Present ethics-ch.5

CHAPTER 5 ETHICS AND ‘STEWARDSHIP, GOVERNANCE

AND MANAGEMENT’

Ethics bring about and are embodied in our three core – living - social functions:

Stewardship, Governance and, Management.

Chapter 5 Ethics and ‘Stewardship, Governance and Management’

Ethics bring about and are embodied in our three core – living - social functions, briefly:

‘Ethical aspirations’ or core values to be protected and enhanced are embodied in stewardship,

‘Ethical principles and norms’ connecting our ethical aspirations with our behaviors are embodied in governance policies and practices’ and,

‘Ethical relationship commitments and qualities’ shape and give relevance to our management processes.

November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 2


Social functions -

Are in a synergistic relationship – the arrows

Are ‘nourished’ by their landscape dynamics and realities

Exist to transform landscape dynamics and realities



Ethics and our social functions… specifically -

‘Ethical aspirations’ – the world of our core values – are in the

world of stewardship, a world focused on bringing about as

an example, an ethic e.g., justice, equity, and

competitiveness, in the context of a specific ethical structure,

in our individual, institutional and societal realities.




‘Ethical principles and norms’ are found in the world of governance, a world of policies and practices, those shaping our human and social potentialities and giving them the potential for bringing about the social realities associated with our ethical aspirations, and providing relevance to our relationship commitments and qualities.




‘Ethical relationship commitments and qualities’ are in the world of management, a world of results-oriented relationship ‘processes’– where ‘ethical’ relationship commitments and qualities give life and meaning to our actions by giving them the potential of achieving our ethical aspirations.



In summary:


Ethics


Ethics - stewardship, governance and management – and, the world of authority and power

Stewardship is in the world of ‘authority’ – what inspires and

pulls us towards the creation of a world – social realities -

reflective of our ethical aspirations.




Management is in the world of the power – those ‘action

related’ relationship commitments and qualities (be

they in the world of human or financial resources)

required to bring about the objects – social realities –

associated with our ethical aspirations.




Governance is constituted of policies and practices -

ethical principles and norms - capable of creating a

relevant synergy between authority and power or,

between our ethical aspirations and our relationship

commitments and qualities.




In practice -

In an institutional context, authority and power dynamics give rise to its ‘governance’ framework – its myriad set of policies and practices - formal and informal, that:

Provide for the resolution of authority and power issues in the production of its products and services – those embodying its ethical aspirations.




In summary…

Institutional policies and practices, ethical principles and norms and, authority and power dynamics are in a synergistic relationship.

Institutional ethics (e.g., ethical principles and norms) – via their embodiment in institutional policies and practices -, provide for the growth and sophistication of the institution’s authority and power reality.



Institutional

Ethics

Chapter 5 Ethics and ‘Stewardship, Governance and Management

Ethics - stewardship, governance and management – and, the world of authority and power - Summary


Ethics - stewardship, governance and management and, the world of authority and power – Issues

Are authority and power dynamics - socio-political dynamics - conducive to - ethical principles and norms / ‘governance’ policies and practices - capable of growing via institutional realities,

Core human and social potentialities?

Institutional authority (stewardship), and power (management)?



Stewardship, governance and management and, living systems’ dynamics

Living systems – structures – exist as components of a

network of production processes - each component participates in the production or transformation of itself and other components via the dynamics of ‘structural coupling’ i.e.,

Pattern < --- > Structure < -- > Process (Chapter 4)



Stewardship, governance and management and,

living systems’ dynamics

In ‘structural coupling’…

Stewardship, and its focus on ethical aspirations, expresses matters of pattern - what is to be achieved –, giving ‘context’ to the other two social functions and, being ‘validated and enriched’ by the results of these other functions -.



Stewardship, governance and management and, living systems’ dynamics


Governance and its focus on ethical principles and norms

via the resolution of ‘authoriry and power issues

embodied in policies and practices, bring about the

object(s) – social realities - of our ethical aspirations via

‘structural’ changes in our ‘human and social’

potentialities.






Management and its focus on – process - is driven by our

relationship commitments and qualities, and provides our

ethical aspirations and, principles and norms, with ethical

learnings about the world e.g., what I did contributed (or

not) to my ethical aspirations - ‘pattern’ - and the growth

of my human and social potentialities -‘structure’ -.


Chapter 5 Ethics and ‘Stewardship, Governance and Management’ and, Living Systems’ Dynamics

In summary:


Ethics




Ethical issues…

« Moving towards more open, shared, and responsible ethical dynamics, each of the three social functions must increasingly be driven by an ‘open’ synergy of their ethical dimensions. »

For each of our social functions, this implies …



Stewardship, governance and management and, living systems’ dynamics… ethical issues

Does stewardship embody an ethical structure that:

Promotes the growth of our ‘structure’ – our human and social potentialities – via ethical aspirations – ‘pattern’ -, that bring about effective policies and practices, those that enrich our learning and doing – ‘process’ and,

Is open to change i.e., to reflect our learning and doing – ‘process’ -, and its contribution to the growth of our human and social potentialities – ‘structure’ -?



Stewardship, governance and management and, living systems’ dynamics… ethical issues

Does governance via its policies and practices:

Transform our ‘structure’ – our capabilities - towards the achievement of our ethical aspirations and related realities and, give direction and meaning to our learning and doing - ‘process’ - and,

Grow our structure – our human and social potentialities – in line with the learnings of our relationship commitments and qualities –?



Stewardship, governance and management and living systems’ dynamics… ethical issues

Does management via - process - our learning and doing:

Engage, via our emotional and cognitive energies, our human and social potentialities towards the creation of a synergy with institutional policies and practices and,

Grow our relationship commitments and qualities towards the growth of our structure via more sophisticated policies and practices and, the growth of our ethical structure and supporting realities?



Stewardship, Governance and Management –

In summary:

Ethics and ethical dynamics do not ‘stand alone’ but rather are embedded in, and are in a synergistic relationship with, our core social functions.

Ethics ‘live’ through - give life and receive life - via these core social functions.

To understand and transform ethical dynamics we must also understand and transform the nature and characteristics of these core social functions



Stewardship, Governance and Management – In summary:


StewardshipGovernanceManagemen

t

Ind. & Inst. Authority

/Power

Ind. & Inst.CognitivePotentialiti

es

LandscapeRealities

Human & Social

Potentialities

Government & Nonprofit

Present ethics-ch.5