The decline in social Civility appears in our politics MAGNIFIED. The same factors are at work, but political actors have not just lost some Civility skills, many have rejected and opposed Civility. We’ll address the role of differences and commonality, polarization, limits of classical liberalism and current conditions.
Political, Religious and Philosophical Differences
We have evolved 6-9 “political” constructs. They are natural. Different people, personalities, political groups and cultures emphasize some more than others. There is a difference between traditional and modern/postmodern cultures. Conservatives and liberals see the world differently.
Are those who see the world differently from me Evil? Wrong? Unworthy? Shunned? Ignorant? Clueless? Selfish? Childish? Possessed? Confused? Stunted? Misguided? Immoral? Greedy? Irrational? Emotional? Small-minded? Provincial? Utopian? Idealistic? Shortsighted? Prejudiced? Reactive? Limited? Deluded? Suckers? Hubristic? Elitist?
Civility is based on values, but the practice of Civility is about behavior and habits that can be learned and improved. Inspiration connects the Civility values with the Civility behaviors. Civility is a social norm subject to the laws of virtuous and vicious cycles. The widespread re-adoption of Civility as a social norm faces many challenges.
Behaviors/Habits
Civility is a set of behaviors that recognizes differences and builds mutual respect.
We now understand how humans behave. We are imperfect and amazing. We have the ability to balance the individual and the other, the individual and the community, the individual and spirit/God.
Civility is based upon the human dignity of each individual. The modern “cognitive science” approach embraces this insight. It offers tools to make our lives more effective, meaningful and satisfying. Civil individuals should invest time to master these subjects.
Cultures exist because individuals need to be combined into communities. Without cultural norms, expectations, education, rewards, penalties and taboos there wouldn’t be any culture, community or civilization. This requires society – and its leaders and influencers – to clearly define select important aspirational values AND to define what is TABOO, poison, shunned, beyond the pale, unacceptable, and rejected by all.
Civility is a set of behaviors based upon a set of values. It is adopted and grown by individuals based upon their conscious and unconscious experiences. The practice of Civility tends to promote Civility in others. Unchecked incivility tends to destroy Civility.
Civility offers direct and indirect benefits to individuals. In the end, it is both a practical and a moral choice. We live in a “secular age” where the received religious views can be challenged by well-meaning people. My belief is that our “classical liberal” democracy requires the support of a Civility subset of values. I also believe that our secular society requires this same subset of values to facilitate the interactions and transactions of modern life. I believe that almost all individuals can justify Civility values, behaviors and skill development on a practical basis alone. I hope that the 15 benefits described below will help everyone to make the right choice.
The “heart” is the source of our best thoughts, feelings and actions, including acting Civilly in daily life which builds the skills, influence and expectations to require Civility in our political world.
Civility encompasses values and behaviors, a dynamic process and personal growth. It offers a process solution to our common differences and potential conflicts. It has many component parts that change through time for each person. The core components can be learned and applied by everyone. The basics are easy. Practicing and perfecting Civility values and skills is the good work of a lifetime, worthy of our human dignity.
Civility is supported by left and right in America’s political history. Modern techniques for most effective group interactions and negotiations are neutral. The values that support Civility are neutral. Civility takes no stand on modern political issues. The latest attempt to define the “righteous” bases for politics provides no dimension opposed to civility. Civility can be used as a bipartisan base for our democracy and our day-to-day interactions.
Civility is not politeness, utopian, weak, emotional, partisan, righteous or apologetic. It can be used by the most serious, radical individuals to refine their own skills, engage with others and attempt to find common ground and understanding. It seeks to find solutions and to build relations. It seeks to undermine polarization. It does not prevent leftists or rightists from highlighting systematic injustices or threats to individual rights and liberties in our economic, political and social worlds.
The populist wing of the Republican party sounds like the far-left wing of the Democratic party. Civility is a tool of the other guys, unfair, biased, inadequate, ineffective, unreliable, soft, emotional and too slow. The Civility approach doesn’t support the simple polarizing approach of modern politics. It emphasizes facts, logic, values clarification, optimal means, compromises, discovery, short and long run trade-offs, all of the tools of the modern negotiator’s kitbag. It accepts that profound differences may remain in our political, economic and social realms.
Civility is easy to caricature and dismiss. Simplistic “straw man” versions are easy to attack. It is a moderate and moderating approach, so some might call it conservative. It values interactions, feedback, process, learning and growth, so some might label it liberal.
Civility does require personal work and interactions. We have a much better understanding of the components of Civility today. It offers a scalable solution to our many problems. It can be developed one step at a time. It can be used in all arenas of life. It can be taught to everyone. We can re-establish Civility as a social norm. Like other social norms, there is a virtuous cycle/network effect that leverages our progress. Modern social science classes provide very effective tools and classes to build our skills. Civility has personal benefits, especially a sense of personal agency. It has benefits for the institutions of modern life that can invest and promote it. Civility is a personal choice that cannot be prevented by groups that oppose it. Civility is a “no brainer”. We have the opportunity to re-establish it for the benefit of all.
Individuals who believe in Civility as a solution to what ails us as a society should take the basic steps of learning more about the Civility movement and then joining with one of the many grass-roots groups to share the content of Civility, especially the 7 values and 7 behaviors, with others. This is classic membership and communications work. There are many personal and community benefits from practicing and promoting Civility.
Help others to understand the solid content of modern Civility and remove the misunderstandings that Civility is politeness, utopian, weak, emotional, partisan, righteous and apologetic. There is much work required to refine and promote the true Civility brand.
