About us

Our point of departure is a clear acknowledgement of the tremendous progress that variations of market economies have brought about in many societies. The wealth and prosperity enjoyed in the rich parts of the world today are unprecedented and give us reason to embrace those factors that have led to the emancipation from existential hardship and a substantial increase in personal and collective freedoms in those societies.

Simultaneously, however, the success story of market economies has produced negative side effects that have become to grave to be ignored by simply claiming that the pro’s outweigh the con’s. Consequently the Humanistic Management Network advocates a paradigm shift away from economistic views on market activities towards a humanistic approach. To move from criticism of the status quo towards a fruitful discourse on alternatives we have developed a three stepped approach offering guidance and an anchor for reflection on managerial decisions as well as decision making processes. We understand Humanistic Management on the basis of three interrelated dimensions.

These are:

• Firstly, that the dignity of life deserves unconditional respect.
• Secondly, that ethical considerations must form an integrated part of business decisions and
• Thirdly that actively embracing corporate responsibilities is contingent upon initiating and maintaining an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders.

In summary, humanistic management is the pursuit of strategies and practices aimed at the creation of sustainable human welfare. In combination, these three dimensions promote sustainable economic activities that are life-conducive and add value to society at large. Submitting business decisions to these three guiding principles is what we call Humanistic Management.