The organizations as human beings

“Implicitly, company is an organism, a living organism, a social 

organism, an organization of the organs that constitute it”

Joan Costa[1]

The organizations are not just economic-productive structures, which was an inheritance from the Industrial revolution (Senge, 2006)[2]. Similar to human beings, organizations are biopsychosocial beings with existential and identity needs[3]. According to this point of view, organizations -similar to humans- need to believe in something, have faith and a life purpose, In addition, can be healthy (physical and mentality) but can be sicker as well, thus, suffer disorders, have bad habits -like corruption- and identity issues. A clear example has been the Credit Crunch as an effect from the sickness of the financial sector in U.S. since the deregulation on 80's (Ferguson et al., 2010)[4] , according to Ferguson (et al.) "The financial sector corrupts the political sector of U.S." 

The implantation of human traits related to brands is nothing new, according to Schlesinger and Cerverta (2009)[5] before 60’s had identified reasoning about the brand personality referring about non material dimensions which give character or identity to a product or service. The great difference is among implanting human traits on a brand and define it as an integrally being as such. Implanting traits is what has done in marketing and advertising fields, and unfortunately in many cases it have had incongruities because cannot deny that the history of marketing has shown many brands that have “promised” and “sold” an ideal or experience with basis in human exploitation (Klein, 2000), this is a clear sign of sick organizations. 

Nowadays the philanthropy, anthropology, sociology, ethics and green -sustainability- influences have created an important impact (regulation) over the corporate conception, and have motivated some organizations to think itself as an integral being or live organism. It can highlight the business success story of Apple which is the Steve’s Job legacy for the humanity. Jobs defined Apple as the crossing between humanities – human understanding and its artistic expressions- and technology, which were both his great passions (Isaacson, 2011)[6]. That is the reason why Apple, from Steve’s conception, has won reputation as a dogmatic brand with strong charisma. This brand seduces us to become in its congregation, something related to a type of spiritual connection. The question is whether Apple is inside of its internal corporate reality - shareholders- etc., really coherent with what we see, touch and feel in its products and experiences. Related to humans “We are no perfects” is maybe an affirmation that applies to organizations also, but in the same way, is not an excuse to be aware about the issues that must improved. 

We must know this humanist approach about organizations as humans - live organisms, already has been identified and applied recently by some coaching branches[7] through great thinkers and executors from corporate reality as Maturana[8] and Peter Senge,[9] for instance. It is really interesting realize as a social capital -from a sociology approach- has become in a relevant factor to earn economic capital, therefore, a stronger image, brand awareness, reputation, profitability and perdurability. These aspects allow considering that is time to the humanization of business that means wellness and positive impacts for its stakeholders and its social, cultural and economic context.

[1]From the book Comunicación Corporativa del siglo XXI (Corporate Communication for the 21st century) by Joan Costa (2006).

[2] Look Business as a Human Community Interview with Peter Senge http://www.sgiquarterly.org/feature2006Oct-3.html

[3] Find bibliography from Max Neef (economics Nobel)

[4] Inside Job, documental about the cause and effect of the Credit Crunch in U.S. (2010)

[5] From Naturaleza y dimensionalidad de la personalidad de marca en el ámbito de los servicios. Schlesinger, W. y Cerverta Taulet, A. (2009) http://www.cyta.com.ar/ta0803/v8n3a2.htm 

[6] From the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (2011)

[7] Organizational, Ontological, Transformational, among others.

[8] Biologist, philosopher, one of the founders of Ontological coaching.

[9] Author of the book The fifth Discipline, North American scientist and director of The Center for Organizational Learning (SOL) at the MIT Sloan School of Management.