Apply your skills and insights in a single environment or community. Civility combines thinking, feeling and doing to create improved habits. Civility applies in family, social, political, educational and business environments. Your example can be contagious.
Recognize that Civility is a social norm. Social norms are reinforced by society. We have lost some of this social norm but can rebuild it by changing the insights, skills and behavior of a relatively small number of individuals, especially influential people, like my readers. Civility is not utopian. Its supporters don’t believe that we can change human nature. But we do see the viral, social networking, virtuous cycle nature of growing Civility as a practice and expectation throughout our society. We don’t need everyone to participate or each of us to be excellent in order to win; re-establishing a self-reinforcing set of norms. We just need to reach critical mass.
Research and share the amazing power that Civility has to address 6 of our social ills: radical individualism, weak aspects of human nature, skepticism, imperfect myths, our secular age and insecurity.
Don’t despair about politics. We have experienced polarized politics about important issues throughout history. The Civility movement aims to be nonpartisan, so it hesitates to offer specific structural “solutions” to our political challenges. It seeks to improve the Civility skills and values of all citizens, respecting the human dignity of every person, becoming more intentional and constructive and holding politicians accountable. We believe that this accountability for citizens and political leaders is the most important factor in reforming our political activities. It is directly actionable
Invite political actors and parties to adopt Civility as the core of their work. Many today don’t practice Civility. They blame “the other guy”. It will take time to make this happen, but we will re-establish this basic standard for representing our communities.
We define Civility as primarily a set of behaviors, a set of habits. Habits are not easy to create. They are not easy to maintain. They are not easy to improve. Civility calls for specific habits in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management, communications, growth and problem solving! Yes, it looks like a master’s degree in counseling, family therapy, psychology or organizational development! Effective communications, relations and problem solving are critical skills for modern life. They can be learned as children, youths, young adults and mature adults. They apply in all spheres of life.
Civility is modestly complex, integrating 7 values and 7 sets of behaviors. It integrates thinking, feeling and doing. It is an applied skill with theoretical supports. It requires practice and feedback to build and improve habits. It must be practiced in social settings, which may not be supportive. It requires an investment of time, attention, vulnerability, emotions and discipline. Civility, per se, is not required to perform basic life functions, so it can be ignored to some degree today. Like other moral systems, Civility is aspirational. There is no end to the possible improvements in our skills or the application of the values. Hence, it is sometimes frustrating. We prefer to have “achievement” type goals which can be completed just once.
Civility requires a big commitment. As noted in the first two articles, it provides great personal and community benefits. The 7 Civility values are supported by the major world religions, most cultures and professions. Civility insights and behaviors are applied throughout life. Not everyone will invest deeply in Civility. Those who choose to invest will be repaid multiple times.
As noted in the “Power of Civility” article, Civility provides a required community counterbalance to individualism. As Jonathan Haidt describes it, we’re 90% selfish chimps and 10% cooperative bees. Civility requires us to balance this dual nature. It embraces public-spiritedness as a core value, requiring us to look at the social dimensions of our thoughts, relations and decisions. This balance is not easy to decide or maintain. Different political, religious, philosophical and cultural systems take different positions.
Civility encourages us to become comfortable with considering, advocating and living these choices while respecting the different choices of others. In this sense, Civility is a “classical liberal” approach to managing our individual roles within society. We start with the individual and believe that our processes, norms and institutions will protect our individual rights as we resolve differences.
We are individualists who fear the infringement of our liberties and liberties by any powerful organizations. We don’t want a secular or religious culture that strongly limits our freedoms of thought, speech, religion, assembly, protection or property. Civility provides a set of tools that protects these rights while also considering the competing claims of communities at all levels.
We note that our individualistic society allows individuals to withdraw to their own choices and provision of goods and services with limited social interactions. We think that this allows individuals to ignore their responsibilities to the community. We live in an interdependent world. The “rugged individualist” cannot survive in the modern world. Civility asks each person to consider the community dimension of their behavior, speech and politics. Civility argues that individual rights and community responsibilities can coexist for everyone – with a wide variety of beliefs.
Civility does not guarantee success. It is a tool that can help the individual and the community.
Civility’s ability to bring out the best in human nature is described in the “Power of Civility” article.
Civility accepts that we can be selfish, exaggerate our own views, diminish the views of others and rationalize actions and non-actions to our own benefit.
We have a limited attention span. We struggle to truly multi-task. We let our subconscious do much of the work. We don’t challenge or articulate our political, religious, philosophical and cultural views. We have world views. We act relatively consistently. We defend/rationalize our views as needed. In general, we don’t use our slow and rational faculties. We tend to be self-righteous about our views.
We are morally imperfect. Even with practice, experience and social pressure, we still do what we know we shouldn’t do AND don’t do what we know we should. We reject feedback and social pressure even when it is in our own interest.
We hold different political and religious views. We have different interests, talents and personalities. Living together and reaching agreement is difficult, even with the best of intentions and Civility habits.
Civility accepts our shortcomings and offers a program to do the best we can with what we’ve got.
“The Power of Civility” article outlines how Civility can help us to improve security in a world that feels more insecure each day.
Humans crave security at the base level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Security is based upon perceived threats and risks. In a complex, urban, technological, global, secular, meritocratic world we’re insecure more often. We react by trying to build security. We seek certainty through our beliefs and groups. We avoid risks. We avoid “others”. We prejudge. We feel like victims. We buy security.
Civility requires a degree of openness, trust and interaction that is difficult when we feel insecure.
