Thirty-four years ago, the World Business Academy was founded on the same mission that drives it today. In 1994, over a quarter of a century ago, the nonprofit had its mission beautifully scripted in what now hangs upon entry to our office in Santa Barbara in 2020.
World Business Academy Founding President and CEO, Rinaldo Brutoco, dug up the mission artwork in his archives much to the fascination of a staff that has not been around quite as long. With the changing times in the world, and especially with the focus of the Davos World Economic Forum meeting, we would like to reignite the mission by which we abide every single day.
The mission, as eloquently pronounced upon founding of the Academy, is as follows:
Premises
Whereas, the world is faced with extraordinary challenges, and it undergoing a fundamental restructuring of all its institutions.
Whereas, human creativity has the potential to bring about a satisfactory resolution of the dilemmas that face the world.
Whereas, business is the engine of most modern societies and will play a dominant role in shaping the future.
Whereas, business can play a new, creative role in the planet, in which it accepts a leadership role in creating a positive, sustainable future.
Whereas, business has special attributes that enable it to play this new, creative role, namely:
- The success of business organizations depends on both a creative search for opportunities and the effective use of resources for the benefit of all stakeholders.
- The challenges and rewards of business have attracted many of the most competent and innovative people.
- Business enterprises are among the most flexible and adaptable organizational forms and are potentially one of the most effective tools for change.
- Business executives already comprise an informal worldwide economic network.
Mission
Therefore: As a support network and community of business practitioners founded on the foregoing premises, the Academy holds its mission to be twofold:
- To engage in the continuing exploration and clarification of the fundamental paradigm shifts that are underway globally, thereby enabling members to integrate this evolving knowledge and consciousness into their lives and business practices.
- To disseminate this knowledge and understanding to others in business, and the community at large, so that we can all contribute, though business, to the creation of a sustainable and positive future.
In order to effectively fulfill its two part mission, the Academy will develop a growing number of programs such as publications, chapter development, regional, national, and international conferences and retreats, introductory seminars, and special emphasis areas such as the Task Forces on Community and Sustainable Economic Development.
Throughout all of its activities, however, will be the central theme of evolving the Academy itself toward and emerging vision of a New Paradigm organization.
Specifically, the common understanding of all members which are necessary but not sufficient to build such a community appear to include:
- A commitment to staying in dialogue as a primary means of problem solving.
- A commitment to “Civility” as defined in Scott Peck’s latest book, A World Waiting to be Born.
- A commitment to taking responsibility as a communicator for finding a way to communicate so that the listener can hear the message, even if the listener does not agree.
- A commitment as a listener to listen so that the communicator feels heard, even if the listener doesn ot agree with the views being expressed.
- A commitment to assuming that each person is doing the best he/she can at any given point in time given one’s level of awareness and life experience.
- A commitment to never attacking the messenger, only, if appropriate and if necessary, the message.
- A commitment to dealing directly, promptly (within 24 hours preferably) and where appropriate, privately with any disagreements with another Academy member.
- Where such a process is not yielding results, where appropriate, a commitment to call for the help of those individuals within the Academy who can best help solve the problem.
- A commitment to continue to recognize that the nature of our task is inherently that of building a bridge between a number of disciplines, some of which are not necessarily economic in character, and business, which is. [This task is challenging at best and inherently deals with one’s deeply-held core values. Accordingly, extreme care and sensitivity must be used in dealing with and recognizing the potential for strong emotions in and around these areas, which often have not been specifically articulated.]
- A commitment to putting fear aside and doing the “right thing” whenever possible.
- A commitment to teaching at the level of the learner and solving the problem rather than “being right” about one’s point of view.
Note: These are not intended to be definitive or all-inclusive, but rather as a place to begin a dialogue to append an appropriate second page to our mission statement and form the basis of a compact between World Business Academy members.
Rinaldo and the World Business Academy have consistently exhibited these values through extensive research, open community dialogue and debate, and nonstop advocacy.
Much about the world has changed since 1986, particularly the environment and the economy. The state of our society is completely unprecedented, but now more than ever, it is our responsibility as members of this civilization to act on our core values.
