The Harvard’s Professor stands for training directors who show respect for the dignity of their work teams.
Member of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs of Harvard University and of the IECO’s Academic Council, Professor Donna Hicks gave a lecture on 7 October called ‘Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict in Business Organizations’ in the Sánchez Ayuso Room of the Faculty of Economics. This lecture was part of the ‘Meeting of International Excellence VLC/CAMPUS on Conflict and Human Dignity’. It was organised by the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Government) and the Universitat de València through IECO, during 6 and 8 October in Valencia.
In front of a large audience composed of a hundred students and professors, Dr. Hicks has shared the basic lines of the method she has developed for dealing with international conflicts, as a result of her long experience (more than 25 years) as mediator. She has taken part in conflicts such as the Middle East, Colombia, Cuba or Northern Ireland, among others.
According to the expert ‘Before dealing with technical issues about politics, we must try to heal the injuries done to the personal dignity of the involved parts’. To ensure this basis, the parts must learn to listen and recognise the injuries that might have been done, even though unconsciously. Dr. Hicks stood up for inherent and innate dignity, with which every human being is born, and which is the ultimate connection with any other person.
This approach to conflicts is also applicable to companies and to work teams. According to Dr. Hicks ‘Hurting the others turns out to be very easy. Sometimes it happens within a fraction of a second. Therefore, we need to recognise our own faults and know how to apologise in order to restore the trust into the personal relationship. In line with Professor Hicks’ experience, the companies’ problems often are due to the fact that the inner work atmosphere is corrupted by these injuries to the point of avoiding talking about these issues.
Dr. Hicks’ approach is useful for solving conflicts, but also for becoming aware of the power we have to help people feel better in the organisation. When developed properly, this capacity causes an atmosphere where everyone feels respected and, ultimately, has an impact on the most efficient and coordinated ways of working.
The event at the Faculty of Economics was chaired by the newly elected Dean, José Manuel Pastor. Manuel Guillén, tenured university professor of the companies’ organisation and Director of the IECO (Institute for Ethic Communication and Organisations), was with José Manuel Pastor at the table.
The ‘Meeting of International Excellence VLC/CAMPUS Conflict and Human Dignity’ has been organised in the framework of the areas of scientific collaboration with the ‘Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University’ and the Campus of International Excellence VLC/CAMPUS, funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.
In addition to the lecture at the Faculty of Economics, Professor Hicks has participated in the Cooperation Forum of the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Government) and the Conferences by ADEIT, with a large audience in both cases. Finally, Professor Hicks gave a workshop with IECO researchers with the purpose of promoting the research project about ‘Organisation leadership based on human dignity’.