Individuals are encouraged to practice and build Civility skills in safe environments before flexing them in more difficult places.
Experience applying Civility skills can help us to better understand the size, likelihood and impact of risks and to understand our power to manage those situations effectively. An experienced negotiator, communicator, leader, volunteer, seller, and consumer is well-positioned to thrive and minimize significant threats.
Civility is required because we live in society and we no longer live in a world where the religious, social, economic and political are merged into Christendom or even in a world where Christian moral values, imperfectly applied, prevail as social norms. We live in a “classical liberal” political system based upon individual rights and freedoms. It was created 250 years ago when a common Christian moral system prevailed. It is based upon the assumption that individuals have a core set of moral values in common.
Civility is based upon the core values of human dignity, respect, acceptance, responsibility, constructiveness, intentionality and public-spiritedness. These values are adequate to support all of the desired Civility behaviors. Some proponents of the “classical liberal” political system argue that it must not incorporate a subset of moral values because there is no way to evaluate these values without starting with a full-blown moral system. These groups have argued with the modern communitarians and been unable to find common ground. We advocate the 7 Civility values on a pragmatic basis. They are required to drive the Civility behaviors. We need the Civility behaviors to live together.
I don’t think many citizens will reject these values because they are somehow inconsistent with the theory of our political system.
The grass-roots efforts to restore Civility have accelerated in the last 2 decades. Politicians and journalists have leveraged modern media and social media to appeal to the lower angels of human nature in order to monetize attention. In a world without a dominant religion, political philosophy or culture, we have a clear need for help in addressing our major social and political system challenges.
Civility does require personal work and interactions. We have a much better understanding of the components of Civility today. It offers a scalable solution to our many problems. It can be developed one step at a time. It can be used in all arenas of life. It can be taught to everyone. We can re-establish Civility as a social norm. Like other social norms, there is a virtuous cycle/network effect that leverages our progress. Modern social science classes provide very effective tools and classes to build our skills. Civility has personal benefits, especially a sense of personal agency. It has benefits for the institutions of modern life that can invest and promote it. Civility is a personal choice that cannot be prevented by groups that oppose it. Civility is a “no brainer”. We have the opportunity to re-establish it for the benefit of all.
Google AI Summary of Republican Party Opposition to Civility
Based on the provided search results, opposition from some members or factions of the Republican Party toward certain “civility movements” often stems from the view that such movements are used to silence legitimate political opposition, stifle aggressive accountability, or protect a “woke agenda”.
The arguments and perspectives from the search results suggest several reasons for this opposition:
View of Civility as Political Suppression: Some conservatives argue that calls for “civility” are a tool used by the left to de-legitimize passionate, tough, and direct opposition to their policies.
“Us-Versus-Them” Mentality: There is a belief among some, reflected in remarks by leaders like Mike Pence, that political rivals are not just wrong, but actively advancing an immoral or dangerous agenda, making compromise or polite discourse feel counterproductive to them.
Belief in Confrontational Politics: Many, particularly in the populist wing of the party, believe in aggressive, combative tactics that grab attention and stir up the base, rather than polite, quiet debate.
Perception of Double Standards: Some conservatives feel that the mainstream media and cultural institutions enforce a double standard, demanding civility from the right while overlooking harsh rhetoric or actions from the left.
Focus on Radical Change: Some Republicans view the current political climate as existential, where they are fighting to protect traditional values against rapid, fundamental societal changes, making “polite disagreement” feel inadequate.
Distrust of Elite Narratives: There is a strong feeling that the “civility movement” is promoted by the same “educated elite” that they believe has rigged the system, and that this movement is a way to stop conservatives from challenging that system.
These factors suggest that opposition to the “civility movement” is often not an opposition to polite behavior itself, but a rejection of what they perceive as a strategic tool to weaken their political power and silence their opposition.
Civility promotes communications as the only means to recognize existing or potential common ground. Civility does not prefer moderate political positions or the “conventional wisdom” of a time or political party. Civility does not oppose radically different positions on political issues, only the expression of positions which demonize the opposite position or its supporters. Robust debate is an essential part of what was once quaintly called “civil discourse”. Republicans are mistakenly merging Civility with the alleged restriction of “free speech” by some universities, organizations and media outlets. Civility requires partisans to clearly express their values, interests and policies in order to identify potential shared interests and evaluate differences.
Civility is based upon the values of human dignity, respect and constructiveness. Participants are encouraged to set aside political differences and respect their common interests and humanity. The effective techniques of Civility separate the person from the policy. The Civility movement accepts and embraces differences as natural and unavoidable. https://tomkapostasy.com/2025/03/02/our-political-differences-are-not-going-away-and-thats-ok/
The Civility approach emphasizes rational conversation, interaction, evaluation and compromise. It does not discourage passionate expression of interests. It recognizes people as thinking, feeling and doing creatures. It argues that lasting resolution of policy disagreements requires better understanding and full participation of all interested parties. Short-term tactical victories are unlikely to be sustained without some “meeting of the minds”. This warning is especially relevant at the state and local level of politics and in daily life.
