We have been protagonists of multiple trends in the management area such as Total Quality, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kyosei, etc. All have brought great changes after their application. Likewise, reengineering, as a tool for change, has also had a lot to say in the long way of organizational improvements. All aimed primarily at process and results, but is that just what needs to be improved?
Companies must begin to be more interested in the study of the working environment, which goes beyond the claims that Fayol once pointed out, since an increase in productivity must not be exclusively sought. This interest in achieving a balance between the tangible and intangible of the work, has to become a short-term goal and could be known as the TEA Philosophy (Total Environment into Administration), which translated into Spanish is understood as (Total Environment) within the Administration, or ATA Philosophy.
This philosophy arises from the need to have a tendency or thought that links the human resource with its environment, facilitating its identification with it, it results from relating the concept of Nirvana, understood by Buddhists as bliss for the absorption and incorporation of the individual in the divine essence; with what we understand by the organization and its environment, aimed at ensuring that the individual is in a state of total equilibrium that allows them to observe their impact on the organization from a broader perspective and deeply related to their expectations.
Through the combination of the concept of nirvana, ergonomics and the identification process based on values, it is possible to speak of the TEA Philosophy in contemporary business.
At first glance, philosophy can be understood as the ideal point of what the work community should be because it highlights the need for harmony in all its senses. The employee is motivated by his environment, the environment is pleasant, he feels well paid, he likes his functions, he maintains an open and frank relationship with his colleagues, in short, he is in perfect balance.
The individual is not productive if the environment in which he works is hostile, that is why an employee with economic, psychological and situational pressures, subjected to work under unpleasant conditions, where the environment is heterogeneous, unbalanced, with high levels of contamination (auditory, visual, psychological) hardly offer the company the best result in its functions.
The essence of the TEA Philosophy is found in the improvement of the work environment, of its conditions as such, in the development of the worker's well-being in order to influence him and make the most of the man-hours relationship, but now accompanied of the need for mutual benefit.
It is not a secret for anyone that the environment affects behavior and predisposes in a positive or negative way, limiting or not productivity, creativity and identification at work, therefore the environment should not be considered as an exogenous variable, but as an asset intangible for organizations and an instrument to achieve harmony.
An office, premises or work center that offers the most suitable characteristics to encourage the worker will always be above those that are limited to providing a small space to support the minimum placement requirements.
Companies that neglect the aesthetics of the work environment can only expect mistakes; evidently they are unaware of the studies that have shown that staff turnover and their short tenure in organizations depends more on psychological conditions than on economic ones.
However, the space, the use of standard furniture, the provision of aromatic and musical elements, the decoration, color and other accessories are not the center of this philosophy. Dedicating oneself exclusively to adapting the offices is nothing new, there are countless good and renowned decorators who can make a kiosk into a miniature imperial palace, the TEA Philosophy seeks the total balance of the human being within the organization, not aesthetics and the physical image. The philosophy seeks to achieve a serious approach that establishes a line that evens out both the needs of the individual and the needs of the company, to the point that the employee feels pleased with the satisfaction of each of them and therefore identifies with what it does.
To understand philosophy even more, it is necessary to know the principles on which it is based. As a philosophy of tangible improvements, the TEA Philosophy also seeks quality, but combined with innovation and identification, as well as total quality seeks to reduce waste, continuous improvement drives to achieve substantial increases in the way of doing things and reengineering is based on innovation to obtain better results, the TEA Philosophy standardizes each of these concepts and guides them towards the well-being of the work community, also emphasizing intangibles. High levels of identification cannot be achieved if the environment is divorced from reality and its goal does not include its constituents as a vital principle.
Companies are not made up of buildings, computers, networks and furniture, these are the tools of those who really are the organization: human resources. If the balance is not present in the work environment, if it is not invested in it, you will not be adding value to business management.
The application of the TEA Philosophy in companies is aimed at achieving the integration of human resources at all organizational levels, based on the balance of the labor community, for this a set of elements that allow its implementation must be pursued, these are, among others:
- A pleasant, harmonious and comfortable environment during your stay in the company Ergonomic tools and equipment designed to facilitate their use and guarantee quality A frank and open communication climate Willingness to achieve common goals A compensation that equates productivity with effort Benefits aimed at increasing productivity Purchasing power The non-existence of the psychological contract The proportion of impact benefits that help improve the standard of living.
The TEA Philosophy is not the panacea that will lead to increased productivity and increased profits, it will be a consequence of its development and application.
It is logical to assume that there are variables that threaten each of the points mentioned that are associated with the type of activity of the company and its production environment; however there are elements of coincidence that undoubtedly make the presence of philosophy possible.
In a state of business nirvana, individuals will reach such a level of identification with their work and with the company that there are hardly any possibilities of conflict, this will reduce the loss and increase the quality of productive time, both for the organization and for the individual.
