The Ethic of Foundations
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Contents |
Globalization
Globalization is an ideology of the national and international reality promoting the development of countries by considering their common interests. Sustainable globalization has to be seen as a balanced system, requiring that each culture, each region and each individual be self-considered as a member of this global system. Dependency, domination, and marginality attitudes represent an obstacle to the existence of a sustainable globalization and development system. Globalization, built on common interests, involves an interdependency in which each one of its parties plays a self-defined and assumed role.
Synergy
Social development is possible whenever a culture counts on synergy as the driving force of work. Synergy is required within the group when individuals, who are capable of solving problems, decide to take action as a team in order to add value. This synergy produces the socalled social capital, which is the strength of the relationship that integrate institutions and individuals of a society. Elites lead the development of societies and ordinary people follow. Promoting synergy at work is one of the ways of growing towards a sustainable globalization. But there is a previous condition to this, the integration of knowledge amongst members. This knowledge synergy amongst members is based on what is called as “ethics of foundation”.
Synergistic Leadership
The promotion of synergy requires a synergistic leadership. Considering the conceptual structure of work-leadership we can describe the following segments of leaders:
- Creative-synergic
- Constructive-synergic
- Autocratic
- Manipulative
Based on behavioral researches it was proven that freedom to argue foundations is a necessary condition to support synergistic leadership in decision-making. Based on behavioral researches it was proven that synergistic leadership in decision-making is possible only when the freedom to present grounded arguments is structured in the organization. Sustainable globalization and development represents in a society the predominance of synergistic leaders. The predominance of autocrats and manipulating leaders leads to a gradual destruction of the environmental-adapting capacity, and ends up in dependency or marginality.
Foundation as driving force
As a concept, an argument is grounded whenever it is reasonable, understandable and provable. Foundation as a concept can be based on:
- Experience
- Logic
- Scientific knowledge
- Conceptual knowledge
All ways of groundings are valid in a group provided the rest of the members are able to understand, prove, and reason them out. The “receivers”, whoever they are, evaluate groundings. Therefore it is required that members of working groups count on the required knowledge level to understand the foundations needed for developing a work.
The Ethic of Foundations
Every cultural change is firmly established when it is integrated into the habits of the community. Before becoming a habit, it needs to be a custom. But customs must be supported by ethics. It all begins with a new ethic, then it develops into a custom and finally it becomes a habit.
Ethic, as a concept, is a functional rule based on moral values and an ideology. The ethic of foundations represents a moral code related to the respect for others and their authority. Respect for others is necessary to be able to discuss our own arguments. Respect for others authority is the only way to accept their foundations as valid.
Foundations require a relative ideology. When ideologies dominating a certain activity field are absolute, there is no possibility of disagreement. Absolute ideologies are fallacious in their reasoning for they look for self-confirmation.
Final achievement of groundings is that a reality is reasonable, understandable and provable. To this effect, an explanation of the casual relations of what is being analyzed or agreed is required.
Foundations and globalization/development
A culture that makes use of groundings as a habit stands at a same level than any other in the world. If its knowledge is reasonable, understood and proven, there is no way of not matching the world.
The introduction of “grounding” as a habit amongst leaders results in a multiplying effect on quality and productivity.
Supporting of synergistic leadership
Synergistic leadership represents a grounded coaching. The democratic aspects of organizations are provided by the consideration of the foundations of all the members of a working group.
Matching of small and big, week and strong
Foundations are worth their own weight, regardless of who is arguing. The ethic of foundation requires that arguments be worth their own value over the subjective qualities of who argues. Therefore groundings have no rank, they are only applicable knowledge.
Promotion of working value as source of richness and personal fulfillment
As a concept, work is an activity to produce an added value for others and a benefit for who develops it. Synergy is the basis of working in groups, and there is actual added value whenever the operating knowledge upon it is based is a true one. Foundation is the basis of true knowledge.
Promotion of science and technology
By definition science and technology imply groundings. Globalization requires leadership in technology. Only those who are technological leaders in certain fields are able to “globalize”. The ethic of foundations is the basic driving force of technological development.
Promotion of justice as equality of opportunities
When foundation is worth its own weight, members’ value is measured by their added value. The ethic of foundations is therefore one of the driving forces leading to equality of opportunities.
It is the necessary basis of group synergy
Synergy means to be capable of doing something by oneself, and to become member of a group in search of a higher added value to be achieved in a more effective way. Integration to a group implies sharing the groundings of an action.
Upwards leveling
Lack of foundations naturally leads to an autocratic or manipulating leadership. The existence of them naturally leads to a synergistic leadership. Autocracy and manipulation require fallacious groundings. Foundations destroy autocracy and manipulation.
Foundation is an antidote to fraud, and takes all participants of a working group to multiply their capacity of providing higher added value. Therefore the value of the group and of its participants as individuals increases as well.
Teamwork Agreement - Ethics of Foundations
All members of a group agree to:
1) Explain the foundations of what is stated in an understandable, reasonable and provable way for the rest of the group.
2) Count on the “paperwork” supporting their proposals, and explain it clearly to the rest of the group.
3) Invite to participate in working groups only those individuals that have the capacity to understand the groundings of a problem.
4) Whenever the problem is complex give members the necessary time to be prepared to deal with such problem, and to understand the groundings of the rest of the group.
5) Have the necessary knowledge, beyond common sense, for solving the problems they are dealing with.
6) Explain the groundings when analyzing problems.
7) When evaluating actions, explain the synthesis but not the foundations that underlay them. However, upon request of the rest of the group, provide them with the groundings of the synthesis.
8) Take others’ groundings into consideration, and integrate them into yours, disregarding whom they come from.
9) Do not give an opinion when there is a lack of knowledge.
10) When working in uncertain environments, approach the problem explicitly starting with a “groundless opinion”, but be responsible for obtaining the necessary knowledge to achieve a grounded one.
The introduction of “The Ethic of Foundations” can be sustained by:
A) Banning groundless arguing
B) A fallacy-shooter role
C) An ethical commitment
