Healthy Organizations and the Link to Peaceful Societies: Strategies for Implementing Organizational Change

Abstract

When designing and implementing an organizational change process, we are intentionally and oftentimes significantly impacting the lives of the human beings who make up the organization. Individuals who work in organizations spend a majority of their time, usually at least five days each week, in an organizational setting or framework. If the organization is structured in a way that recognizes the needs of the employees; has a code of behavior—oftentimes referred to as the organizational values— that is civil and caring; uses the code of behavior to give developmental feedback to employees; and, creates opportunities for a variety of networks between people, the environment is very likely to be conducive for things such as positive conflict resolution and healthy organizational growth. If people are expected to behave respectfully and in a civil fashion, and if the organization intentionally promotes such behavior, the continuous, daily reinforcement of “a respectful way of working together” will often spill out into behavior outside of the organization. If we hope to change the world, it means we have to consider how to positively impact the thinking and the behavior of people at all ages. Families, schools, religious organizations, social groups and business organizations all have the potential of contributing to a more peaceful society by creating “rules of the game” that require respectful, civil and peaceful behaviors of their members.