J. Christopher Scott
Executive Vice President
Huntington National Bank
Mr. Scott recalled that, from the beginning, many of the Councils key leaders were motivated by their basic religious convictions.
Business people who are members of a faith community often express the need to be the same whole persons in the work place that they are in their congregations. The challenge of helping people make the faith-work connection is very real. In particular, people need a support system. Various models have been presented to meet this challenge.
One such model is the Pittsburgh Experiment. Developed in Pittsburgh forty years ago, it provides spiritually-based support in the work place. The Mellon Bank Experiment group began small and grew to include a significant number of bank employees. This model provides support for all levels of the company hierarchy, especially in dealing with ethical issues/decisions faced in the workplace.
In 1994 the Councils Congregational Planning Group developed a pilot project: Linking Faith and the Workplace. Unlike the Pittsburgh Experiment, the focus of the Linking Faith and the Workplace project is individual congregations. The purpose is to enable diverse congregations to help their members engage in discussion and reflection about the connections between faith and work, while providing small group support.
The successful pilot has evolved into the Linking Faith and the Workplace project. It is a small group study program conducted by Council-trained facilitators and using Council-developed materials. The program uses case studies on business ethics themes.
Rev. Nicely acknowledged that the traditional theological approach encourages a separation of church and "the world." However, if we are to affirm the perspective that the Spirit of God is at work in all of nature and human actions, then it follows that the Spirit of God is at work at work, and that we as individuals can make a difference where we work.
The presentation provided fertile ground for the group discussion. Mr. Scott was asked whether there was any evidence that the Pittsburgh Experiment proved to be helpful to the organization, or just to the individual. His response was that he cant say whether it had any influence on the "top of the house," however there was a positive impact on departments where people participated.
The Pittsburgh Experiment group, in the bank, came into being because of a down-sizing effort at Mellon Bank, engendering a great deal of anxiety and negativism. While the group couldnt alter the basic situation it was able to provide an effective support system for those who participated. In addition, there is an ethos that is developed when so many are participating in something like this experiment making it possible for individuals to deal positively with their situation.
The Council is exploring dialogues to establish connections with many faiths for the purpose of discussing Faith and the Workplace.
The differences and confluence of personal ethics and business ethics encouraged many to be involved in the discussion. Mr. Scott asserted that if we are to be constantly in harmony with ourselves, we must be the same person at work that we are in the exercise of our faith. When we experience conflicts between our faith-driven beliefs and a divergent corporate culture, we can benefit from the support of our church and fellow believers, who are encountering many of the same challenges.
Council for Ethics in Economics
125 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3605 U.S.A.
(614) 221-8661 FAX: (614) 221-8707
