A new spirit for fostering organizational success : Achieving a balance between business results and relationships

Purpose – Outlines and reports on a radical new approach to developing both an organization and its people to enable those people to be themselves in body, mind and spirit while at work and so feel fulfilled – and, in the process, enable the organization to be more successful. Design/methodology/approach – Outlines the philosophy of Ecumenical Partnership Initiatives Compassion in Change (EPICC), a part of Workplace Matters; summarizes key industry trends identified in relevant research, and sets out EPICC's question‐based approach to achieving its clients' goals. Findings – Reports research findings that only 20 percent of employees in large organizations feel their strengths are used every day and eight out of ten employees feel miscast in their job. Outlines a new way of business thinking with regard to human resources and development. Reports that, when dealing with business issues within the social paradigm, it is important to be open to things of the spirit. Practical implications – Describes how people can “take their whole selves to work” and how organizations can reap the full benefits of encouraging this policy. Social implications – Contends that financial results will be better, customers will be delighted and staff will thrive where the business can find the right balance between two management paradigms: the dominant economic – finance based, short term, zero‐sum, process, rational, controlling – and the emerging social paradigm based around relationships, ethics and inspiration. Originality/value – Contains important insights into how this balance can be achieved.