Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.
—Anon
Hopefully you are reading this book after reading Volume I, but given the length of the book, it is worth revisiting some of the key points as a reminder of what Temperatism is all about and why finding a new way to think about business and doing good is so important at this point in history. Temperatism as an ideology has evolved as a result of the growth of social business thinking and the sharing economy movement. Despite the prevailing populism and dominance of “individualistic” thinking, there is a growing movement toward social conscience today.
Volume I argued that “fundamentally the role of organizations in society is to contribute to social wealth distribution and develop a different agenda for the purpose of profits to increase equality and ensure Basic Goods become universal” (Foster 2018). It is important to emphasize that Temperatism is not maligning entrepreneurialism; rather, it is the promotion of organizations taking responsibility for their pivotal role in society and seeking to deliver an agenda of Doing Good. The role of society and government is therefore to provide a supportive environment whereby organizations can execute their essential role in Doing Good in society. It is the organization that has the means and the ability to bring creative people together in an innovative way in which it is possible to deliver Doing Good and wealth creation in a far more efficient manner than relying on the government. If recent history has taught us anything, it is that the government seemingly fails to deliver what is needed. The government should be involved in constructing the framework of regulation and legislation to ensure that organizations and the market are aligned to the Doing Good agenda while releasing business to adapt, create, and innovate for the benefit of society as a whole.
Temperatism offers an organizational and market model, which is based upon cooperativism. It argues for the relationship between organization and society to be restructured to challenge dominant forms of fast capitalism and damaged forms of democracy. The purpose is to go beyond the triple bottom line of profit, people, and planet where there is competing tension between the three strands, toward an integrated social construction that supports profit for a purpose. The trifactor pulls together to utilize the strength of efficient and effective use of resources, alongside a human approach to work to deliver outcomes, which enhances society and naturally protects the planet purely because to do so is good for society and good husbandry in regard to environmental resources. The primary goal, therefore, is a society where there is mutual benefit to the owners of the means of production, within a democratic paradigm focused on the delivery of the broader social good. As a consequence, the power of the dominant “elite,” the mysterious dark force, which is robbing us of our rights and just reward, is limited through a realignment of the social construction in which society operates. Rather than developing state-owned entities, government and people power regulate the economic forms of social construction to invent, innovate, and create for the purpose of Doing Good in society. Foster (2018) states that the “difference being proposed is rather than organizations squeezing every last ounce of juice from their resources for the sake of more profit, the focus becomes a shared purpose.”
Ultimately Temperatism becomes a choice that we make, which refines what is acceptable, politically, economically, and socially, stopping us, the people, from being independent from the means of production and instead making organizations and society interdependent. An open market is still required in order that people will invest in society, but it is regulated and shaped to drive forward a Doing Good agenda. This relies on people voting for democratic governments who are willing to confront big business, rather than kowtow to the money of lobbyists and create rules of engagement between the organization and society. The recent #MarchForLife demonstrates how people power can be utilized to ensure that the government is responding to the wishes of the people, and as a consequence, the seemingly impossible power of big money can be challenged by the strength of individuals coming together and determining to make a change. Government, therefore, will be responsible for creating rules and regulations to ensure that organizations operate effectively to deliver societal obligations relating to Basic Goods and Doing Good.
The basis of Temperatism as an ideology goes beyond simply addressing the processes and systems in which society operates; it is the adoption of values that seek to protect Basic Goods for everyone and the reclamation of social morality. In a world where getting money is the main priority, it is easy to see why criminality and the pursuit of “material wealth” can make bad people of us all. It is not that “nice things” should be shunned. Temperatism does not advocate an Amish lifestyle. Rather, it is putting material things in their rightful place, something to enjoy and make our lives easier, but not the be all and end all. Capitalism has created a demand for freedom of expression of our individualism to become associated with the consumption of goods and services, as well as promoting access to luxury goods as a need rather than a focus on the provision of basic goods such as food, health, and roof over our heads. Consumption is no longer about “daily bread” but rather an explosion of choices based on wants and indulgence. Consumers have become little more than consumption whores. We no longer consider ourselves to be “working class” but aspire to be in the bracket of the squeezed middle classes. We have been encouraged by the monetization of the economic system to not wait for what we want, but to borrow so that we may take our proper part in maintaining our status in the consumer society. Whether the continuing austerity measures reduce our appetite for consumer fads readdresses the balance between selfishness and selflessness is yet to be determined.
