Lessons learned about business: the interconnections between humanity, market, politics, and values

The business world may look intimidating
but politics is really more intimidating

People. The most important aspect of success in business is how the supervisors (foremen or forewomen) handle other employees. The business world has consistently attested that people are the most important resources. Maintaining approachable, honest, and trustful relations with employees is critical to the success of any business, regardless of its mission and vision. A friendly supervisor can forward a strong sense of determination and offset the dangerous nature of the company's work. For example, physicians, nurses, and medical technologists remain with their hospitals for several years due to the renowned nature of their office. Poor management, rather than the harsh nature of work, is top of the list of what makes people leave their employers.

Implementation of success. It is observable that the most materially successful business organizations ironically pay attention to immaterial forces. For example, Apple entertains exclusivity. The SM conglomerate, which includes SM malls, entertains experience. Alphabet, Inc., which includes Google, entertains convenience and simplicity. Mercury Drug entertains access to rare medication. Proton.me, a Swiss company, entertains anonymity and privacy. Those being the case, success in business demands consulting people and visiting various environments to determine which goals or which immaterial values are most pressing to them.

Concept of "business." The provision of offering goods and services, or the process of entertaining certain values, is the definition of business. In this 21st century, with the rise of postcapitalist or postgrowth movements, we need to redefine the concept of business. The business sector needs to look beyond the generation of surplus and include more human- or nature-oriented goals, such as ensuring wellbeing. The surplus-generation model is only one among many business paradigms. Bhutan, a sovereign state, is pushing the concept of Gross National Happiness, which is a measure of satiafaction with life in a country. Applying Bhutan's alternative, a business might switch from the surplus model to the life-satiafaction model; they can evaluate how satisfied or how happy their beneficiaries are. Ultimately, the real world is diverse and there is no one-size-fits-all to business solutions.

Business vs. politics. The "barrier" between business and politics is not a barrier at all, but rather a sponge, because it is porous like a dishwashing sponge. This is normal and healthy. Business and politics appear to be coequal but in reality, politics always comes before business. For example, a political organization, such as an intentional community or a sovereign state, curates the framework that the business must always sit on top in order to operate. You cannot have a thriving business environment without a conducive political organization. The business world has publicly demonstrated itself to be notoriously sensitive to any changes in the political sector, no matter how microscopic in scale. Large enterprises only appear to influence political and government decisions because the government curates an economic system that is conducive to the methods of the enterprises so concerned.

Credits

Photo by Slava Keyzman on Unsplash.