Relational Thinking and the importance of relationships to the economy

Hello Everyone

Steven Covey in his famous book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People says that we need to ‘begin with the end in mind’.  I could not help thinking about this when I heard about a new business/life model developed by Dr Michael Schluter a social thinker, entrepreneur and founder of Britain’s Relationship Foundation.  He spoke about the need for workable relationships in areas as diverse as debt and the economy, criminal justice, care for the elderly, asylum and immigration, the environment, and sexual ethics. 

Dr Schluter says that once our physical needs are met, such as food, shelter and safety the most important things in our lives are our relationships. This includes relationships at work, home, the community – in fact, everywhere!  Even if we have fallen out with family or friends they are still on our mind.  He calls this philosophy relationism or relational thinking.

Is it possible that cultures around the world might shift from being based on individualism and materialism to being based on relationships?   Dr Schulter believes that we are just starting to see some signs that this could happen.   Australia’s Michael Tanner and Britain’s Michael Gove for example, have both spoken about the politics of relationships and the key role Relational Thinking has to play in a post-capitalist political environment.

According to Dr Schulter, the main symptom of relational distress is the breakdown of marriage and what is happening both to children and older people. He says the major drivers behind the breakdown in marriage and the family include: long and unsocial working hours; debt - because debt breaks up families;  the tax system; and corporate structures which mean that the people running companies have little connection with their employees.

Corporations have little idea of what the daily life of their employees involves, and how their decisions affect those employees. Their sole goal is to satisfy the needs of their shareholders.

Dr Schulter goes on to say that there is a need to have a triple bottom line approach to public policy, just as companies are meant to have. We should be evaluating everything the government does from an economic point of view, an environmental point of view and a relational point of view. Governments and corporations tend to only look at the economic impact of policy, and sometimes the environmental impact, but rarely the relational impact of policy. 

 What is your compass for life?  What do you value?  Most people on their death bed are concerned with who and how they have loved rather than how much money they have made or if they should have spent more time at work, or if they should have spent more time at work.

If we begin with the end in mind then the most important thing is our relationships.  How are your relationships?

Live! Love! Laugh!

Roz Townsend  www.roztownsend.com