Care Management : A Care Bear utopia?
Dear all,
Perhaps you missed this post from January 2024, which I wrote with a touch of (healthy) anger and humour, on the theme: care in business, a lever for performance and sustainability, or a naive Care Bear vision?
Many of you responded to it, because yes, it is becoming tiresome to be labelled a ‘Care Bear’ when defending a more humanistic vision of business and society in general (can you hear the anger?).
My goal, following this post, is to to help you better understand what the ethics of ‘CARE’ are and its various applications, particularly at work, in order to dispel preconceived ideas about this approach, which has become essential in our troubled world.
I also wanted to give managers and HR teams concrete tools to implement this new managerial and organisational culture and help them better support change within their organisations.
The ‘CULTURE CARE’ newsletter project was born.
So, let’s return to today’s question: is ‘care’ in business a lever for performance and sustainability, or a naive, idealistic approach?
Behind this question lie two philosophical and political issues:
– that of utopia and new imaginaries as major levers of societal change,
– and by extension, that of the duel between the ‘optimists of action’ versus the ‘cynics of inaction’ (or even regression). Choose your side.
But let’s get back to our Care Bears…
If the ‘Care Bear’ in English is indeed called ‘Care Bear’, and these little rainbow-coloured creatures are gentle, loving, caring for others, and yes, we all envy Grosbisou, Groschéri, Groscopain, Grosdodo, their joy, their big hearts and their childlike carefreeness (which will spare them from end-of-year burnout!)… I’m not sure that advocates of a care ethic, of which I am one, are Care Bears. Or perhaps they are slightly angry Care Bears (‘What the hell is going on here!?’), descending from their clouds to infuse a little altruism and optimism into a brutal world? Well, I’m not sure either, but I like the image of slightly angry Care Bears (‘Just love each other, for fuck’s sake!’).
Is ‘care’ too naive? Are we lacking in lucidity in wanting to promote a society where we take care of each other? Are we lacking in lucidity in believing in something other than the current model?
The ‘active’ optimist is often very clear-headed. In fact, this is probably the starting point for their actions. Optimism is not synonymous with naivety; it is most often a choice, a choice to act in defence of what they believe to be right. If we believe that everything is hopeless, there is no room for action and we simply endure (and, incidentally, we are unlikely to be very happy!).
Can we really live without hope for a better future?
Believing that other paths are possible and that there are solutions gives us hope, motivation and a zest for life. Of course, there will be difficulties, doubts and pitfalls along the way.
No unicorns or Care Bears, but certainly courage and a fierce desire to nurture and believe in the story of a humanity that is rediscovering meaning.
Utopian ‘care’?
What if we needed new utopias as sources of innovation in organisation? A new vision of work, more human, more respectful of life, more joyful, more virtuous.
“The opposite of utopia is not realism, it is conservatism. To be a utopian is precisely to be clear-sighted: lucid about what is unsustainable and visionary about what needs to be invented. Being a utopian means taking control of your future. It means deciding to exercise your personal power.” Sandrine Roudaut.
No, ‘CARE’ in business is not some naive ‘Care Bears’ idea. It is a new impetus and, above all, an approach that is becoming vital for the health of individuals and organisations. It is a lucid but positive vision of work that restores meaning. Because the world of work, too, is sick.
So it’s time to debunk the preconceived notions on the subject! (And stop talking to us about Care Bears).
I believe in the culture of ‘care’ and management through ‘care’, and I have been working on it for a long time with the organisations I support.
I am often asked what this means in concrete terms, with many preconceived ideas behind the question:
‘Is the company really there to take care of people?’ (Meaning, ‘Isn’t its role rather to maximise its profitability?’)
-> Well, that’s debatable! Not only that, in fact. It’s called corporate social responsibility. Not to mention that burnt-out employees are not good for your company’s bottom line, Mr/Ms Director.
‘Isn’t “care” a bit naive? (them again). Do we all have to hug each other?’ (true, I was asked this question!)
-> No! ‘Care’ means listening, building trust and working together: the soft skills essential for human and business growth.
‘Isn’t management through “care” too naive, weak and unsuitable in times of difficulty or change?’
-> Quite the contrary, my dear sir, it is surely the only type of management that will ensure the company’s long-term viability.
Ultimately, the naive ones are those who think we can do without it.
If you exhaust your employees under the pretext of performance, they will leave, sick, burnt out or demotivated. Everyone will jump ship. Not a good calculation. Take it from a very clear-headed optimist – let’s look at the figures*.
In 2023:
– 1 in 2 employees feel professionally exhausted,
– more than 2/3 of employees are/have been affected by a health problem
– 44% of women and 32% of men report poor mental health (sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, anxiety disorders, depression, burnout)
– 63% of HR professionals are experiencing burnout!
