Enantiodromia — The Economics of Decency, Part 2
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash
Enantiodromia: I know you can't spell it; can you pronounce it?
Enantiodromia is the tendency of things, when they reach an extreme, to revert to their polar position. Carl Jung, who introduced the term to the West, defines it as “the emergence of the unconscious opposite over the course of time.” Check out the Wikipedia definition; it’s worth a read.
The point in relation to decency is this: we are now observing enantiodromia in action. The level of indecent discourse in our national dialogue is extreme and may not have yet reached its furthest point. However, there is emerging evidence in our corporate world that decency is being recognized as a viable business model.
My last blog referenced some significant players in the corporate world, not just talking but sharing actions they are taking to create decency in their workplaces. Today, we are covering more:
In 2016, several women publicly called out a co-founder of Binary Capital for sexual harassment. Two things happened, the executive resigned and Reid Hoffman, a partner in Graylock, introduced The Decency Pledge, which a growing number of Silicon Valley venture firms have signed. One of the outcomes is an increase in women entrepreneurs getting both attention and funding from venture capitalists when historically, they have been shut out.
Kim Seeling Smith spent 15 years in the recruitment industry before founding Ignite Global. After over 5,000 interviews with people leaving their jobs, she identified nine reasons people stay at their jobs.
Check out the article if you’d like to see these results in your business:
73% more likely to be highly engaged
50% more likely to have low employee turnover
38% more likely to be highly productive
44% more likely to earn high customer satisfaction scores
In 2019, The Business Roundtable in their periodic review and update of Principles of Corporate Governance declared this revision:
“Business Roundtable today announced the release of a new Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation signed by 181 CEOs who commit to lead their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers, communities and shareholders.”
Heretofore, the “benefit” had been exclusive to shareholders. In response, Jamie Dimon of Chase said,
“The American dream is alive but fraying. Major employers are investing in their workers and communities because they know it is the only way to be successful over the long term. These modernized principles reflect the business community’s unwavering commitment to continue to push for an economy that serves all Americans.”
Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO of Johnson and Johnson responded:
“This new statement better reflects the way corporations can and should operate today. It affirms the essential role corporations can play in improving our society when CEOs are truly committed to meeting the needs of all stakeholders.”
There appears to be a genuine shift in recognizing the power of decency in our business structures and models. If the business community is genuine in these efforts rather than playing to an audience, the shift could accelerate quickly. It could easily sort the winners from the losers in today's frenzied efforts to find people to fill positions.
Money is not people’s primary driver for work.
The nine critical reasons people either stay or leave, as listed in Kim Seely Smith’s article, underscore this.
In introducing “enantiodromia” to the western world, Jung referred to our “shadow self,” (the unconscious) and addressed our tendency to reject the least desirable aspects of ourselves. What we call “blind spots.” That shadow — the unknown, undetected parts of ourselves — slowly becomes a “thickening veil of illusion between our ego and the real world.”
I think Jung is saying we have to engage in active introspection to root out the indecent shadow tendencies within ourselves. Otherwise, we continue in an endless loop of behavioral missteps. The news is encouraging; leading corporations are looking at their shadow selves. We can too! It’s the portal to performance behavior. Look long, look deep and be appreciative and forgiving with yourself along the way.
Cheers and Blessings,
