The Case for Compassion

“Technologies will race onward. Robotics will replace human labor, creating even more change in the future of work. Organizations will need to adapt and to create things that have never existed before. When organizations need adaptability and innovation, they also need human ingenuity – the kind of ingenuity that can be crushed by unmet grief or pain at work. In this way, compassion is at the heart of success.

Some organizations succeed because they offer high-touch services that respond to the unpredictable desires and demands of clients. These organizations require the sensitivity and responsiveness of people who can harness empathy and compassion to deliver great service. All organizations can do what they do because they can find and keep people who engage with work. Human-based capabilities require compassion.

More and more organizations strive to work together in ways that are unprecedented, where partnerships can make or break success. These forms of strategic advantage depend on people who can coordinate and collaborate for mutual benefit. People who can compassionately notice and respectfully embrace one another’s states of mind and heart propel or undermine this form of competitive advantage. Compassion is not just a nice-to-have; it is the hidden heart of strategic success (p. 70-71).”

From:Worline, M.C., & Dutton, J.E. (2017). Awakening compassion at work. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.