* Malakoff Humanis 2023 Barometer ‘Employee Health and Quality of Life at Work’
The physical and mental health of employees is at risk.
The functioning of the company is disrupted: absenteeism, turnover, deterioration of the working atmosphere.
Teams are becoming increasingly demotivated, and workers are losing their sense of purpose.
-> This jeopardises the performance, attractiveness and sustainability of the company.
So, what can we do?
We take care of people.
This starts with integrating certain values into the organisation, but also with a new type of management, ‘management by care’.
What does that mean?
According to an article in Harvard Business Review France in December 2023 (Cécile Dejoux, 6/12/2023):
The CARE management approach is based on three elements:
– ‘Self CARE’: being allowed and knowing how to take care of oneself at work. ‘A manager cannot take care of their team and each of their employees if they themselves are in danger.’ (Gherson, Linda Gratton)
– ‘Team CARE’: being trained and equipped to take care of each member of one’s team
– ‘Planet CARE’: integrating small actions into your professional practice, in line with the company’s CSR strategy, in order to have a positive impact on the planet.
Based on the notion of interdependence, the six core values of care-based management are: listening, trust, recognition, reciprocity, autonomy and meaning.
In any case, it is on these values and associated soft skills that I work particularly with managers.
We are therefore far from the image of kisses and hugs at every meeting, but rather focused on developing ethical and humane behaviour that places the subject of relationships at the heart of management issues (vs. the focus on results, operational content or processes).
Managing through ‘care’ therefore means embodying the three dimensions of the word ‘care’ on a daily basis
– ‘care about’: I feel concerned (about my teams, the organisation, the environment)
– ‘Take care of’: I take charge/take action to respond to the need I observe (for example, I go and talk to a colleague who I sense is exhausted, demotivated or struggling).
– ‘Give care’: I take care by listening, reassuring, motivating, thanking and supporting my teams.
Starting with taking care of my own personal ecology.
The key: support and training for managers on essential soft skills: stress management, emotion management, energy management, active listening, non-violent communication, feedback, collaborative approaches, etc.
Professional and technical training is no longer enough.
Does care management work? Clearly yes!
A study conducted between 2020 and 2022 by the Learning Lab Human Change showed that companies that have implemented ‘CARE’ management have seen an increase in engagement and performance (Canon France, IKEA, Veolia, etc.).
This is something I have also observed over several years in the companies I work with. Those that have truly succeeded in integrating self-care and care management into their practices have not only reduced absenteeism and employee stress levels, but have also, in most cases, managed to re-engage teams in search of meaning and recognition. Training courses and peer groups have recreated bonds that were often lost: a network that is slowly being woven together to break down barriers and restore the flow of energy throughout the ecosystem.
And while the road is long and takes time, let’s be honest, the very fact of questioning this new possible culture already lays the foundations for a collective reflection on the company’s raison d’être and the values it wants to embody (both internally and externally). It is a journey.
A cultural foundation for deploying regenerative business models and ‘embodied’ or “enlightened” leadership that promotes the development of our emotional, physical and spiritual intelligence in organisations (check out Valerie Seguin’s excellent documentary here), ‘care’ is a systemic solution for supporting change, taking care of living beings and humans.
Sustainability, meaning, commitment, impact: today, caring is not only a winning strategy for business performance and attractiveness, but also offers hope for the emergence of a new model of society that is more respectful of life.
And this is not a utopian fantasy, it is a positive narrative of our humanity, which makes us want to be part of it and contribute to it.
Ready to start the movement in your organisation?
I can provide you with information on care management training and support options, as well as sources of inspiration on related topics (utopias, new management and organisational models, soft skills and new forms of intelligence, etc.).
Take care,
Alice VIVIAN, founder of Mojom
RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF CARE IN THE WORKPLACE
TRAIN YOUR MANAGERS !
‘Managing through care’ training course, mojom.
‘MANAGING THROUGH CARE’ training course: a 14-hour mojom training course to help your managers develop key soft skills:
-> Self-care: better managing priorities, regulating stress, adopting good energy management practices to preserve health and potential.
-> Team Care: knowing how to identify and prevent burnout in your teams. Communicating and collaborating more effectively. Developing your presence, listening and leadership skills to motivate your teams and bring a new culture to the company.
SHARE YOUR COMMENTS, WORKS, THOUGHTS AND DESIRES ON THE SUBJECT OF CARE WITH ME. LET’S BRING THESE ISSUES TO THE HEART OF OUR ORGANISATIONS TOGETHER.
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Alice