Are we producing goods that are truly good and services that truly serve?
The way we think and act in business helps to create the conditions for business to create value in society – and both of the ideas that underpin Blueprint’s thinking are key here – the role of business being to deliver value to society but also thinking of people as a someone not a something. This idea is explored in our course: What it is to be human
Whether something is truly good is connected with the development of human beings and with the ecosystem of life around us. Creating something good is about realising potential – taking an unrealised possibility and making it real.
Therefore, in thinking about the value a business should seek to create, it is not just about thinking about the specific good or service a business provides but also how the production, sale, marketing, use, disposal etc. of the product or service and the impact this has on the lives of people and on the wider ecosystem. Thinking of all people as a someone not a something – both inside and outside the business is an important part of this – and as set out in our Principles: “Considering each person affected by its decisions as if he or she were a member of each decision-makers own community “
This is not easy in practice and sometimes it can help if reasoning is combined with conscious experience – so that it goes beyond a discussion of a moral good to a deeper understanding of impact, choice and agency.
For example:
- While I might know intellectually that deforestation is bad and that as a human being I depend on the oxygen that is exhaled from the trees, that often is not enough to prevent me from deciding to produce goods that destroy forests or allowing others to do it, for economic gain
- Whilst I may know that the pollution caused by products I decide to produce is bad for people with respiratory illnesses would I take different decisions if someone I know is suffering from living in an area with high pollution?
This search for voice and encounter can be a valuable reality check, sense seeking and relationship building that can help businesses make good decisions.
Exercise:
Whilst not intended to be exhaustive, here are some questions to think about in the context of considering if a good is truly good or a service truly serves:
1. Looking at the good or service itself:
- Does it enhance someone’s life in some way?
- Does it contribute to a positive impact on society?
- Does it contribute to or cause harm, directly or indirectly?
2. Thinking about the people involved in the production/delivery:
- Does it create meaningful work for these people?
- Are the people involved, including in the supply chain, paid fairly?
- Are they treated with dignity and respect (as a someone not a something)
3. Thinking about the production or delivery process for the good or service:
- What impact does the production have on the relevant communities?
- Does the process cause direct or indirect environmental harm?
- Does it contribute directly or indirectly to inequality?
4. Thinking about the way the product is packaged, sold or marketed:
- Does the packaging cause or contribute to direct or indirect harm?
- Does the way the product or service is sold or marketed potentially cause harm? e.g. does it create/encourage a dependency or addiction which can contribute to or cause harm? is it targeting vulnerable groups of people?