Equitability

Equitability

What made us create the ROUNDMAP™ can be captured in one word: EQuitability. It means being fair, just, and honest. We believe all businesses have a social responsibility to their stakeholders, which may include employees, customers, patients, viewers, fans, shareholders, animals, and nature. Profit is good, if good is done.

Most will be familiar with the word equity, which, according to Investopedia, represents the amount of money that would be returned to a company’s shareholders if all of the assets were liquidated and all of the company’s debt was paid off. It also refers to having a stake in a company’s future benefits.

Equitability is about offering people a fair chance in life, taking into account one’s social background and abilities. In essense, equitability, as equity, is about future benefits.

MEANING AND PURPOSE

We believe that being equitable towards customers and colleagues is what provides us with a sense of meaning and purpose. Let me share a compelling story that got me to rethink my perception of work and maybe it does the same thing for you.

During one of my assignments, a young French woman requested an urgent meeting. She told me she could no longer sell or support the company’s flawed products to her fellow citizens. I asked her why.

As it turned out, French people, before discussing business, tend to build trust by having a casual conversation. Following these informal introductions, and despite her knowledge of the malfunctions, she had to play dumb and thus was required to lie to customers all day long. Her conscious became obstruent and she felt sick, as she battled with her emotions. Obviously, I assigned her, at her own request, to a different task.

Although I had already made plans to dispose of these flawed products, the CEO made it perfectly clear that the company had to make wages and since there were no alternative products to sell, we were obliged to continue selling and supporting them.

COMMITMENT

While I had often witnessed the positive effect of an individual’s commitment to an equitable cause, she made me aware of how destructive an unfair cause can be to a person. And it made me respect her even more, because I knew most people would not object to sell inferior products to customers, as long as it gave them a job.

However, I do have to mention the fact that by building rapport, contrary to most other employees, she often acquired intimate knowledge of a customer. This knowledge had, no doubt, personalized the relationships, making it harder for her to ignore her conscious.

CONSCIOUSNESS

Once we allow ourselves to ignore our inner voice and participate in practices that are harmful to others, we will find ourselves on a slippery slope. We become detached from our sense of purpose and meaning, allowing ourselves to exchange responsibility and commitment for indifference and resentment, causing extreme disengagement.

CONSIDERATION

Given the trend towards hyper-personalized experiences: What will be the effect of having intimate knowledge of a customer on employee-customer relationships?

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Edwin Korver

Edwin Korver

Architect of ROUNDMAP™ - Advancing Grandmastership of Business™ ✪ Business Model Matrix™ ✪ Polymath ✪ Generalist ✪ Systems Thinker ✪ Board Member, CEO CROSS-SILO BV

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