism, the moral framework of the local community informed, and guarded, behaviour in the marketplace.  People in business, as much as in any other sector of society, did their daily work conscious of the religious directions for all of life.  Whilst in the mind of Adam Smith (1723-1790) -- the father of capitalist economics -- he believed self-interest drove productivity and ultimately the economy.  The counterweight to greed in Smith’s thinking was the moral virtues learned at home and in religious communities. The argument, in other words, was that if good people do business, they would know where to draw the line.

Of course, the world today looks very different to what it was in Smith’s time.  The ‘heart’ of the world economy is found within the mega-cities and in the virtual global transactions.  What is left of small like-minded moral communities is insignificant in terms of their influence on a rapidly developing world culture where the virtues of ‘goodness’ seem less important.

Rapidly changing, and differing values

Moral formation in the way it happened in the 18th century -- which is still evident in some smaller communities today -- occurred mostly through peer pressure and under the watchful eye of revered religious authorities.  Times and circumstances have changed and relying upon the moral guidance of a community or its leaders, as was the case in a former era, is at best no longer dependable.  In the times we currently live -- more specifically in the workplace -- ethics and moral behavior is guided mostly by the values espoused through a glossy Integrated Report, or a framed statement of intent found in the visitor’s reception.  Of course, for ethics in the workplace to be authentic, it needs to be lived through the organisation’s leadership, and not only recorded in a charter or policy.  Said more directly, leadership must show the will and commitment toward the improvement of a better working environment which satisfies the principles addressed in the King Report on Governance for South Africa 2009 (‘King III’), and such where this is demonstrated on a daily basis through application.

The world community today interconnects and integrates across both physical and mental frameworks at an astonishing and still accelerating pace.  As people enter the endless world of information, products, services and cultural practices, they are influenced in many different ways.  To this end, the sole judge of what is good, bad, allowable or not allowable rests with the individual.  Given the extent of the many variables, it’s little wonder we experience a decline of social ethics – no one particular view of morality can be imposed on a pluralistic society.  Whether we read the newspapers or watch the news, or witness workplace malpractices, many people may feel the need to question the essence of our moral foundation.  No matter where one looks, there is a growing perception that corruption and greed is taking over the world.
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