Civility is based upon the traditional values of human dignity, respect, acceptance, responsibility, constructiveness, intentionality and public-spiritedness. It is firmly grounded in the traditions of Western civilization and liberal democracy. Civility is not biased towards a far-left, postmodernist, secular society free of social norms and community. It recognizes the tension between the individual and the community, traditional and modern (WEIRD) and postmodern values but remains agnostic regarding the best solution other than the preservation of a communications and problem-solving framework. https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/7heEBq7oZnMvbSbJa/weird-morality#:~:text=purview%20of%20morality.-,Moral%20Foundations%20Theory,sanctity/degradation
The populist wing of the Republican party sounds like the far-left wing of the Democratic party. Civility is a tool of the other guys, unfair, biased, inadequate, ineffective, unreliable, soft, emotional and too slow. The Civility approach doesn’t support the simple polarizing approach of modern politics. It emphasizes facts, logic, values clarification, optimal means, compromises, discovery, short and long run trade-offs, all of the tools of the modern negotiator’s kitbag. It accepts that profound differences may remain in our political, economic and social realms. It is fundamentally a “glass half-full” approach. Civility argues that its approach is much more effective in the long run in finding reasonable solutions, minimizing deep pain for those who disagree and maintaining relationships that promote future solutions.
Opposition to the “civility movement”—often defined as calls for politeness, bipartisanship, and adherence to traditional political norms—comes from a diverse range of political activists, scholars, and grassroots organizers. These groups often argue that demands for civility are used to silence marginalized voices, protect the status quo, or impede necessary, radical social change.
Groups and movements that have historically or currently opposed the politics of civility include:
Progressive and Racial Justice Activists: Activists often argue that “civility” is weaponized as a tool to control the tone of marginalized groups demanding equality. Critics argue that calls for polite discourse prioritize the comfort of the privileged over the urgency of justice for Black people and other people of color.
Radical Social Change Movements: Movements seeking fundamental overhauls of the social order—such as abolitionists (historically) and modern anti-racism advocates—often argue that civility is a barrier to progress.
Direct Action Groups (e.g., ACT-UP): Groups that engage in disruptive, non-violent direct action (like blocking traffic or occupying spaces) reject the idea that protest must be polite to be effective. They argue that confrontational tactics are necessary when facing systemic violence or oppression.
Anti-Colonial and Anti-Racist Theoreticians: Scholars like Alex Zamalin argue that there is a “hidden racism” in the obsession with civility, which has historically been used to suppress dissent.
Leftist Political Activists: Some on the far-left view calls for “bipartisanship” as a capitulation to extreme right-wing positions, arguing that when one side is engaged in extreme, discriminatory behavior, civil engagement is not appropriate.
Grassroots Organizers: Many grassroots movements prioritize immediate, material results (such as policy change or equality) over the “etiquette” of political engagement, arguing that systemic issues require challenging, rather than upholding, existing norms.
As the Braver Angels article outlines, Civility is not a noncommittal moderate neutrality. It does not prefer the “status quo”. It is not predisposed to centrist or moderate solutions. It does not promote being soft of weak. Many of the critics are simply creating a “strawman” of the term “Civility” in order to destroy it.
Critics call Civility a tool of the powerful. It can be a tool of the powerful. It can be a tool for anyone that uses its powerful values and proven techniques for better communications and problem solving.
These critics argue that Civility is biased to the right. I address this in a separate post.
4. Critics say that Civility is used as a distraction or diversion from important issues. It can be used that way, but it is designed to engage people and groups with different experiences, values and interests to engage in order to pursue their ends without demonizing each other. By establishing common interests, agreeing upon terms of engagement and committing to working with “others”, Civility provides a means to address even the most difficult issues. It does not guarantee a solution. It accepts that “no deal” or “walk away” are valid results.
5. Critics say that Civility leads to a “false equivalency” between different groups, people or views. It is claimed to implicitly support comments like Trump’s comments on immigrants “and some, I assume, are good people” and some white-nationalist protesters are “very good people”. Civility is based upon the properly defined values of human dignity, respect and constructiveness. Some people might incorrectly interpret these values as supporting complete tolerance for all positions and actions.
6. Critics argue that successful political movements have been active, disruptive, powerful and direct; not civil. The historical record is mixed. Civility is firmly situated within the last 250 years of Western civilization and liberal democracy. It believes that structures, processes, information and education are powerful tools to combine the interests of individuals while also protecting their rights and freedoms.
7. Critics claim that Civility inherently benefits the radical-right, fascist-right by delaying action through unlimited debate. Civility has no inherent bias towards fast or slow engagement and problem resolution. It focuses on the behaviors of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management, communications, growth and problem solving. Starting with the values of responsibility, intentionality and constructiveness it is inherently proactive rather than reactive.
8. Critics say that some people, groups and positions are “so offensive” that they are not entitled to a place at the table. They argue that the Civility movement validates these extremists. Proponents of Civility as a set of tools, habits and values to support constructive social, economic and political engagement do lean towards more tolerance, but the Civility values and behaviors take no stance on this controversial topic. Civility is not a replacement for religion, political or philosophical views. It is a reasoned approach to defining a process that can/should be broadly adopted by our individualistic society in order for it to function effectively. In order to be a neutral process, it does not address these larger questions.
The modern Civility movement was started in the 1990’s as polarized politics and lack of trust in people and institutions grew in the US. The Civility values and behaviors have been refined to clarify what Civility is and is not. Civility is not politeness, utopian, weak, emotional, partisan, righteous or apologetic. It can be used by the most serious, radical individuals to refine their own skills, engage with others and attempt to find common ground and understanding. It seeks to find solutions and to build relations. It seeks to undermine polarization. It does not prevent leftists or rightists from highlighting systematic injustices or threats to individual rights and liberties in our economic, political and social worlds. It seeks to radically improve the effectiveness of our politics and communications to make the world a better place, to make individuals more powerful and to hold each other accountable.
