Laural,
Your "idealistic tendency" to believe that organizations are more than
financial compensation is reasonable. There are many such organizations
whose goal is to make a profit, but whose path to this end involves much
positive, direct and indirect spin-off.
My own company has a Basic Statement, like many other companies. In it we
state the following:
MARKEM Corporation's primary function shall be:
"To creatively meet customer needs worldwide by manufacturing, selling and
supporting at a profit high quality, economically built, safe and
environmentally sound, benefit producing equipment and consumable supply
products and..."
"to offer its employees opportunities to be creatively productive as a
group of able, considerate, informed people working in a healthy
environment toward understood, common, worthwhile objectives."
The owners of this private company of 1,600 people worked hard to create
this statement. It's actually continues with the general principles which
guide these paragraphs, but I won't bore you.
Here at my company, with the background noise of problems which all
organizations generate, we do our share of good work, good deeds. We try
to learn, try to generate opportunities for learning.
Good luck in your own search.
Best regards,
-- Barry Mallis Total Quality Resource Manager MARKEM Corporation Keene, NH bmallis@markem.com