A research
report from
the EMCC (European Monitoring Centre
on Change) has stressed
the importance of businesses to cultivate “anticipatory
awareness” and flexibility in building
resilience to change.
How does this translate into straightforward,
practical steps that a small sustainable
business can take to help it thrive during
times of
change?
If you’re already running your small
business sustainably (i.e. in accordance
with the triple bottom line – people,
planet, profit) then you’re well on
the way to establishing resilience in your
business. There is, however, another vital
ingredient for sustainable small businesses
to take on board in order to ensure that
we can respond effectively and quickly to
unforeseen changes. This essential business
quality is known as “holism”.
What is a Holistic Business?
“The whole is more than the sum of
its parts.” Aristotle
Awareness
A holistic business is one that operates
in the awareness of the importance and interrelatedness
of all of its parts and of its integration
with its physical, community and business
environments.
One way we can understand
the interrelatedness of business parts
is by using the holistic
view of the human form – mind, body
and soul.
Mind
We can think of the “mind” of
a business as being its collection of plans,
strategies, logistics and management systems
(financial, marketing, distribution etc).
So, just like in a human, it’s the
thinking, rational part of the business.
Body
We can think of the “body” of
a business as being its resources, materials
and stock, physical environment, employees,
business relationships, premises etc. It’s
the company’s physical manifestation
in the world.
Soul
We can think of the “soul” of
a business as its values; those qualities
that are the most important reasons for its
existence, aside from earning a living for
those employed by it. This is usually communicated
in the form of a mission statement and spells
out, in the case of a sustainable business,
how the company is making a positive contribution
to humanity and the planet.
Within the business, these three elements
are interconnected. You will probably know
from experience that whatever you do to
change a management system (business mind),
for example, will have an impact on your
material resources (business body). Also,
that it’s a good idea, when making
business decisions (business mind), to
refer to your mission statement (business
soul) to ensure that whatever you decide
to do will keep you on track with your
business purpose.
The business, rather than existing in isolation,
is intricately linked to its physical environment
and the community it serves and that it operates
in. A business can be said to be holistic
when it recognises itself as a significant,
interdependent element in its environment.
So, how does the “sum of the parts” become
more than “the whole” and how
does it help us to respond to unforeseen
circumstances?
By recognising the interconnectness of these
internal and external elements, we become
more aware of how everything we do within
and outside the business has the potential
to create or destroy, to serve or to consume.
So, a holistic and sustainable business not
only adheres to the triple bottom line, but
it also behaves authentically, congruently,
ethically and with integrity. It recognises
that what it gives to the outside world,
also benefits itself. The two cannot be separated.
Paradoxically, because
of this interrelatedness and synergy, each
business is also unique
in its requirements and offerings. With small
businesses in particular, the company is
often a reflection of the values, character
and personality of the business owner or
management team. This doesn’t mean
that the Managing Director is the only person
in the business whose ideas count, or that
it is run dictatorially. Rather, it indicates
just how personal and inspiring business
ventures can be and just how much potential
there is to effect positive and creative
change using business as a vehicle.
Flexibility
Flexibility in business
is about having choices. When faced with
the downturn of
a market we’re serving, we need to
be able to diversify. When looking for new
opportunities, we need to have the ideas,
the energy and the resources to follow them
up and convert them into something tangible.
By running our businesses holistically, we
become aware on a daily basis of the big
picture of our business – the place
it occupies in the world and it’s interrelatedness
to all things internal and external. This
is the approach that allows us to unearth
countless possibilities for change, growth
and development. This is the approach that
feeds our creativity, imagination and motivation.
So, it is a model that fully supports flexibility
in our small businesses and therefore the
capacity for resilience.
Conclusion
Sustainability plus
holism leads to resilience, for sustainable
small businesses.
By using this insight to cultivate awareness
and flexibility in our business ventures,
we can quickly respond to changes and opportunities
and recover from setbacks in a fruitful way.
