I have given quite a bit of thought to this topic, especially after exchanging a few words with Tomoya-san regarding Hitachi and it’s commitment to harmony.  Tomoya-san co-authored/posted an article on LinkedIn titled “Japanese Values for Better Business in the Modern Age”. He challenged me to consider how global companies can compete globally while maintaining this commitment to harmony.  The discussion caused me to research the concept of how harmony among members of an organization can contribute to its success. As globalization evolves and continues, supplies, markets, and talents have become flatter and led to a leveling between companies in the same industries.  No longer is there an overwhelming advantage to businesses placed in regions.  Globalization has made most markets even more competitive. Perhaps the biggest change has been seen post-COVID in the search for talent.  In many parts of the world, potential employees are disposed to decide which organization they will choose to invest their professional career and most importantly decide whether to continue to invest their working lives in an organization.“The best organizations attract and retain the best talent.”There is a great deal of scholarly literature on employee engagement (EE).  The relationship between EE and organization success both in business success as well as organizational success is well documented.  This is also the focus of my Ph.D. study and hopefully the topic for my dissertation. But does employee engagement equal harmony? After reviewing my own notes as well as researching the University library, the topic most closely related is “dignity.”

“Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights.”

In this research I was reminded of the mission statement of a previous employer.  This was quite a few years ago, and the name of the company was Graphic Enterprises of Ohio.  The company has changed its name, but I still remember the statement, well maybe not all of it, but it went something like this, “To build a competitive imaging business for our customers and provide a work environment where human dignity flourishes.”  Perhaps not such a trail-blazing statement today, but in the 90’s, it was cutting edge. Does the why in which employees are treated affect organizational performance?  According to the scholarly literature – yes. “They found that various combinations of positive job and organizational practices were beneficial for both worker dignity and organizational outcomes, such that employees’ and organizations’ interests often were simultaneously met by positive practices, particularly by increasing organizational citizenship and decreasing employee conflict with supervisors and managers” (Lucas, et. al, p. 22). This is pretty close to a definition of harmony. Does “decreasing employee/manager/supervisor conflict” equal harmony?  It might be a bit of a leap, but it definitely is a step in the right direction. So, I answer Tomoya-san‘s  question, “…can we win in global competition while keeping the harmony?” Yes. I believe that not only can we keep harmony, but it is an essential element of success.  Or stated another way, “If organizations wish to be competitive in the global community they must strive for the utmost harmony in their organizations.”   Lucas, K., Manikas, A. S., Mattingly, E. S., & Crider, C. J. (2017). Engaging and Misbehaving: How Dignity Affects Employee Work Behaviors. Organization Studies, 38(11), 1505–1527. https://doi-org/10.1177/0170840616677634

‍