Posted on 12/20/2006 2:57:06 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Conflicts inside and outside the workplace aren't new, but there is an effort in Madison to use forgiveness to build harmony in the business environment.
Madison's International Forgiveness Institute, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1994, was established as an outgrowth of the social science research done at UW-Madison by Robert Enright and his colleagues.
He is vice president of IFI, 1127 University Ave., and he also is a professor in the department of educational psychology at UW-Madison.
IFI is expanding its focus to promote the concept of forgiveness in the workplace.
"The forgiveness business model evolved slowly, with original ideas starting in the mid-1990s," Enright said. "We only recently have gotten sufficient numbers of inquiries to see this as one of our services. Our serious concentration on the business model developed over the past year," he said.
"Businesses are after all, all about relationships. Even though businesses may think they're dealing fairly with employees' problems, they usually miss the preventive side, and that's where forgiveness comes in."
The concept encourages people to build bridges in relationships to take the place of resentment and revenge.
"When people deliberately choose forgiveness as an option, they experience increased hope and self-esteem, and a decrease in depression and sadness."
How do employees' problems interfere with productivity?
"No matter what size of company you have, employees bring their feelings into the workplace, and that leads to problems, including productivity," he said.
Five years ago, IFI leaders wondered if they could incorporate the concept of a fair and forgiving community in schools. Enright points out that regardless of the setting - school classroom or business setting - the lessons of forgiveness are the same.
In Northern Ireland, for example, IFI started working with three classrooms. Now, five years later, 75 classrooms include forgiveness in their curriculum. "Worldwide, our schools program currently serves 155 classrooms," he said.
When IFI works with schools, churches, businesses and other organizations a preventive approach is used. "It's almost like giving everyone in a group a vaccine, to treat them all, as opposed to singling out individuals," Enright said.
"We want people to be able to sustain their knowledge so that building and maintaining relationships are positive experiences," Enright said.
"They're beginning to look more to us to help them increase levels of harmony within the company," he said. "When they choose to integrate fairness and forgiveness in their business culture, they discover it's a positive way of doing business."
I just posted a blog over on the bloggers page, please check it out, it is incredibly important. It is called "The Fall of the American Empirte"
"Empirte"
What is this word?
"Empire" with a typo, smarty pants.
You joined on December 7th. I'll get back to you if you're still around mid-May '07. ;)
"International Forgiveness Institute"
Isn't it interesting how the secular world continues to find holes in its philosophy, and act like they invented the solutions! If only they'd gone to Sunday school once or twice...
Come on - let's have a hug! There - now that typo wasn't so bad, was it?
So do they forgive before or after the lawsuit?
Feeding people would be a better use for the grant money being sucked up by this outfit.
Just my opinion.
I don't think it was-SHE started it.
Exactly. Cashin' in, no doubt. I guess the fact that their one other "clients" are a few schools in northern Ireland seals the deal? ;)
And to cheer everyone up for the holidays DATELINE has a program tonight:
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m.
On Dec. 3, 1997 four people were shot dead, execution style, at Erie Manufacturing in Polk County, Florida. As families mourned the devastating tragedy, an urgent criminal investigation ensued. Detectives were asking, was it an act of passion or revenge? Were there multiple killers, or was it just one man with motive and a strong alibi? Dennis Murphy reports.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16268782/
IOW, "Oh, another piglet at the government milk bar."
So far he's spammed about 5 or 6 threads with empirte that I've seen.
Forgiveness without change is just so much blow-wind! Can we forgive John Kerry for being a traitor? Can we forgive Hillary for being a communist? Can we forgive Boxer and Conyers for being slaves to international appeasement? The list could go on and on, but the point is, forgiveness comes with confession, admission, and a serious vow to amend their ways. Period.
I always "start it" when a Newbie spams my thread. Deal with it. :)
You hug him/her first Wally, LOL!
And also, help me to be careful of the toes I step on
today as they be connected to the ass that I may have
to kiss tomorrow.
Help me to always give 100% at work...
12% on Monday.
23% on Tuesday.
40% on Wednesday.
20% on Thursday.
5% on Friday.
And help me to remember...
When I'm having a really bad day,
and it seems that people are trying to piss me off,
that it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4...
to extend my middle finger and tell them to bite me!
Amen.
Really?
To whom?
Thank you. I always trust my first instincts. They've kept me alive so far. ;)
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