Practical Wisdom and Diversity: Aligning Insights, Virtues and Values PDF
Preview Practical Wisdom and Diversity: Aligning Insights, Virtues and Values
Wirtschaft – Organisation – Personal Martina Stangel-Meseke · Ralf Lanwehr Hrsg. Martina Stangel-Meseke Christine Boven · Gershon Braun André Habisch · Nicolai Scherle Frank Ihlenburg Editors Practical Wisdom and Diversity Aligning Insights, Virtues and Values Wirtschaft – Organisation – Personal Reihe herausgegeben von M. Stangel-Meseke, Dortmund, Deutschland R. Lanwehr, Meschede, Deutschland Das heutige Arbeitsumfeld ist durch hohe Komplexität und widersprüchliche An- forderungen geprägt: Während einerseits die Ressourcen knapper werden und der Produktivitätsdruck in globalisierten Märkten zunimmt, soll andererseits die In- novationsfähigkeit steigen, der langfristige Erfolg der Organisation sichergestellt und das Engagement der Mitarbeiter gefördert werden. Dieser Spagat fi ndet in einem Umfeld statt, das von demographischem Wandel, Fachkräftemangel und zu- nehmend heterogenen Arbeitsgruppen geprägt ist. Für diejenigen Organisationen, die die Herausforderungen erkennen und ebenso frühzeitig wie gezielt angehen, ergibt sich ein wichtiger Wettbewerbsvorteil. Die Reihe Wirtschaft- Organisation- Personal will dazu einen Beitrag leisten. Durch die Verknüpfung empirischer Be- funde mit den dringenden Fragen der heutigen Organisationen positioniert sie sich als zentraler Impulsgeber für Wissenschaft und Praxis. Weitere Bände in der Reihe http://www.springer.com/series/13511 Martina Stangel-Meseke · Christine Boven Gershon Braun · André Habisch Nicolai Scherle · Frank Ihlenburg Editors Practical Wisdom and Diversity Aligning Insights, Virtues and Values Editors Martina Stangel-Meseke André Habisch Dortmund, Germany Ingolstadt, Germany Christine Boven Nicolai Scherle Iserlohn, Germany Munich, Germany Gershon Braun Frank Ihlenburg Iserlohn, Germany Hamburg, Germany With friendly assistance of Dipl. Komm.-Des. IND Mil-Al Han, Düsseldorf, Germany ISSN 2567-6482 ISSN 2567-6601 (electronic) Wirtschaft – Organisation – Personal ISBN 978-3-658-23520-8 ISBN 978-3-658-23521-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-23521-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018955146 Springer Gabler © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer Gabler imprint is published by the registered company Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH part of Springer Nature The registered company address is: Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 46, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany Preface VI Preface On 23rd June 2016, the authors of this volume met for a conference to discuss their project “Practical Wisdom and Diversity”. It was the day before the Brexit referendum in Britain and being dedicated Europeans, we were all certain that common sense would win and the British people would make a wise decision and vote for REMAIN. Waking up the next morning, we were shocked to find that Britain had decided to leave the European Union. So much for wise decisions. The impact of this event, however dramatic it appeared at the time, further convinced us that there is a true need for our research of Practical Wisdom in society, organisa- tions and politics. In times of change and turbulences, when tried and tested systems seem to fail and uncertainty and ambiguity influence and determine our lives to a large extent, orientation is needed. It is human nature and part of socialisation to act and interact in structured settings with rules that provide stability. In addition, we need freedom to develop, to find our place in the structure and feel com- fortable and appreciated. Our society presents itself as an antithesis to the above: everyone is swimming on his/her own in a vast ocean; there is no orientation, no anchor, no life boat in sight. We can frantically tread water and hope that a large piece of debris that we can hang on to comes floating our way, we can wait for someone to come to our rescue OR we can take action by reflecting our situation and devel- oping ways out of the dilemma, i.e. constructing our own life boat made up of virtues, values and the belief that the ultimate requirement for society is the common good. As the captain of our vessel, we must rediscover and apply an- cient values which have disappeared in times of change. Instead of reacting, we must act, instead of being driven by fears and pressure, we must trust ourselves and believe in the power of common sense or Practical Wisdom in the Aristo- telean sense. One small vessel and one captain is not sufficient to weather the storm current- ly blowing in many areas of life – business, environment, politics, society – we need a crew made up of individuals who have many different talents and skills. Preface VII This is where the aspect of diversity joins Practical Wisdom, a combination which is going to be explored by a diverse team of authors for the first time. Just how significant diversity is, was illustrated by the failed coalition talks