Corporate growth disperses spiritual foundations

The title of the book this week is Soul at Work, but it’s definition of ‘soul’ is vague beyond application (Benefiel). The stories I can appreciate, but their business selections are too typical. A non-profit organization for the homeless with a heart in spirituality and non-violence? It’s more surprising to find a secular environment with the same purposes. The author’s most recognized selection, Southwest Airlines, is also notable for it’s lack of spiritual motive. She pushes the concept of soul so far, essentially fun and caring community, that she loses the definition entirely. To be fair, the author is attempting to appeal to a wide audience and without a bias for any one spiritual practice (although Catholic-Christian influence overpowers the rest).

Margaret’s struggle to make her book applicable to many businesses is admirable, for as yet this is unexplored territory. Entrepreneurs have abundant examples of non-profit spiritual enterprise. They have more of companies who deny all spirituality. The one’s likely to have the best combination are likely to be small; enough to manage the few worldviews it contains. Larger companies face disolution of their core principles in order to accomodate all their employees and customers. How long before they are no longer recognizably spiritual in practice?

My concept of successful entrepreneurship is still tightly connected with numerical growth. There appears to me a point where one must decide either to keep the ‘soul’ of one’s company or to grow beyond one’s capacity to influence employees and clients. There is the key: the Law of the Lid (Maxwell). Maxwell proposes that the limit of one’s capacity to influence others is the limit of their leadership ability. While I cannot imagine a company that grows large and retains its spiritual roots, the examples available are all driven by strong leaders. William Booth, founder of Salvation Army. Samuel Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-a. Bill and Dr. Bob, co-founders of Alchoholics Anonymous. Therefore the growth of one’s integrated business, where spiritual, profitable, social and environmental values are held together, is limited only by its leadership ability.

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