Will is the urge in everything toward self-actualization. Everything is pressing out toward being itself to the fullest. Everything seeks to express itself. This self-expression rises through interaction of what we shall call structure and process. It also arises through two trends: one toward the center and the other toward the periphery; one toward greater depth, greater meaning, the other toward greater scope and more influence. The four interacting conditions (structure/process, center/periphery) give rise to being. As we shall show later, there is an inner contradiction among these four, and it is this very self-contradiction that gives rise to the permanency and stability of being. Being is the inner-togetherness of forces that manifest in opposiition. Function is the outcome of these forcess striving to become one in the urge toward self-realization. In Will, the how and the why are unified in understanding and growth. In growth, the three find fulfillment of their possibilities.
This is true also of a company. There are three forces at work within a company: the forces known as “shareholder,” “market,” and “employee.” An organization is a truly wonderful express of these three interacting forces within a unity or whole that find expression and realization in growth. Growth, not profit, is the real significance of corporate life.
We cannot view a company simply as an instrument by which profit (that is, return to the shareholder) is maximized. This univalent view does not agree with the facts. Those who defend the profit concept rightly point out that if a company does not make a profit–that is, if it does not satisfy the needs of the shareholder–then the shareholder will withdraw his support and the company will decline. However, the power to withdraw support also rests with the employee and with the customer. Should the support of either of these be withdrawn, the results would be as serious as should the shareholder withdraw his support. There is, therefore, a triad of forces or role systems.
February 23rd, 2020 ~