Civility is a set of behaviors based upon the seven commonly held values of: human dignity, respect, acceptance, intentionality, responsibility, constructiveness and public-spiritedness. A social, political and economic society must have some core beliefs, norms and behaviors. The modern renaissance of Civility attempts to define the beliefs, norms and behaviors so they can be shared and promoted. We need to be confident that we know what Civility is, how we should behave, how/why we should influence others and why the underlying principles make sense.
Intentionality Defined
Having a deliberate plan or purpose before acting. An internal state of mind where an individual consciously chooses a course of action to achieve a specific outcome.
Intentionality weaves together two mental dimensions. It is purposeful, planned, logical, forward looking, rational, process-oriented, habitual, structured, informed, calculated, contextual, goal-oriented, practical, scope limited, applied and instrumental!
It is also deliberate, chosen, willful, volitional, proactive, conscious, engaged and intended.
Intentionality is a complement to responsibility, which refers to accountability for actions and consequences.
Taken together, they encourage us to be fully responsible for our choices, actions, consequences and relations. We are to consider all dimensions and make great choices. We are obligated to clearly define goals and seriously pursue them. We have human agency and a responsibility to be self-aware of our choices. We are obligated to work towards becoming mature, balanced, prudent, wise adults.
Intentionality is crucial to Civility because it:
Promotes proactivity over passivity.
Supports conscious, deliberate and purposeful commitment to treating others with respect, courtesy, and dignity.
Encourages self-awareness in decision making, including considering the impacts on others.
Challenges us to define our goals on a deep philosophical, spiritual or religious basis and seriously aligning our decisions and behavior with them.
Focuses on goal-oriented thinking which includes the goals of building relationships, trust and safe communities.
Emphasizes our shared responsibility for defining, supporting and reinforcing the rules of civil behavior that are mutually beneficial.
Recognizes that we are responsible for systematically evaluating, building and improving our behaviors and expectations and the norms and institutions of our communities.
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Hinduism
Taoism
Shintoism
Confucianism
Secular Humanism
Summary
The major religions offer support for being rational, considering context and consequences, being calm, balanced, focused and purposeful, but they mainly emphasize the spiritual, emotional and willful dimensions of intentionality. They encourage us to:
Begin with the end in mind (Covey). Know, follow, engage and align with God’s will or the structure of the universe. Use the power of this knowledge and connection (holy spirit) to make the best choices.
Make decisions based upon values and principles, not self-interest or practical concerns alone.
Be aware, conscious, fully present in life and making decisions. You are an agent.
Be proactive.
Be self-aware and self-disciplined.
Invest in spiritual growth to understand and connect with God/universe which will improve decision making in a self-improving cycle.
Cultivate the heart and compassion as a basis for choices.
Sincerity and proper personal intentions are critical for making choices that deliver good results and which align the person with God/universe.
An intentional person is serious about defining/prioritizing goals, making good decisions and improving themselves.
I sometimes think about “intentionality” as the weakest or marginal Civility value. Major religions consider it to be essential for a good life.
The Chevy Chevette was the best product of the largest and most successful corporation in 1976. [WOWSER] It was marginally better than the Corvair or the Vega. Major US corporations had taken advantage of the post-WWII opportunity to produce for the world and perfected minor changes each year to further stimulate consumer demand. Functional roles in corporations were largely unchanged since the 1920’s. Japanese competition in the auto and consumer electronics industries in the 1970’s caused American corporations to eventually reinvent themselves and move into a world of perpetual change management.
It’s difficult to describe the size and impact of these changes. They were like a compounded series of paradigm shifts. I worked with many organizations from 1975-1989: Koppers, Avery Label, Sherwin-Williams, multiple S&L’s, United Telephone, AmeriTrust, E&Y, Tandy Radio Shack, EDS, IBM, Microsoft, GM, NASA, Zenith, Allison Transmission, City of Cleveland, McCormick Convention Center, Amway, US Navy, US Health & Human Services, Lorain Community College, Baldwin-Wallace University and the University of South Florida.
I completed a finance MBA at Case Western Reserve University in 1984. I joined Ernst & Young as a junior management consultant and learned from Dr. E. Leonard Arnoff, one of the founders of the discipline of operations research.
FEW of the most important concepts and skills of my 35-year professional career existed or were rarely applied in 1984. The smartest academic and business leaders were aware of some of the changes that would shape the next 50 years, but the typical 1984 manager was still working from a 1930’s view of business.
I’ll group the more than 100 HUGE advances into 6 categories.
Strategy
Strategy really matters. A strategy function is needed.
Competitive advantage is critical (Michael Porter).
Companies cannot be all things to all people.
Strategy is a process to focus and facilitate thinking, not a mainly a means of control.
Market leaders have a better chance of winning. Better to be a leader in a small market segment than a follower in a large one. Long-tail opportunities.
In many markets, leading market share (1, 2 or 3) is essential.
Product differentiation is required to avoid commodity pricing.
Universal customer needs of quality, speed, flexibility, value (price and function), information/transaction costs and personal relations/risk management can all be used for product differentiation. A customer centric strategic view is necessary.
SWOT analysis is essential. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Mission, vision and values must be articulated. Begin with the end in mind.
Firms must choose between equity alone and multiple stakeholder priorities.
Modelling and simulation tools can be used to identify, understand and prioritize the critical dimensions of every firm.
International and startup competition must always be considered.
Professional functions within each firm are increasingly essential.
A 3-way strategic choice must be considered: low cost, product differentiation or customer intimacy.
