From ‘Why’ to ‘Who’: A Case for People Stewardship
The landscape of business is ever-evolving, and dramatic shifts within the last decade—from migration trends and global tensions to a pandemic of dynamic proportions and the advent of artificial intelligence—have changed the world as we know it. One thing that has not changed is the fundamental human need to flourish: to be loved, to be in community, to have purpose, to feel valued, and to contribute to something greater than ourselves.
Against this backdrop, we present the question: How do we build and lead in ways that contribute to a more flourishing world? The question applies whether you are leading an organization, a business unit, a small group at church, or even your home and community. It seems as good a time as any to go back to first principles, both to recalibrate our thinking and to remind ourselves of our collective responsibility as we navigate today’s complex environment.
A Not-So-New Paradigm: The Redemptive Frame
The redemptive frame presents a paradigm-shifting lens that redefines traditional business paradigms. Introduced by Praxis Labs, the framework overlays three ways to work—exploitative, ethical, and redemptive—onto three dimensions of work: strategy, operations, and leadership. These ideas are not entirely new; some might argue they are as old as time, taking us back to the creative mandate laid out in biblical texts and other faith traditions: to be fruitful as we steward and cultivate the earth. This all-encompassing mandate has profound implications for how we relate to one another and to our environment.
The redemptive frame challenges organizations to steward our world towards flourishing by fundamentally rethinking what, how and why we build.
Learn more about the Redemptive Frame [hyperlink: https://www.loom.com/share/daa9abbe4ff74e5cbd4a9ebb63a22651?sid=30e7fd15-a7cd-4aee-a002-22f4fd517015]
People Stewardship: The Operations Dimension
For a moment, let us zoom in on the Operations dimension in the redemptive frame, which considers how we do business. According to this model, successful operations is measured in terms of how a business treats its people. The redemptive frame shifts our lens from viewing those we serve and lead as “[resources] to be allocated and used rather than as whole persons to be developed and blessed.” Instead, we are to be stewards of the people connected to our business, seeking to bless them.
Exploitative vs Ethical vs Redemptive
Let’s explore how the different ways of working might apply when considering the ‘people’ component of our business operations.
Use People: The Exploitative Approach
The exploitative approach prioritizes profit and efficiency, often at the expense of employees, customers, and the broader community. It views people as resources to be maximized rather than valued individuals. Exploitative actions are often easy to detect, but they may sometimes show up in more subtle ways:
Underpaying employees for the sole purpose of maximizing profit or shareholder benefits.
Misappropriating donor contributions or treating donors merely as ‘ATMs’.
Using deceptive marketing practices to lure clients into purchasing more than they need or want.
Respect People: The Ethical Approach
Ethical practices focus on doing good and adhering to laws and regulations. In its highest form, it the ethical approach might promote the proverbial ‘golden rule,’ to treat others as one would want to be treated. While better than exploitative practices, ethical businesses may only go as far as maintaining or upgrading the status quo:
Ensuring employees are paid fair wages and provided with essential benefits.
Engaging in honest marketing practices, providing accurate information about products and services
Engaging in fair trade practices with suppliers.
Bless People: The Redemptive Approach
Redemptive businesses go further, seeking to bring healing and renewal to their people and communities. They view their work as a means to bless others, creating value that transcends profit and aiming for flourishing among the people connected to them. Importantly, this work often comes at a cost, inviting us to “freely choose to take a risk, bear a cost, or withhold a claim…for the sake of another…” (PraxisLabs.Org). Redemptive actions might include:
Creating pathways to employment for new immigrants or other groups traditionally shut out of talent pipelines.
Seeking to meet clients' long-term needs even if it leads to a lesser dependence on your services or products.
Dedicating a portion of profits to enhancing the well-being of the communities you serve, regardless of whether it provides tax benefits.
Getting There: Start with Who
Simon Sinek’s "Start with Why" has become a seminal work in the realm of leadership and organizational strategy. Sinek’s central idea aligns with the premise of the redemptive frame. He suggests that great leaders and organizations inspire action by starting with why they do what they do—focusing on purpose rather than just what and how. According to Sinek, understanding and articulating the ‘why’ helps build trust and loyalty among employees and customers alike.
Could there be more? What if we started with ‘who’?
‘Why’ uncovers purpose; ‘Who’ reveals the people and relationships at the heart of our work. By focusing on ‘who’, we can identify how best to design our work to bless those we serve, those we lead, and those we partner with. When our purpose brings about flourishing for the people we are connected to (as well as ourselves), we are living out the creative mandate.
Let’s make this practical. Take out some time with your team to reflect on three ‘Who’ questions:
·Who Are We Serving? Identify the stakeholders who are affected by your business and consider their needs and aspirations.
Who Are We Leading? Understand the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of your employees, as well as any inhibitions to their flourishing. How can you support their growth, well-being, and holistic development, even if it comes at a cost to the business?
Who Are We Becoming? Reflect on your organizational identity and culture. Are you becoming a more redemptive people, intentionally shaping a culture that blesses and renews those within and around your organization?
Ask these questions frequently as a way to recalibrate and identify practical steps you can take to align your operations to the heart of your business. Share some of the practices you are experimenting with so we can learn together as a community.
