The “Magis Method” for Aligning Mission with Culture

1. The “Magis Method” for Aligning Mission with Culture Robert Brancatelli, Ph.D Fordham Road Collaborative Fordham University, New York City IESE September 21, 2012

2. The Problem: Mission Drift Problem: Organizations and Higher Education Solution: The “Magis Method” Implement: Business School Curricula

3. What is “Magis?” • Jesuit spirituality, Latin for “more…” • Seizing opportunities, enlarging oneself, striving for something greater, going above and beyond, playing beyond yourself…“finding opportunity and purpose in all things, good or bad.” • “…the restless drive to look for something more in every opportunity and the confidence that one will find it” (Chris Lowney, Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year Old Company that Changed the World, 209).

4. The Problem: Mission Drift “We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, callousness and arrogance don't belong here.” “Our objective is to be the most profitable, single-source provider of communications services to customers around the world.”

5. Mission Drift: LIBOR

6. LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) determines variable-rate mortgages, municipal bond financings, credit card debt, and US treasuries. It affects assets totalling approximately $360 trillion worldwide. According to UK Financial Services Authority (FSA)… (1) Lack of specific risk management systems and controls concerning the process of interest rate submissions. (2) Senior management covertly influenced submission of lower rates to make banks involved look financially sound. “Dude, I Owe You Big Time!”

7. Organizational: Conscious or Cultural Individual: Personal or Professional “Magis” consists of two dimensions: ORGANIZATIONAL (align mission with culture). INDIVIDUAL (align being with doing) Leadership = life strategies (doing) and life principles (being) must reinforce one another; i.e., be in alignment. Mission Drift: Four Types

9. “Good corporate governance is an important ingredient in creating and sustaining shareholder value, and ensuring that behavior is ethical, legal and transparent,” Marcus Agius, former chairman “To be an innovative, customer-focused company that delivers superb products and services, ensures excellent careers for our people and contributes positively to the communities in which we live and work.”

10. “Good corporate governance is an important ingredient in creating and sustaining shareholder value, and ensuring that behavior is ethical, legal and transparent,” Marcus Agius, former chairman “To be an innovative, customer-focused company that delivers superb products and services, ensures excellent careers for our people and contributes positively to the communities in which we live and work.”

11. Organizational/Conscious • LIBOR deliberate manipulation. • Financial Services Authority, “Final Notice to Barclay’s Bank,” June 27, 2012. • Conscious: inadequate systems and controls; compliance failings; willful misrepresentation; manipulation of LIBOR from 2005. Mortgage-based crisis. • Cultural: Dude…“not clean clean, but clean in principle.”

13. Mission Drift in Higher Education: Pennsylvania State University • “…educates students from Pennsylvania, the nation and the world, and improves the well being and health of individuals and communities through integrated programs….” • “…we provide unparalleled access and public service to support the citizens of the Commonwealth. We engage in collaborative activities…valuable to society.” • concerned with the larger community, the “well being and health of individuals,” and service to society.

14. Athletic Department • “…provide model programs that encourage student-athletes to reach their highest potential…” • “Primary importance on the education and individuality of our athletes, the excellence of our staff, and our contribution to the greater community through outreach and service.” • Twelve core values: respect, honesty, integrity, commitment, the health and safety of everyone involved, and the importance of “personal well-being.”

15. Organizational/Cultural

16. Organizational/Cultural • “Report of Special Investigative Counsel Regarding Actions of Pennsylvania State University Related to Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A. Sandusky,” (July 12, 2012). • Sandusky, assistant football coach, convicted 45 criminal counts of child sexual abuse over 14 years. • “Total…disregard by the most senior leaders at Penn State for the safety and welfare of…victims…” • Leaders “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children” and “exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky’s victims….”

17. Organizational/Cultural • Paterno: “I didn’t know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was. So I backed away and turned it over to some other people…I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn’t work out that way.” • The Freeh report concluded real reason nothing was done was “to avoid the consequences of bad publicity….”

18. Organizational/Cultural • Lack of transparency • Silo mentality • Concern for “procedure” or correctness over truth • Paternalistic hierarchy with “pater” • Tribal sense of insiders/outsiders • Lack of appreciation for importance of ethics • Dysfunctional communication.

19. The “Magis Method”

20. The “Magis Method”

21. The “Magis Method”

22. Integrating the Magis Method into Business School Curricula

23. Integrating the Magis Method into Business School Curricula • Case studies (Barclay’s, Penn State) at graduate level to analyze the narrative: who, what, where, when of scandals and related events. • Following the method and role playing, students enter mindset of players, identifying moments of decision, transition points, conflicting values, forms of resistance to responsible behavior. Leads to discussion of morality/decision-making, practical considerations of forces in relationships. • Method used at Fordham University in case studies to construct strategic and psychological models of decision-making and organizational change. Also in team-building, strategic planning, “pre-mortem” analyses.

24. Integrating the Magis Method into Business School Curricula • Undergrads—first, academic study of economics, management, marketing, finance is grounded in reality. Improve teamwork, research, communication, managing competing demands. • Second, magis affects personal mission. They mature in self-knowledge and personal mastery, essential for psychological growth and leadership. Address ethical demands beyond financial and legal ones. • Third, students learn that morality and moral decision-making do not exist apart from their application (not neo-Platonic, no “not clean clean, but clean in principle”).

25. When students are involved in collection, analysis, interpretation, discernment of mission, ethical character of business school and university assumes new meaning. • Supports work already being done in university centers, institutes dedicated to social justice, moral formation. • Conducted at Fordham’s graduate school of business with administrative staff/faculty concerning school’s recent reorganization. The reorganization in phases, with Magis Method providing a way for everyone, no matter religious, ethnic, cultural, political differences, welcomed /engaged.