Years ago (1987) Roger Harrison wrote a 'Focus Paper' published by the Association for Management Education and Development called 'Organisation Culture and Quality of Service: a strategy for releasing love in the workplace'. I read it when I'd just taken my first private sector job after a previous career in teaching and it made a big impression on me.
In part this was because I had a liking for Kahlil Gibran's piece on Work 'Work is love made visible ... And all work is empty save when there is love' (which has helped me through some career choices).
I've still got my original copy of that Focus Paper and nearly 40 years later what Harrison said then rings true now. 'Business organisations are tough places to nurture tender feelings ... much of the business world is unable to support movement beyond the values of action, competition and strength'.
In 2008 Harrison wrote a follow up paper which someone sent me at more or less the same time that I was sent a link to Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge's blog'Is love an important ingredient for organisation development?'
