The Soul of a Business_Managing for Profit and the Common Good

244 Pages·1993·8.687 MB·English

by  Tom Chappell

“While so many businesses today struggle with ethics, workplace conflict,
and declining markets, Tom Chappell demonstrates that goodness can be marketed,
diversity can be used to boost innovation, and values can be profitable.”
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Harvard Business School, author of When Giants Leam to Dance

The Soul of a
Business

THE SOUL
o f a
BUSINESS
Managing
for Profit and
the Common Good
Tom Chappell
BANTAM BOOKS
NEW YORK TORONTO LONDON SYDNEY AUCKLAND
THE SOUL OF A BUSINESS
A Bantam Book
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam hardcover edition / November 1993
Bantam trade paperback edition / November 1994
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993 by Tom Chappell.
Book design by Richard Oriolo.
Cover text copyright © 1993 by One Plus One Studio.
Cover art copyright © 1993 by Mary Flock Lempa.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 93-2546.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writingfrom the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.
ISBN 0-553-37415-X
This book is printed on recycled paper.
Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Dou¬
bleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words
“Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam
Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BVG 0 9 8 7
To Kate, whose love, creativity, and wisdom have in¬
spired me in an enduring partnership in marriage, par¬
enting, and business,
and
to Libby, who envisioned this book and affirmed me
with her presence and assurances until I, too, could see.
May your spirit, Libby, share in this moment of victory!
Special appreciation
to Chris, Matt, Sarah, Eliza, and Luke, my children,
who share my hope for a more just world,
and
to my mother and father, who by their love and actions
taught me religious sensitivity, Yankee ingenuity, and
courage.

CONTENTS
introduction ix
I: IDENTITY
1. IDENTIFYING VALUES 3
2. FORGING THE MISSION 20
3. Living the mission 38
4. building Community: the power of storytelling 59
II: THE QUEST FOR GOODNESS
5. CO-CREATING AND SELLING GOODNESS 83
6. INSPIRING AND MANAGING CREATIVITY 106
7. INTENTIONAL DIVERSITY: CREATING COMPLEX BEAUTY 128
III: INTEGRATING VALUES, BELIEFS,
AND BUSINESS
8. AUTONOMY: FREEDOM IN SERVICE 157
9. MANAGING—AND COMPETING—BY THE MIDDLE WAY 179
10. WORKING FOR THE PRIVATE AND THE COMMON GOOD 200
Bibliography 220
Acknowledgments 222
'