Relationshipism – The Theory for Our Connected World

Relationshipism is here, and it’s helping the world evolve through the power of trust, connection, and human nature. Organizations and individuals can harness the ideals of Relationshipism to improve connections, satisfy purpose, and drive value.

THE DEFINITION OF RELATIONSHIPISM

Relationshipism is the theory of being relationship-centered in all aspects of life and especially in organizations. It promotes trusted teams, a mindful focus on authentic relationships, increased personal power and fearless creativity. Relationshipism, being built on principles of cognitive science and social intelligence, provides infinite value as it expands the focus of society from shareholder value to the satisfaction of personal purpose, organizational purpose, and societal impact.

Where did Relationshipism come from?

At the turn of the 20th century, many production-centered theories emerged to meet the demands of a world driven by industrial booms. These theories helped spur human ambition and innovation, but compounded issues such as pollution, inequality, and employee dissatisfaction. Relationshipism evolves from globalized management systems like Taylorism and Fordism to meet a world that is focused on sustainability and enriching the human experience.

Fordism was pioneered by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company in the early 20th century. It focused on generating a system of mass production of standardized goods through the establishment of assembly lines. Moreover, Fordism equated employee time with money and required workers to succumb to management prerogatives in exchange for rising wages. The system of mass production likewise required mass consumption, paid for by the wages of the very workers creating these goods. Ultimately, this created a virtuous cycle of making more and consuming more, all while thriving on the practice of Taylorism.

Taylorism, named after the US industrial engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor, sought to maximize output and profit by gaining maximum efficiency from both machines and workers. Using the concepts of workflow analysis and efficiency metrics, assembly-line production quickly flourished under this philosophy. However, this increased efficiency came at the expense of employee fulfillment and happiness by treating workers like “mindless, emotionless, and easily replicable factors of production.”

Particularly in the United States, this combination of Fordism and Taylorism led to a post-war capitalist economy that thrived on the mass production and mass consumption of goods. However, in the 1970s, a fiscal crisis emerged which pointed to the fundamental flaw of these theories: maximizing the bottom-line of profit while ignoring the well-being of the people who drive revenue.

The New Triple Bottom Line

The epidemic of employee dissatisfaction further necessitates the need for a new, post-Fordist philosophy. This led to the emergence of Relationshipism and a new bottom line by which organizational success is measured.

People

Organizations are not machines composed of mindless cogs being powered by an external source. Organizations are living organisms composed of people being powered by their relationships. Humans are social creatures and thrive when their individual needs are being met by people who care for them. A satisfied employee will take care of customers, who will, in turn, take care of shareholders. Thus, by reversing the corporate value flow, profit is achieved while also caring for the ones who make it all happen – people.

Purpose

Planet

Where is Relationshipism headed?

Humankind was intended to rely upon one another for support and guidance. Today, the economy is still predicated on the ideals of consumerism, which sacrifices well-being in pursuit of maximizing profit. Global increases in stress, anxiety, and disconnection in the modern age drove people to recognize the need to return to our mutual reliance. Consequently, the world experienced massive evolutions in the areas of improved trust, deeper connection, and authentic relationships. And it’s showing no sign of stopping. In direct contrast with Fordism and Taylorism, Relationshipism drives positive movements by recognizing human potential and empowering the individual within organizations. Through Relationshipism, we find happiness and connection by returning to a celebration of the very things that connects us all – our human nature.

Relationshipism Drives Industry 5.0

Relationshipism is planet-oriented, recognizing that the life on our planet must be preserved into the future. What’s more, it thrives on supporting relationships characterized by one thing, living and breathing humans. However, it would be folly to ignore the simultaneous revolution happening before our very eyes: the inevitability of robots and smart machines. The European Economic Social Committee boldly states, “The proliferation of robotic automation is inevitable.”

Thus, Industry 5.0 defines the era we are now entering, where humans will work alongside robots and smart machines to build a better world. Scary concepts of dystopian robotic revolutions have been prophesized since the 19th century, but Industry 5.0 makes one thing clear; Industry 5.0 is about humans, not robots. Approached properly, robotics will be safely used to improve the lives of people and ultimately drive more productive solutions to solve the world’s myriad problems. Since Industry 5.0 is driven by humans, Relationshipism provides the blueprint to guide us toward a better future. Ultimately, by relying on the elements of love, trust, and connection Relationshipism will lead humanity into a kinder, more sustainable future.