In a century where once owning a good pair of leather boots was considered doing well, now we are encouraged to have shoes to go with every outfit. Our homes are filled with consumer goods. For some of the baby boomers, they will remember getting their first television set. Now we have televisions in every room, including the bathroom and kitchen. Mobile phones launched in the 1980s were once the tool of the city spiv, but are now in the hands of primary schoolchildren and our society transformed by the gadget in the palm of our hand. The expectation is that we all have access to these things and yet, just down your street, possibly not more than one hundred meters from your front door, will be someone who has no food to eat tonight, no clothes to keep them warm in winter, and no roof to protect them from the world outside. We have been tricked into believing that we need new, shiny things to be acceptable and accepted in our consumer society. If you don’t have the latest, greatest, fastest, shiniest, newest thing, then you are somehow less of a person, less human, and less socially acceptable. Even for those of us that are in paid employment, who “own” our own home, and enjoy a family holiday each year, we can begin to feel like we don’t have enough. We don’t appreciate the riches we have; the fact that we don’t have to worry where our next meal is coming from, that we live in a largely secure society, and that our rights are protected by democratic traditions is lost to the pursuit of more. But capitalism needs us to feel like we don’t have enough, that we need to aspire to have more if it is to increase sales, maintain growth, and ensure that investors feel confident. That same disease has now crept into our mainstream politics, whereby we are made to feel like losers, and the only way to win is by taking away the rights and dreams of others. We live in the society which is the opposite of keeping up with the neighbors next door. Rather than boosting everyone up to the best, we are intent on taking away from everyone else so we can feel better about ourselves. Exclusion is no longer limited to race, gender, or disability, it affects us all; if we fail to keep up then the only solution is to keep everyone else down. The net result of the pursuit to the bottom is doom and gloom. We are working longer hours, but are less productive. We have more things, but are less happy. We have a smaller government, but less rights. We have more freedom, but less equality. We are more connected, but more isolated. The pursuit of self-interest has done more harm to individual well-being than any war, dictatorship, or natural disaster, because we have done it to ourselves and continue to do so.
We no longer live in a world where leaving doors and windows open or unlocked is considered normal, a man’s home has literally become his castle as human society becomes reduced to a series of boxes secured against the outside world and yet at the same time children and adults are walking around with gadgets and clothes that are worth more than one month’s wages. Our homes are filled with consumer goods; television sets in every room and increasing numbers of mobile phones, laptops, tablet computers, and games consoles. We interact with society in the safety of our own homes. Perhaps 30 years ago you would converse with your neighbors face to face, now most people don’t know the names of the people who live next door to them. Instead we connect with networks of thousands of people online who we have never met. Society is very different as a result of technology and globalization, which has brought with it new challenges in regard to Doing Good.
Advocating a pursuit of Doing Good might appear at first an idealistic fantasy. We find ourselves in a situation where, rather than a society pursuing the best of what we are, we are instead all working toward the lowest common denominator. We justify doing bad things or condone others being morally repugnant because we all feel exploited and robbed in some way. We have stopped trusting each other, the state and the institutions and the organizations that we interact with, because we believe that everyone is securing their slice of the pie. We justify bending the rules, avoiding doing the right thing and become less honest in order to protect our own interests. The individualism of capitalism means that the only person who is going to look after a person is themselves and therefore looking after “number one” becomes the number one priority. The problem with looking after number one is that it limits your support to the capabilities that you have to support yourself. It excludes you from the best that is out there. We have become embarrassed about accepting help or charity because it reflects badly on our status and dents our pride in self-sufficiency. We shake our heads as we watch the pictures on the television of helpless children suffering, old people languishing in an inadequate care system, and the plight of the homeless, declaring that “someone should do something about this,” all the while forgetting that we are the ones that have what it takes to make a difference.
What must be made clear is that Temperatism isn’t about frugality and uniformity. At its heart, humanity is driven by passion and desire, and cannot be snuffed out through policy and rules. The question is how to temper that excess of desire in order that everyone can experience what is Good. The desire of Temperatism is therefore how entrepreneurs and organizations bring the fullness of human creation and possibility in an organized way. Business with a social conscience is a mechanism for Doing Good. Business can achieve what governments have systematically failed to, that is, utilizing the wealth and resources available to society to ensure that everyone, regardless of geography, social class, ethnicity, sex, or sexuality, is able to live in a society where their Basic Goods are fulfilled. Temperatism proposes that the key to releasing this dream is to release human potential through innovative productivity.
Temperatism promotes a society where the focus moves away from who owns what and instead asks the question as to what might society achieve if everyone were free to be everything that they were born to be. The surplus that is sought is not an economic one, though that will be a consequence; instead it is a humane surplus created by purposeful endeavor. Rather than seeking to persuade people that they should consume more, it asks for people to commit their energy to seeking a society where everyone benefits and everyone gets to fulfill their potential. This idea is one that reoccurs time and again in human society. In modern society it is an idea that is seen as utopian or idealistic, but is such a “resilient parasite”; it is an “idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules”—Christopher Nolan (via Dom Cobb in the 2010 movie: Inception).
