Corporate Social Responsibility

In this week's article by Abbas J. Ali, Islamic perspectives on motivation and personality are discussed. This particular study is in contrast to most other research on the topic of humanistic theories on motivation. The author introduces a new theory that religion and spirituality can have a positive influence on organizational performance in the workplace.

What form will the organization take to address demands of corporate social responsibility? Consider stakeholder interests, inputs and outputs of materials, the distribution of power, executive accountability, and workplace well-being. How can you prepare your organization to anticipate the future? How can your organization develop the intelligence to prepare for change? Is contingency and scenario planning enough?

From what you have considered so far, can you imagine different? Can you imagine different rules, structures, processes, assumptions of managing, assumptions governing the distribution of power and rewards? Is it possible to change your current paradigm and create adaptations of what you know to what you don't know but think could be? What do you have to learn, and how should you go about learning, from the developing world, as well as our natural competitors in the developed world?

 

As a Muslim, this student has an understanding of Ali's theory behind religion and its impact on organizational performance in the work place. Islam teaches believers how to balance and organize their lives. This student in his management roles has applied some of the foundations of Islam, patience, understanding and caring to his management styles. Though there are endless management styles that he has not been exposed to, this approach has yielded a positive response.
Understanding the direction of an organization and anticipating the future can be done with the use of different tools. Though difficult to predict the unknown, the use of previous year's data and industry standards can help drive the direction of an organization. Business intelligence tools can help organizations and planners make decision based on the operational data (Negash, 2004). Understanding the business also requires the understanding of the employees. As Maslow stated, the motivation of human beings should be aligned with the business. Once this alignment is achieved, the success of each individual will lead to the success of the corporation (Maslow, 2000).
Considering what this student understands and reviewing Ali's article, the concept of utilizing goal orientation as part of their faith in Islam can be transcended into business (Ali, 2009). This student believes that managers must always explore different avenues, however the concept of religion in any organization as a form of management can prove challenging. Organizations employ different people with different faiths and belief's and the attempt to make a paradigm shift within a diverse organization can prove challenging. A foundation can be set with religious beliefs; however the manner in which the foundation is constructed must be neutral in order to prove functional within an organization.

References:

Ali, A. J. (2009). Levels of existence and motivation in Islam. Journal of Management History, 15(1), 50-65. November 1, 2010. doi:10.1108/17511340910921781

Maslow, A. (2000). The Maslow Business Reader. New York City: John Wiley &Sons, Inc.

Negash, S. (2004). Business Intelligence. Communication of the Association for Information Systems, 13, 177-195