The Natural Advantage: Renewing Yourself

Citation

Sullivan, C. (2001), "The Natural Advantage: Renewing Yourself", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 249-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2001.22.5.249.3

This book takes an original and interesting approach, in using organic farming as a model for work and, more specifically, the management of businesses. Heeks argues that the main aim of organic farming is to create and enhance the capacity for quality product and uses this as a model for creating a work environment where employees are “inspired to go on producing high quality work year after year”. A premise on which this approach is based is the assertion that economic pressure for increased output will not stop and that currently this is creating an environment in which human resources are being depleted and polluted (in the way that intensive farming can be seen to pollute and deplete natural resources). Central to this is the notion of sustainability and the book aims to show how the principles of organic farming can be used as a model for human sustainability – that is, for producing high quality output in a way that does not pollute, deplete and exploit human resources. The basis for the “natural advantage model” is what the author describes as “the seven principles of organic growth”. These are: ground condition, natural energy, composting waste, organic synergy,using natural growth cycles, resilience from diversity and real quality.

The author has an engaging style, and the book is interesting yet accessible. Plenty of practical examples and case studies are provided and the book includes many checklists and exercises. Very little reference is made to research and theory in this book, and while this makes the book particularly accessible in a way that will probably be advantageous for non‐academic readers, it may be a disadvantage for academic readers. If you are looking for a thorough analysis of research and theory,this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for an innovative and thought‐provoking read that is based mainly on one person’s professional experience and reflection then this book will interest you.

The book contains 11 chapters. Chapter one sets out the background to the author developing his model, outlining the principles of organic farming that will be used in the model. This chapter also lays out a fundamental argument for the validity of the analogy between using natural resources sustainable and identifying ways of working that are sustainable in terms of human resources. This chapter, like the others, is clearly written and well‐structured – providing a clear map of the aims and structure of the rest of the book. Chapter two deals with the concept of “ground condition”. Here the importance of the natural soil system and condition of that system (that is, ground condition) are described. This chapter then goes on to apply this concept to people at work. For example, it is argued that if people’s natural resources for energy are depleted their work output will be negatively affected. If artificial fertilisers (such as strict deadlines and the monitoring of performance indicators) are used they may increase performance temporarily, but will also do nothing to stop the depletion of people’s natural resources. The principle of sustainability implies that the best way to get performance to increase is to foster good ground condition in people – that is, to provide a context in which they are energised, healthy and intrinsically motivated. This is an interesting analogy, but unfortunately little convincing evidence is provided. Also, this chapter is characterised by a highly simplistic view of human motivation and behaviour – for example, the attemptto classify people into a limited number of “soil types” seems inadequate in reflecting the complexity of people. However, this chapter also exemplifies one of the book’s major strengths – that is, the argument that work should be done in ways that sustain people, rather than in ways that exploit them for increased productivity irrespective of the human cost.

Chapter three outlines ways of cultivating ground condition – in both soil and people – and contains practical tips and examples. Chapter four deals with the concept of natural energy – which is defined as renewable energy. For example, work output can be fuelled by stress, fear or pressure and these are unnatural, non‐renewable sources of energy that eventually cause harm. Natural energy is somewhat ill‐defined here, but the chapter highlights the importance of the link between physical and emotional wellbeing and provides a checklist for natural energy resources that might help to clarify the concept. Chapter five deals with the notion of “composting waste”, which is one of the less obvious aspects of the system being described. The basic idea presented here seems to be that negative work output (such as failed projects, conflicts or criticisms) should not be ignored and instead should be “re‐cycled” in ways that provide positive energy. Chapter six talks about the concept of “synergy”, which again would benefit from being more clearly defined, although case histories are used to illustrate how “synergy” can be achieved at work. Chapter seven deals with the concept of “natural cycles” and describes how workplace culture and work organisation tend to impede the use of natural cycles at work. Again, the principles involved are clearly outlined and practical examples are given. In some ways this chapter could be seen as an overly complex way of making the fairly simple point that people need time to rest and recuperate if they are going to produce good work. On the other hand, perhaps there is a need for this point to be made in new and innovative ways.

Chapter eight deals with the notion of “diversity”. This is not, as one might think, about social diversity in the workplace – these issues are largely ignored by this book. Rather, this chapter deals with the idea that, in order to be resilient and strong, people should have diversity in the skills they can offer and the work that they do. Chapter nine introduces the notion of real quality at work. The main role of real quality is as the output of a sustainable work system, which in turn is then fed back to improve ground quality – that is, doing quality work helps to increase internal motivation for work. Chapters 10 and 11 together provide practical advice on how the principles in the book can be applied to work.

This book is said to be applicable to all work settings. However, most of what is described here seems more applicable to situations where employees have a large amount of independence and autonomy at work and seems to be most applicable to management and professional work.

In summary, this is an innovative and practical book, which often takes a slightly new angle on some fairly old and fundamental issues. The book’s major weaknesses are that it relies very much on one person’s experience and could be seen as lacking in empirical evidence and theory. Also, it takes rather a simplistic view of people and is somewhat essentialist. Its major strengths are that it is innovative and interesting, clearly written and well structured, with an engaging and accessible style.