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| CRBJ Home > June 2006 | |||||
Building trust at the community levelBy Tom Eggert
A community is created when folks share a context and a history and, to some extent, a commitment to reciprocal responsibility. The opposite of community is isolation, a feeling that is all too common these days. A moral community is a network of entities (people or organizations) that are linked not only by history and geography, but by a joint commitment to sustaining those things that are desirable about the community. A moral community acknowledges the importance of relationships while looking toward the future. Community and globalization Much has been written about the outsourcing of jobs. I recently needed help with a laptop question and found myself talking to someone in India. While the person was professional and helpful, my only connection to that person was through the phone line. Within seconds, he pulled up a good deal of information about me, but I never learned his last name. It isn't just that he was in India; he could have been in Milwaukee and I would have had the same relationship with him. I find this unsettling. I want more out of life than a set of serial transactions. I want a set of relationships that engage me in a larger whole. And, in listening to others, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Small businesses are built on relationships. Certainly those relationships include relationships with customers, but equally important are the relationships that small businesses build with those around them. These relationships are the lifeblood of the idea of a moral community. What can a small business do? In my fall semester class at UW-Madison, I argue that government is no longer capable of playing a leadership role in addressing societal challenges. Rather, it is the business community that has the financial resources, the technology, the know-how, the global reach and the incentive to successfully respond to pressing societal challenges. Chief among these challenges is rebuilding community. But building (or rebuilding) community is way more than any one business can hope to achieve; however, community is built not by dictate, but by the small actions of each member of the community. It is small actions that cumulatively re-establish the importance of each participant in the community. Small business can be very influential in supporting other small businesses and sending the signal that it is important to our long term community health to support each other. One organization that is embracing this challenge is the Dane County Buy Local Initiative. According to their Web site (www.danebuylocal.com), the Dane County Buy Local Initiative is a coalition of local independent businesses, social impact groups and citizens working together to support a healthy community economy. Their goals: 1. To obtain for local businesses some of the economic advantages enjoyed by regional and national enterprises. 2. To shape local policies and practices that take into account the social, economic and environmental impacts of consumer decisions. 3. To create linkages between all local stakeholders to encourage the creation, expansion and retention of locally owned companies. 4. To preserve the quality of our natural environment by reducing waste and using fuel wisely. 5. To build social capital by engaging local skills and assets. If you own a small business in Dane County, consider adding your voice to this organization. If you aren't in Dane County, consider starting your own version of a Buy Local organization. Small business can come together and offer a vision for the future. Organizations such as the Dane County Buy Local Initiative demonstrate the power of small businesses working together. teggert@bus.wisc.edu madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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