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WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT
People have long argued for a link between generous,
reciprocal behaviour and individual success within groups.
Now, for the first time, a group of thinkers, writers and
businesses are making the case for a link between
‘generous’ organisational behaviour and success.
We believe it will change the way that businesses think and
start a shift in how companies measure success. Our dream
is to build a movement that will accelerate this change.
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DARING TO GIVE
We believe that organisations succeed when they behave in a
way that is fundamentally ‘generous’
When we say generous we mean at a day-to-day level, in
every interaction, they are more likely to act from
creativity, inspiration and intelligence than from fear,
self-protection and mistrust – in other words, they “dare
to give”
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THE FORMULA
In our opinion, this way of behaving is always more likely
to lead to success, but it has particular relevance today
in the hyper-networked economy: The results are plain to
see in the success stories of the last 10 years (as well as
the failures)
But what is it that makes one company more like this, and
another company less like this?
Is there some fundamental driver or formula that we can
identify as a model for organisational success?
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EVERY DAY LIFE
We believe that success today comes down to choices and actions that happen
at every level of an organisation
A successful (i.e. generous) organisation is one where people feel
empowered to respond to the needs of the moment with creativity and flair
rather than caution and mistrust
What drives this sense of empowerment, responsibility and commitment?
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3. A CLEAR AWARENESS OF THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES
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4. A WILLINGNESS TO LET GO OF FIXED AND
SELF-PROTECTIVE WAYS OF DOING THINGS
(E.G. NEW IDEAS, OWNERSHIP, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY)
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5. AN OPENESS TO COLLABORATE OUTSIDE THE NORMAL
BOUNDARIES OF THE ORGANISATION
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WHY IT WORKS
Most organisations have encoded into their way of thinking
that they must protect their interests from others in a
variety of ways, in order to thrive:
— Their market share
— Their image and reputation
— Their growth and profitability
As a result, organisations tend to create processes and
incentives that serve to protect their interests rather
than focus on creating and giving.
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SELF PROTECTION
This self-protective mentality filters down throughout an organisation, ending
up where they least want it to be – in the minds of their customers.
— It restricts staff from employing their genius, their intuition and their
basic sense of creativity
— It creates unnecessary barriers to collaboration
— It leads to risk-averse behaviour and uninnovative propositions
— It results in customer mistrust and even hostility
— It costs dearly in terms of employee (and customer) retention
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WHAT’S THE ANTIDOTE?
It’s normal for companies, just like people, to slip into self-protective thinking.
But the most successful get around it by encoding generous behaviours and practices
into their DNA:
— Define a clear sense of purpose (focused on others)
— Practice continual awareness and understanding (internal and external)
— A willingness to let go and collaborate
Each of these involves some degree of risk, which is why the best companies are those who
DARE TO GIVE
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OUR MISSION
We’re on a mission to drive the change towards a more
generous business world. One that’s more open and better
for everyone.
And to do this we want to prove that organisations can
succeed by being more generous, more courageous and more
honest. It’s hard work, and deserves to be celebrated.
We’re looking for partners to help build this movement.
PLEASE JOIN US!