Successful firms clearly articulate abstract ends and flex the means of attainment (Collins).
The customer and retail interface may have more power than the manufacturer/service provider.
Smaller firms are available to be purchased in a roll-up strategy.
In the end, dynamic, sustainable [moats] strategies have the greatest value.
China matters.
As firms become more strategically driven, the fixed costs of SG&A rose, requiring firms to prioritize growth and market share.
Intangible assets may be more important than tangible assets.
Marketing
Market size is essential. Market share is next.
Marketing research of customer preferences matters.
Branding is vital.
Focus groups can provide separate insights and validate numbers.
The marketing function exists to create value, not just sell things.
Targeted marketing is essential. Products must match differentiated markets.
Some customers value quality and reliability.
Some customers value timely delivery.
Digital marketing channels supplement analog channels.
In the digital world, search engine optimization [SEO] matters.
E-commerce is a competitor to analog delivery.
Internet promotion is a competitor of traditional media.
Individuals’ identity and social interests can be targeted.
Some customers are better targeted by 2-way communications or influencers.
Politicians, regulators and courts increasingly matter, and firms must invest accordingly.
Tariffs matter. Firms must invest to manage them.
Finance
Access to debt, equity and start-up financing is much easier.
Access to global investors is possible.
More efficient markets through mutual funds, ETF’s, derivatives, and efficient trading markets matter.
Portfolio management applies to investments, projects, product lines, channels and new product development.
Marginal costs/benefits apply to every activity and project.
Cash and management accounting perspectives are best used for making decisions, separated from accrual and financial accounting measures.
Price discrimination is a major opportunity in every market.
The formal discounted cash flow analyses apply to many situations.
Activity based costing helps to identify necessary costs at 4 levels.
Corporate and product level costs are subject to cost reduction just like plant/facility and production costs.
The balanced scoreboard system ensures that all levels of economic activity are planned, measured and managed.
Human Resources
Human resources are productive assets; they are not simply “personnel”. They should be managed accordingly.
Required staff skills must be defined, measured and enhanced.
Clerical support skills must be cost-justified.
Analytical skills can be captured in separate positions.
The general concept of meritocracy matters. Exceptions must be justified.
COO’s and CFO’s are not alone. IT, marketing, risk, merchandise and people managers are equally important.
Legal compliance matters.
The role of “managers” is essential. Managing people, tasks and processes. Developing talents.
Highly skilled MBA’s have important roles to play.
Organizational development is a value added function.
Matrix (cross-functional) management is just as important as functional management.
Project teams play a critical role.
Firms cannot cost-justify employing thought leaders in every function. Management consultants can fill in.
Employees can be outsourced.
HR information systems (HRIS) are essential.
Centralized professional services functions are typically more cost effective.
Corporate culture is a strategic asset.
Clearly defining role requirements, recruiting, hiring and performance evaluation greatly improve performance.
Human beings have personalities, habits, talents and motivations that can be leveraged and improved.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a worthy investment today.
Workplace flexibility is highly valued by employees.
Information Technology
Basic financial and operations systems can be automated.
Detailed transactional processes can be automated, controlled and improved.
Processes can be documented, standardized and enforced.
Relational database logic can greatly reduce work and errors.
Detailed functional IT subsystems can be developed to improve operations and feed the financial systems. Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), as one example.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can be used to leverage the universal core processes of firms while customizing the details and integrating functional subsystems.
Critical data can be stored in data warehouses for analysis. Big Data comes later.
Reduced IT costs improve access to various tools and systems.
Staff can effectively use personal productivity tools: word processing, spreadsheets, graphs, graphics, email, databases, queries, report writing.
Personal computers allow local use.
The ongoing reduction of computer costs makes them more effective for more employees.
The internet provides access to information, teams, suppliers, customers, markets and others.
Internet search tools provide smart access to information.
Crowdsourced applications provide zero cost tools.
Social media apps provide the opportunity to connect with others effectively.
Smartphones further reduce the cost and limits of accessing all data, functionality and people.
Artificial intelligence provides tools to greatly leverage personal skills.
Operations
Forecasting and statistical techniques refined and easily applied using personal computers.
Professional logistics profession developed, applying the best options for all types of cargo.
Manufacturing outsourced routinely to lowest total costs sources worldwide.
Distribution, logistics, IT, HR, R&D, product development and all functions outsourced (sometimes globally) to leverage specialized skills and focus internal operations.
Operations research tools routinely applied for optimization problems, especially critical paths.
All fixed-cost capacities set at lower percentages, with secondary capacity options, in order to optimize profits, especially in low and high demand situations.
All processes defined, standardized, refined and optimized in order to apply IT and process engineering.
Multiple feedback loops routinely used to improve processes through time.
Lower communications and transportation costs further increased outsourcing activities.
The value of time to customers was identified and turned into a competitive advantage, from 6-weeks mail order to same day to same hour delivery.
Just-in-time production philosophies implemented, and inventories slashed towards zero intentionally to force improvements.
Production processes re-engineered according to process and final goal needs, displacing functional and “like kind” groupings.
Continuous improvement, kaizen quick fixes and full process re-engineering take advantage of global best practices.
Project management discipline created and refined. Agile project management used. Project management offices created to manage portfolios of projects, project managers and subject matter experts from inside, suppliers, customers and consultants.
New product development managed as a portfolio of projects, each within a standard process framework. Firms adopt the “layer cake” view of value as the sum of annuity returns from a series of new products.
