More and more companies are recognising the economic damage of a non-sustainable, non-values-based corporate culture. According to an article published in the NZZ on 8 March, incapacity to work for psychological reasons is steadily increasing and provides facts from the recently published survey by Swica and the Workmed competence centre of Psychiatrie Baselland. According to the evaluation of examined daily sickness benefit dossiers, 57 percent of all psychologically induced incapacities to work are a result of slights and conflicts at the workplace.
The article goes on to explain how an increasing brutalisation of the workplace has taken hold and that this is probably due to the faster-paced, economic environment and greater competitive pressure in everyday business life.
The findings from the research of Amy Edmondons, Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, on psychological safety in companies are not new. It is also not new that dismissals are cost drivers and a possible loss of productivity and knowledge or increased dissatisfaction among the remaining employees has a negative impact on the company’s success. Mutual trust is considered to be an effective factor.
Companies are increasingly sensitised to seeking answers to resolving conflicts in the workplace. The question arises as to whether the training of managers for the early detection of psychological problems or the investment in the most diverse preventive measures are promising in the long term or whether it is not the inner attitude and self-management competence that ultimately makes the decisive difference.
A caring duty of enterprises arises in relativising worldview systems and rethinking from a philosophy of being to a holistic approach. The holistic approach to leadership in organisations is an integrative approach that goes beyond the mechanistic mindset. The key is mindful leadership and an employee-centred learning world, in which the orientation towards meaningfulness and joy should find its place. Leaders have an impact on the company and ultimately, with a value-based attitude and networked thinking, can sustainably align an organisation in the market in the medium and long term and bring about more innovation from the creative power of social capital.
With little monetary expenditure, transformation processes can be initiated with regard to shaping/changing the culture of a company and the fundamental motivations of collective knowledge can be used and integrated.
With courage and discipline, self-leadership can be worked out, how to deal with polarities and one’s own perception and how to use them in a goal-oriented way for the company. Self-leadership is the prerequisite for successful mindful leadership and supports the holistic way of thinking.
