Careers: Karma Capitalism

Don't look now, but a new mindset is gradually starting to seep into corporate boardrooms and operational HQ's... Karma Capitalism.

If this sounds like a new age hybrid of the Dalai Lama and Donald Trump, you're not far off. Simply put the notion of karma - "reaping what you sow" - is starting to be seen in many quarters as - ta-da! - good business. (Think the Wall Street gurus getting whiplashed by our financial chaos right now might take note?)

Business Week ran a great expose' on karma capitalism a while back. Applied to Main Street, it's the idea that "corporations can simultaneously create value and social justice" .. oh, the guy who said that (C.K. Prahalad, a Univ. of Michigan professor) was ranked third by the London Times in a poll of the world's most influential business thinkers... (who sez gurus can't wear both robes and suits ?)

What this emerging practice looks like is:

* corporate philanthropy is viewed as a competitive advantage for attracting and retaining top talent

* management practices in the future will be driven less by shareholders (exclusively) and more by "stakeholders" - the greater family of business partners, affililates, customers/vendors,etc.

* subtly shifting marketing vernacular away from "conquest"-oriented language to "symbiotic" phrasing

* the viewing of company's structure as a complex social organism with interdependencies

If all this sounds like too much fluff, so says the Bizweek article, just consider that the world's leading business schools (Dartmouth, Kellogg at Northwestern, Columbia, Harvard, London School of Business ) are now teaching these principles (though perhaps not openly using the k-word so much). And, as companies from GE to Chevron (huh?), Deere, Cargill and Goldman Sachs are overtly (or covertly) adopting these principles, there must be something to it... (not to mention - OK, I'll mention it - that spiritual lightning rod Deepak Chopra has consulted at the World Bank, Deloitte Consulting, Harvard and sits on the board of Mens Wearhouse...)

Good karma is good business. Young career seekers should see - or should demand - that their potential employees are deeply invested in this practice of giving and service - for the sake of their own 'Return-on-Investment.'



purpose before self..