Everything is subjected to instrumentalisation.
But why? An attempt at explaining.
Enterprises are social systems. You can distinguish them from other systems because their purpose is economic. As all social systems, enterprises tend to develop according to what is beneficial and useful for them, instead of according to what is good for the customers and employees. Too often, this will end in a “de-personalization” of the system, including the “de-humanization” of the interactions therein.
Naturally, in the long run, such a development will be more detrimental than beneficial. However, this is often forgotten, because everybody believes in short-term thinking. Only the next three months count – and everything beyond that is now irrelevant.
Why does this happen in social systems?
Every social system creates its own collective construct, just like the people create their own individual constructs. It determines the values of the social system and defends it against attacks both from inside and outside. The (collective) morals are an example for a typical result of such a collective construct creation.
Humans have to liberate themselves from personal and collective compulsions if they want to unfold their lives in its many possible dimensions. More often than not, the morals of a system as a massive construct block the way. There is a “you” which tells everybody what to do: “you do not do this kind of thing”” or “this is how you want to do it, there is no other way”.
This is how an ideological system develops. The reign of a collectively constructed system of values and ideas will be drastically overrated. And the collective constructs will continue to develop – but always with the main purpose of being beneficial for the system itself! Mostly, the end of the development is that the survival of the system gets highest priority. All other issues are radically subordinated. And this will eventually cause “fascist” structures. Those kinds of systems always give me pause.
Naturally, there are some typical consequences:
The persons inside the system will become comfortable. They will fall victim to their material independence. They get a feeling of security – which is often an illusion. This feeling causes the fear to lose something, which again increases the dependency upon the system. A vicious circle will develop. It causes cowardice and lack of independence, at the same time making courage and constructive disobedience rather hard.
Simultaneously, the systemic complexity of the vocabulary of concepts within the enterprise will be semantically emptied by the system agents, either knowingly or accidentally. The values are simplified, the prevailing value system will be made to serve just the economic usefulness. Along with it, all concepts and values are more and more emotionalized.
Based on this kind of change, the demagogy of the system agents will easily find the “right” arguments which tell you that all that matters now is the system – and what matters for the people is totally irrelevant. Maybe you could call this phenomenon “misled ratio” and perhaps it is the problem of our society and times? Because this “misled ratio” will easily let you forget that justice is also something that needs fairness at eye-level. Incidentally, the same is true for everything that concerns human beings. Because it leads towards “no alternatives”?
Systemic construct development will make the social system “enterprise” – just like many other systems – something that only serves itself. Of course, the important rule that humans – be it customers, employees or stakeholders – should not be there to serve the enterprise but vice versa does no longer play any role!
What can be done about this?
We must not allow “our systems” to make us totally addicted to them and incorporate them as part of ourselves. Also, we have to avoid being torn between unquestioned enthusiasm followed by bitter disappointment (introjection). No, we must try and strive towards a healthy identification with our system. This means that we have to pair loyalty with ethical control. Our interaction in and with the system has to be subjected to a conscious balance of values and we have to still be prepared to object and display civil courage.
What remains is the question:
How can you learn this “immunity against systemic forces”?
A good friend and mentor once advised me:
Judge yourself every day! Which of your activities today contributed more towards increasing your life in its many dimensions than towards minimizing them? For instance by making other persons feel better/greater? Or have you made other persons feel small?
Are you aware of using “interested sources”? Because the small and big systems, also construct their stories. This is how they create reality out of stories. The powerful want to consolidate their reign and will use the ideological myths and stories.
Consequently, you should always question those truths and mattes of course.
And not to forget:
Systems that make persons look small are just as bad as humans who make other humans look small. “Leader personalities”, in particular, should characteristically have the gift of making the persons they are surrounded by look great. In the same way, the social systems should aim at making “their” people look bigger rather than smaller.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
The person who gave me this good advice was Rupert Lay. The ideas I related in this article have been strongly influenced by what I learned and developed from and with Rupert.
P.S.1
For more articles of my entrepreneur’s diary, click here: Drehscheibe!
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