after the general election in Germany in September this year. A so-called “Jamaica- Coalition”, comprising Christian Democrats, Greens, and Liberals, could have been a positive political example of diversity, but it has become a symbol for divergence and wasted chances. As far as we see it, this kind of behaviour goes against the moral and ethical principle of acting for the common good. The coalition talks and the outcome are a prime example of a narrow-minded per- spective which exclusively pursues party interests. This, to our mind, is inade- quate when it comes to facing and providing solutions for the challenges of diverse environments. Furthermore, it could be interpreted as irresponsible behaviour, which to some extent, resembles the tendencies in large corpora- tions. Maximising profit while neglecting their responsibility to create a sustain- able business environment goes against the any logical principles. Which role does diversity play in all of this? In a society, diversity leads to change and this needs to be managed. In general, Diversity Management focuses on the pluralism of an organisation’s members. In detail and its practical implementations, Diversity Management concentrates on six main dimensions, as there are age, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability. In our book, we are going to go beyond merely ana- lysing the six above-mentioned characteristics. The way of dealing with the topic we chose is a diverse one in itself, reflecting our varied individual back- grounds. In line with our ideas and beliefs, we offer a holistic approach that includes theoretical and practical implications. We perceive Aristotle’s intellectual vir- tues as a lens through which various topics are discussed and evaluated. One of our main objectives is to bridge the gap between theory and practice. At the same time, we want to give implicit and explicit insights into Practical Wisdom. VIII Preface First of all, there is a thorough theoretical overview of the origin of Aristotelean intellectual virtues as well as insights into the connection between Practical Wisdom and Diversity Management. In the second part four topics focusing on Practical Wisdom and / or Diversity Management are presented: diversity dimensions (e.g. culture, age), higher education, change and leadership, journalism, and business ethics. We are aware of the most obvious fact, that our diverse and at the same time individual approaches and thoughts do not represent the moral and ethical truth – it would be extremely unwise to try and meet this objective. We would like to invite our readers to join us on our diverse life boat, equipped with Aris- totle’s thought virtues as a navigation device, to rediscover ancient tools, to understand their value for today’s tasks, and to use them to make wise deci- sions which benefit both the individual and society. Enjoy the journey! Martina Stangel-Meseke Table of contents Preface ......................................................................................................................... V Table of contents ......................................................................................................... IX Aristotle on Happiness, Emotions, and Practical Wisdom – A Short Reading Guide ............................................................................................................................ 1 Jan Radicke Practical Wisdom: Revisiting an Ancient Virtue in the Context of a Diverse Business World ........................................................................................................... 23 Claudius Bachmann Diversity as Practical Wisdom ..................................................................................... 41 Petia Genkova Rediscover the Charioteer. Practical Wisdom and Diversity Management in the Digital Age ............................................................................................................ 59 André Habisch Reflections on Cosmopolitanism as a Normative Guideline for Practical Wisdom ...................................................................................................................... 75 Nicolai Scherle & Claudius Bachmann Diversity Management at SEISSENSCHMIDT GmbH – Generation Management as a Competitive Advantage ....................................................................................... 95 Kathrin Groos & Thomas Winkler Practical Wisdom vs Functional Stupidity: Toward an Inspired Business School ........ 111 Volker Rundshagen Scouting and Unfolding Talents. A Case Study from the Ruhr Area............................ 131 Angelika Dorawa, Katrin Hansen, Lena Kreppel & Frank Meetz Practical Wisdom: A Key to a Successful Implementation of Lateral Leadership ........ 161 Martina Stangel-Meseke Diversity Management and Practical Wisdom: Organizational Change Success Factors...................................................................................................................... 189 Frank Ihlenburg
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