A key tenet of Temperatism is that the organization is important in the running of society. The proposal is that instead of allowing organizations to be a primary cause of the problem, we should focus on progressing the way we organize so that it is through business that sustainable progress can be achieved. Doing Good through Business with a Social Conscience seeks to progress society to better not worse economic and social development for everyone. The role of government is not diminished, and we don’t stop paying taxes. For the wealthiest there is a requirement to seek a return on investment not from exploitation of the less able, but in philanthropic ventures which alongside governmental research grants encourage and enable small entrepreneurial organizations with ideas for new technologies to have the means to design solutions for the betterment of society.
The demand is for all elements of society, the individual, the organization, and the state, to get involved in a wholesale restructuring of society—to move away from isolated groups competing for space, and for state involvement relying on tinkering around the edges to an organized and proactive response to address the causes not the symptoms of civil unrest and inequality. It is a resolution to engage in societal deep heart surgery, address the problems caused by the way in which our economy is financed, supported, and run. The social must partner with the political and economic to develop critical thinking and reform the roles each societal actor plays. Temperatism advocates for the private ownership of the means of production, but demands that businesses operate with a social conscience and adopt new thinking as to how society should organize to deliver a Doing Good agenda, improving the people–organization relationship to deliver beneficial societal outcomes. This isn’t rocket science, or science fiction.
In today’s economy, organizations already operate under a paradigm where they are committed to doing business differently. There is a recognition in the Human Resources profession and in management science that improving employee relations and conditions for workers, reducing environmental impacts, and addressing societal issues have a positive effect on business outcomes. Doing Good means that organizations choose to adopt a corporate social responsibility that goes beyond the laws and regulations currently set. Rather than losing competitive advantage or reducing profitability, the net result of integrating “social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis” has delivered many benefits. Positive outcomes from self-restraint and intelligent use of organizational resources include:
- Investor attractiveness
- Improved market position
- Cost reduction and efficiency
- Enhanced trust
- Greater transparency
- Increased productivity
- Improved reputation and relationships with employees, suppliers, and clients
- Enhanced employee motivation and loyalty
- Improved talent attractiveness
- Reduced pollution
- Reduced consumption of resources (Hodinkova and Sadovsky 2016)
This isn’t about turning the globe into a giant hippie commune. But in the current system the gap between the haves and the have nots and the exploitation and the brutalization of the workplace means that kindness is no longer center stage. We fear to care about other people because we worry that we will be taken advantage of. In a world where self-interest rules, there is a lack of reciprocity in our dealings with other people. We talk about win–win but what we really want is to be able to come out on top. What businesses that are Doing Good teach us is that a Temperatist agenda not only is possible but also offers organizations the efficiency and profitability they are seeking to achieve regardless of the rules other actors are following in a competitive marketplace. Temperatism is seeking to provide a framework upon which the pursuit of profit is above all things, and the worship at the Temple of Mammon can be ceded to a demand for Doing Good for the wider society. The growing number of organizations that are pursuing purposeful endeavor above profit is increasing the prominence of integrity, morality, honesty, and honor to succeed where the money motive used to rule. It opens up the doors for all of us to call our corporate irresponsibility and corruption and demand better of business. Whistleblowers are now standing up to be counted, exposing the corporate lies and tackling corporate greed, which has led to profits at the expense of child labor, environmental pollution, manipulation of data, and deliberate price fixing.
Society currently faces a fork in the road. On the one hand kindness and goodness still shine through, on the other the world is getting increasingly darker and people who would normally be law abiding are becoming more likely to be tempted to do bad things. The legal system protects property, but our society has become less secure as property ownership and materialism has increased. It may be that we have more to lose, or it may be that we have more things of monetary value worth taking but the obsession over protecting ourselves and our things above protecting others has transformed our society.
The morals of society change over a period of time; what was acceptable in one era is no longer acceptable, although sometimes cultural battles, which are assumed to be won, are still waged in the dark corners of society. However, if you were to ask most people about what is right and what is wrong the fundamental truths of looking after our fellow humans remain. Someone with a conservative leaning may blame the liberal tradition for allowing morals to slip, but those from a liberal tradition will find the restrictions on individual freedom imposed by a conservative mindset morally repugnant. However, whether conservative or liberal, the central value is on societal Good even if ideas about what Good is and how it can be achieved differs. Temperatism argues that Doing Good is more than just sticking to the law of the land. It is a wholesale rejection of the pursuit of profit as the deciding factor on organizational decision making. Profit itself isn’t rejected as bad, but it is rejected as the primary driving force behind organizational activity. Instead Temperatism challenges organizations to ask why do we exist and what is the purpose behind the organization’s activity. It also demands that the organization asks itself what can we contribute to the wider society. The answers to these questions lead to an exploration of Doing Good through Business with a Social Conscience.