Basic insights of modern Total Quality Management or Lean Six Sigma adopted, focused on activity and process variability with unexpectedly large results. Relentless elimination of waste.
The Quality paradigm shift places the process view on par with the finance view.
The variability of actions within a sequence of events [Goldratt] is seen as the critical driver of final results. Processes, measurements, goals, investments, staffing, operations planning and outsourcing are adjusted for dynamic effectiveness.
Summary
Modern firms have cumulatively adopted and leveraged these interrelated capabilities to become strategically driven, self-aware, well-managed and improving through time. The marginal finance/portfolio view together with the process view allow firms to identify, deliver and monetize customer needs while outsourcing functions that are not deemed strategically essential. Firms generally invest more resources in planning, optimization, new product development and risk management today.
The application of these principles has varied by industry. Government, not-for-profit and health care have great improvement opportunities remaining.
Firms may invest in Joseph Schumpeter’s “creative destruction” or they may optimize within existing market structures if they see higher returns from internal process improvements, incremental product development, supplier squeezing, price discrimination, targeted marketing or regulatory capture. In other words, the capabilities for ongoing world-changing improvements exist but may not be applied for the greater good.
Immigration has become a strong winning issue for right-wing parties around the world and an organizing issue for extreme right-wing parties. Why? What should centrist and left-wing parties do?
Accelerants
There are more immigrants. Economic, religious, social and political immigrants. More international conflicts, civil wars and gang violence. Continued huge gaps in living standards between countries. Global communications and transportation networks that make migration possible. The demand for in-migration to developed countries is very high.
In a world of rapid change, slowing growth and religious doubt, citizens of advanced nations are insecure.
Politicians have learned that a simplistic polarization of left versus right is much easier to manage than “solving problems” and have increasingly framed all politics as “us versus them”.
In a world of skepticism and loss of certainty caused by the undermining of religion, progress, science, socialism, fascism, or nationalism as a definite answer we increasingly turn to “identity” as our rock. Blame Rene Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” insight or Martin Luther’s religious individualism or libertarian economic individualism or countercultural social individualism or the “therapeutic society” triggered by Sigmund Freud.
We all need a basis for our cognitive consistency. Today, our personal identity is raised as a mini-God of great importance. We merge political, cultural and personal identities. We look to national, cultural, racial, class, professional, fraternal, social, alumni or corporate identities for meaning. Identity is MUCH more important today. It is subject to political and media influence and manipulation.
Moral Foundations Framework
Jonathan Haidt and his colleagues sought to define the core, inherent, inherited moral, political and religious frameworks that we all have. They contrasted traditional and modern moral beliefs. They noted that “modern” beliefs are extraordinary and WEIRD: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. They combined social science testing, statistics and evolutionary psychology to determine 5-8 widely held moral beliefs that “make sense” based on their interpretation of human and cultural evolution. They noted that liberals emphasize just the two values of care and fairness, while conservatives add the values of loyalty, authority, purity/sanctity, proportionality, ownership and liberty.
I’m insecure, framing politics in simple left versus right, “us versus them” terms and insecure in my identity. I’m sensitive to all of the moral flavors, including loyalty, authority and purity. Immigration is increasing. Illegal immigration is uncontrolled.
What do I see?
Economic threats to jobs, assets and privilege.
Unfair claims on public welfare programs.
Risk of increased crime, disease, drugs and social dysfunction.
Further dilution of and threats against traditional culture by unfamiliar “others”. Different birthplace, nationality, race, religion, class, language and expectations.
Opposition to the “rule of law”, unfairly proposing amnesty for illegal immigrants.
A feeling of personal and social violation or invasion by “others”. A loss of control.
A threat to the symbolic nation and national security.
Reasonable people take this perspective. They look at “liberals” who emphasize “immigrant rights” above this reality as insane.
Academic research generally supports the “Moral Foundations Theory” view.
Acknowledge those who feel this threat. Don’t dismiss, discount, demonize or rationalize them or the politicians that support them. Recognize their legitimate concerns.
Focus on the issue of illegal immigration. Solve it. Invest in border controls.
Implement a national ID system that prevents illegal employment.
Enhance the agricultural guest worker program.
Focus on the issue of unlimited asylum seekers. Solve it. Revise standards to be reasonable. Resolve cases within a year. Set a limit. Find ways to “share the love” with other countries.
Support a “points system” that prioritizes “value added” immigrants.
Propose a way like Reagan’s “path to citizenship” for existing illegal immigrants.
Support expulsion of all convicted felony criminals.
Ignore the extremist rhetoric about illegal immigrants.
Highlight Trump’s unwillingness to even discuss a bipartisan solution.
Highlight the much greater importance of national economic success, affordable prices, the rule of law, sustainable democracy and American global interests.
Highlight a political platform of personal and economic opportunity rather than individual “rights”.
Promote immigrant success stories at the working, middle, professional and upper-class levels. Leverage visible sports, arts, media and political figures.
Highlight diverse successful assimilation communities across the United States.
Fine-tune welfare programs to clearly exclude illegal immigrants.
Summary
Leftists often believe that their views are obvious, logical and historically “true”. Caring and Fairness are clearly the ultimate values in modern times. The other values are seen as remnants of the unenlightened past. I believe that the moral values of loyalty, authority and purity are also valid. Principled conservatism is a valid perspective.
It is easy to take an enlightened, universal, abstract, economically disinterested view when someone has the assets and talents valued by our society (standing “privilege” on its head). When an individual is unsure of his prospects (standing John Rawls on his head) in the real world, he is rooted in the familiar world of family, caste, class, neighborhood, culture, social groups and self-interest. Insecurity and threats matter. Politicians in a democratic system should listen and respond.
