‘Buurtzorg’: A Case of Being-Centredness as Example of an Organic Worldview for Corporate Peace
ISBN: 978-1-78441-878-6, eISBN: 978-1-78441-877-9
Publication date: 19 September 2015
Abstract
This chapter aims to describe the case of Buurtzorg Nederland as a good practice of Being-Centered organizational innovation. We use the concept of corporate peace as an expression of a workplace that induces both employee and client satisfaction. This in turn strengthens several organizational outcomes such as productivity and creativeness. The innovation has been framed as Being-Centered, providing capacity for a holistic view while introducing a multi-level process structure: physical, vital, mental, psychic, and non-dual. Such a holistic view fits the organic worldview framework. This framework is being developed as an alternative to the mainstream competitive economic view. A competitive view of the world has a set of assumptions that describe how we organize a workplace. In practice it has the belief of the organization as a zero-sum game containing players who are motivated by their self-interests. These organizational assumptions often encourage hostile competitive behaviors resulting in undermining corporate peace. Management scholars urge for developing alternative principles. The principles are often labeled as sustainable, spiritual, or organic. Good practices where alternative principles of organizing are implemented assist the scholarly field to further develop alternative frameworks as opposed to the competitive economic worldview. This chapter contributes by examining a good practice. A Case Study Approach has been followed using the single case perspective with face-to-face interviews for the data collection by purposive sampling and internal company reports. In total, 38 respondents were interviewed and five interviews with the founder of Buurtzorg were conducted. Based on the case study, we suggest a Being-Centered Approach as the main explanation of the good practice at Buurtzorg rather than a focus on one single concept such as: management structure, ICT, community-based care, or a patient focus.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Jos de Blok, founder of Buurtzorg Nederland; Gonnie Kronenberg, co-founder; and several nurses, coaches, and employees from the back office of Buurtzorg for the valuable input they contributed toward the research project. A detailed explanation of the Buurtzorg case is published in an international book from Springer by this author: Organizational Innovation by Integrating Simplification: Learning from Buurtzorg Nederland, 2015, Springer, Switzerland. http://www.springer.com/business+%26+management/organization/book/978-3-319-11724-9
Citation
Nandram, S. (2015), "‘Buurtzorg’: A Case of Being-Centredness as Example of an Organic Worldview for Corporate Peace", Business, Ethics and Peace (Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development, Vol. 24), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 333-349. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1572-832320150000024023
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015 Emerald Group Publishing Limited