DAWN Fridayfax 2004 #07

Germany

Catalogue of business virtues

"Imagine you work in a company in which people put others' interests first. Everybody supports everyone else, honesty and trust are the order of the day." That's how Friedbert Gay's consulting group describes their aim. Business consultant Marcus Hausner from southern Germany recommends that companies orient themselves around such traditional values. He focuses on more than simple maximisation of profit. "The time of short-term thinking, in which huge profits could be made in a short time, is over," he says, "and customers want to be able to trust companies again." His strategy is based on long-term studies across all continents and cultures which revealed eight values held in high regard in all societies.

Companies discover the Shared Values process

Control mechanisms help little when it comes to making employees do what the company leadership wants. "It often leads to 'work to rule'," says trainer Friedbert Gay. A growing number of large businesses are recognising that they cannot permanently monitor and control their employees. One solution is the introduction of a value system for the enterprise - values with which staff at all levels can identify. Such a Shared Value process is not a programme to turn a company around in a crisis, but a long-term process which changes the work environment itself. It requires three to five years, and transforms a tactically-oriented organisation into a value-oriented one. "It's like playing chess," says Gay. "I can play chess because I want to win, putting my opponent in mate. Then I will attack my opponent, trying to harm him. Or I can play because I want to spend a pleasant evening with a friend. Then, I will appreciate my friend's good moves. There are no winners or losers; the 'winner' is the evening shared with a friend."

Eight proven key values for companies

1. Be honest - without compromise
2. Trust your colleages and partners
3. Be a selfless mentor
4. Be open for new ideas, without prejudice
5. Support unpopular decisions if they help the organisation
6. Give appropriate and true recognition
7. Hands off dirty money!
8. Put others' interests before your own

In 1997, Levi Strauss' Robert Haas said "The enterprises of the next century will stand or fall by their values." "Values present the organisation to outsiders, and reduce complexity within. In the end, turnover and profits grow, productivity increases and costs decline. The Shared Value approach is not only idealistic, it also pays off," says Gay.
Source: Friedbert Gay, DISG Training GmbH, www.shared-values.de

China

Gospel and children

"For several years, an impressive revival has been taking place in China," reports mission agency Open Doors. The wave of revival also reaches children and youth; numerous Christians risk sharing the Gospel with children despite the ban on evangelising minors. "Anna" coordinates a whole network of Sunday School teachers whose vision is to start a Sunday School in every Chinese village. Every three months, around 100 new Sunday Schools are opened.

Sunday School teachers are more dangerous than pastors

Christian activities are forbidden on priciple, and because they influence children's thinking, the Chinese government considers Sunday School teachers more dangerous than pastors. If the Police track down a Sunday School teacher, he or she is arrested and sent to a labour camp for two or three years. Sunday Schools now have a significant influence on Chinese society; children are important because of the restriction on only one child per couple. Children from Christian families often bring their non-Christian schoolfriends to Sunday School; if the son or daughter converts to Christianity, they generally influence the entire family. "The Gospel reaches at least five people - the child, parents and grandparents," says Anna. When asked whether the children understand the importance of being discreet about their Christianity, Anna says "Even small children understand very well that being a Christian can land you in jail. We tell them that God protects them, but do not hide the risks. Matthew Chapter 10 is one of the foundations of our teaching. Children understand the message with astonishing maturity."

Already 40,000 Sunday Schools

There are an estimated 40,000 Sunday Schools in China, some with twenty children, others with a few hundred. "My husband and I deliberately chose not to have any children of our own in order to be able to concentrate on this work. Some 300 million of China's 1.3 billion inhabitants are children and youths. Imagine - the future Chinese President may be sitting in one of our Sunday Schools!"
Source: Open Doors, fax (+41) 21 648 35 00; www.offenegrenzen.ch

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