Immigration is a real threat to a majority of our citizens. We should manage it accordingly.
Only by managing the threat can we invest in the proper care for immigrants as a society.
I addressed this topic 4 years ago. I was less willing to fully accept the right-wing perspective.
Civility is a set of behaviors that recognizes differences and builds mutual respect.
Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship management
Communications
Growth
Problem-solving
Self-Awareness
Emotional Awareness – Identifying and understanding our emotions and their impact on our thoughts, behaviors, and others. Accurate Self-assessment – Clearly understanding personal strengths and limitations without self-criticism or inflated self-perception. Self-confidence – Firmly believing in one’s abilities, talents, and judgement. Self-respect – Properly regarding and caring for the dignity of one’s person and character. Authenticity – Acting in accordance with one’s true self, values and beliefs.
Self-Management
Emotional Self-control – Managing and regulating one’s emotional responses, preventing impulsive reactions. Adaptability – Flexibly and efficiently learning and applying that knowledge across situations. Achievement Motivation – Orientation towards success, mastery, and sense of purpose. Initiative – Recognizing needs, taking action, and pursuing outcomes without waiting for direction. Optimism – A mental attitude characterized by a positive outlook and expectations of favorable outcomes. Apologizing – Acknowledging errors and guilt, expressing regret, repenting, asking for forgiveness. Trustworthiness – Demonstrating credibility, reliability and intimacy buffered from self-interest. Resilience – Bouncing back from adversity with flexibility & strength, maintaining wellbeing despite challenges.
Social Awareness
Empathy – Understanding what other people feel, seeing their point of view, and imagining yourself in their place.
Organizational Awareness – Interpreting a group’s emotional state, relationship dynamics and power structures.
Service Orientation – Willingly anticipating, recognizing, and meeting others’ needs, before they are articulated.
Perspective Taking – Considering others’ thoughts, feelings, intentions, and motivations in a particular situation.
Cultural Awareness – Recognizing the different beliefs, values, and customs of someone based on their origins.
Relationship Management
Influence – Capacity to affect the character, development, or behavior of another person, group, or organization.
Conflict Management – Process by which disputes are resolved, negative results are minimized and positive results are prioritized.
Teamwork and Collaboration – Combined effort of a group of people working together towards a common goal or objective.
Inspirational Leadership – Inspiring and guiding people to get the job done, to bring out their best.
Change Management – Providing approaches, tools, and techniques to achieve a desired future state.
Collaboration Tools – Offering any technology or tool that can be used to help people to better work together.
Meeting Management – Organizing and facilitating meetings to ensure productivity and alignment.
Project Management – Planning, organizing, and executing tasks to create a tangible product, service, or deliverable.
Communications
Commonality – Finding and emphasizing common interests, perspectives and experiences.
Be Patient – Encouraging others to speak, not interrupting them.
Overall Awareness – Paying attention to non-verbal cues, overall message of speakers.
Recognize/Validate Others – Listening, remembering and using names, acknowledging others’ views and emotions.
Mirror Communications – Confirming listening by restating what you heard in your own words.
Speak Kindly – Using words that are neutral or supportive, not attacking others.
Understand – Asking questions, clarifying, seeking first to understand, not to reply.
Manage Praise – Giving and receiving praise for communications, actions, intentions and results, when appropriate.
Defend Properly – Defining boundaries, expressing views in “I” statements, not overreaching.
Solve the Problem – Focusing on issues, not people.
Electronic Communications – Effective email and social media communications.
Growth
Experiential Learning – Benefiting from the experience and natural results of participating in civil processes. Continuous Improvement – Maintaining newly developed skills and skill levels with support from civil colleagues. Embracing Feedback – Encouraging honest feedback provides opportunities for personal growth. New Perspectives – Gaining new approaches, viewpoints and paradigms from interacting with others. Higher Expectations – Improving goals and behaviors in response to the expectations/norms of others. Confidence – Using civil processes to address and resolve difficult situations builds personal and process confidence. Broadly Applying Skills – Trying, testing and using civility skills in all domains of life. Modelling Behaviors – Practicing civility skills helps to teach, influence and inspire others. Developing Others – Recognizing and nurturing potential in others through encouragement and honest feedback.
Problem-Solving
Analytical Tools – Critical thinking, decision making, game theory, finance, economics and operations management.
Creative Thinking – Thinking about a task or a problem in a new or different way, or generate new ideas.
Strategic Thinking – Intentionally and logically making organization level decisions with long-term impacts.
Organizational Design – Improving an organization’s effectiveness and performance.
Organizational Development – Structuring an organization to align with its strategic goals and objectives.
Systems Thinking – Cognitive skill and a way of understanding reality that emphasizes the whole rather than the sum of its parts.
Process Engineering – Approach to designing, analyzing, and optimizing steps to produce a consistent, repeatable outcome.
Public Administration – Coordination of government activities to ensure the effective delivery of services and the application of laws.
Summary
We have lost our commitment to civility in our interactions with each other in the last 50 years. On the other hand, we understand exactly how and why we should act civilly. We can learn about acting civilly within all of our institutions, setting aside our political differences. The behavioral sciences have clearly described the practice of civility. We now have the ability to learn and sharpen our civility skills. We must implement this training for our children and our fellow citizens.
Former Indiana governor and Purdue University president Mitch Daniels provides us with a model of civility in his public life, as we have seen from many American political leaders.
Good News 