Greetings OB friends!
Thanks for today's interesting discussion, making connections between the topics of vocation and conventional/sustainable OB (Neubert & Dyck, 2014).
First let me commend you on the almost unanimously insightful comments regarding vocation as service and business as service. This is significant. As you launch your own businesses after graduation or work with others in an existing business, operating from this perspective will have significant impact on the business and people management decisions you make. Service is a much different purpose for a business than making a profit. As Van Duzer notes in Why Business Matters to God, a business must make a profit. But for those who see business as a form of vocation and therefore as service to others, profit is not the driving force behind every decision.
Several of you then take this discussion to the next level, making connections between business as vocation/service and Neubert and Dyck's (2014) conventional/sustainable OB concepts. Do a search for posts by Ayanna, Julianne, Ethan and Greg for some particularly thoughtful consideration of the connections between these concepts.
Check out Andrew B's posts this week as well. Andrew begins to shine a light down the practical application road. Sustainable OB and management are all well and good in the classroom, but what happens in real life? Can a company be started and run purely from the sustainable OB/management perspective? What happens in an economic downturn? Whose interests should prevail? All important questions with no easy answers. We'll continue to explore these issues as future business managers and leaders throughout the semester.
See you on Monday for our discussion of Neubert & Dyck (2014) chapter 2 (see the class prep instructions on Blackboard). Until then, enjoy the weekend!
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