Iris Joy M.

Cañete

PA 508A – Public Finance Administration

A Reflection Paper on

How Great Companies Think Differently by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

For many years, the companies have always been focused on increasing

profit and making more money. And as depicted in movies, people in Wall Street,

Lower Manhattan, never sleeps because Money never Sleeps. We could feel that

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money is like superman which work and run much faster than us. However, in this

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global word today, companies have been making money make change.

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This article is based on the concept of institutional logic which “holds that
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companies are more than instruments for making money; they are also vehicles for
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accomplishing societal purposes and for providing meaningful livelihoods for those
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who work in them.” In this article, Kanter states that great companies have been

embracing this concept for some time by recognizing that their businesses flourish
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best when the communities they operate in flourish as well. She suggests that for
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companies to be considered “great”, they should deliver sustainable solutions to the

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community, alongside financial returns, therefore, convinces companies to think

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differently.

Kanter discusses six components that great companies uphold to adhere to

this logic. These include a 1) common purpose, 2) long-term view, 3) emotional

engagement, 4) community building, 5) innovation, and 6) self-organization. She

illustrates the challenge for companies to balance quantitative, short-term

assessments with qualitative, long-term outcomes especially in today’s global world.

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 From this point forward, I would like to share my insights on the company I

have worked for. Last 2014, I joined the construction arm (First Balfour Inc.) of the

First Philippine Holdings (FPH), a Lopez Group Company, because I felt that my

values as well as the company’s are aligned.

The company believes in “THE POWER OF GOOD.” This gives FPH’s

subsidiaries a common purpose. With this goal, FPH continues to power homes with

less impact in the environment by generating clean renewable energy through its

Energy Development Corporation (EDC), create jobs and grow the local economy

through its First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), find better ways to protect

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communities from calamities through Science-based solutions for Climate Change in

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its OML Center, and build better and sustainable infrastructures with First Balfour Inc.

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(FBI). The Power of Good might seem idealistic but I thinks it’s a better way of doing
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business. The company is inspired by values and powered by good.
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During my one (1) year stay in First Balfour Inc., I truly admire its initiatives in
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strengthening its commitment to develop its people whom they consider as the

driving force behind the company’s success. I was a part of its Junior Management
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Training Program (JMTP) where I gained hands-on-experience in civil engineering

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and other specialized disciplines. This JMTP will groom trainees to become part of
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the company’s next generation of leaders. It was no surprise that the company
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achieved the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Silver accreditation. This

accreditation sets standards on “what it takes to lead, support and manage people

for sustained success” and has become an international benchmark for companies

that aim for business improvement through people management.

Since 2017, FPH’s not only measures it success by its annual financial

position but also it annual progress in its sustainability journey in the following

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 aspects: 1) Supporting the Local Economy 2) Being Mindful of the Environment 3)

Our Internal Stakeholders 4) Partnership with Employees 5) Reaching Out to Others

6) Contributing to Sustainable Development. These reports can be found at this link

http://www.fphc.com/investor_relations/annual-reports/. The company’s initiative to

achieve sustainable development enables them to meet organizational development

goals at the same time sustaining and preserving its environment.

Though my stay at the company fell short, I wished I could have stayed longer

and be part of something good. No, something great.

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