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09.07.2020 Feature Article

We rather live in Organizations and not in Communities

Philip Afeti KortoPhilip Afeti Korto
09.07.2020 LISTEN

We live in the planetary system called the world. Specifically, we live on planet earth. This planet has been zoned differently depending on certain germane factors of interest to us. For example, planet earth is divided into continents, countries, sub-regions, states/regions, metropolis/municipalities/districts/counties and communities. Sociologists and Anthropologists prefer to call it human societies. Most of these demarcations are geo-diplomatic and geo-political in nature.

Again, what is called a community is not always a well-defined geographical area. It may also be a reference term for a certain group of people scattered in one defined geographical area. For example, we can say the Nigerian community in Ghana. This does not mean one geographical area in Ghana where Nigerians are found. It is rather a collective reference term for Nigerian nationals living in Ghana, irrespective of the region, district, or community in which they find themselves in Ghana. As such, Nigerians living in Tema, Accra, Ho, Kumasi and in any part of Ghana are part of the Nigerian community in Ghana.

The classification has another dimension in Ghana. For example, we have traditional areas in Ghana. Mostly, a traditional area is a defined area under the authority of a paramount chief. For example, Ada Traditional Area (Ada State), Mepe Traditional Area, Mafi Traditional Area, Battor Traditional Area etc. One traditional area may cut across two or more administrative districts or even regions. One may cite the fact that Ada West District (Sege) and Ada East District (Ada-Foah) are two different administrative districts but both belong to one traditional area. The people of these two districts hold allegiance to one paramount chief, Nene Ada (Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III) and one Queen Mother (Naana Kabukuor Dagojo Dumaaley I). The people of the two districts celebrate the same festival (Asafotufiami) and their mutual traditional capital is Big Ada.

Another example is that the Asante Kingdom in Ghana goes beyond the geographical area covered by the Ashanti Region. There are communities in other administrative regions that hold allegiance to the Asantehene who is the overlord of the Asante Kingdom.

The World as one Big Corporate Entity

I have come to a firm conclusion that what we call the world or the earth , our country, region, district or community is nothing but one big organization or corporate entity that has various managers called leaders. There is nobody on earth that does not fall under a certain leadership. Within that organization called your community, the citizens qualify to be called employees. They work for the community. The work they do ultimately improves on one large national economy. To another mind, the citizens are also employers especially in a situation where they need to elect their leaders.

It means that from another perspective, we rather live in organizations and not communities. Each community or country we live in is managed just as corporate entities are managed. There are justiciable and non-justiciable policies that apply within corporate entities and in our communities. The countries and communities are governed just as the corporate entities are governed. What we call corporate entities or ventures or enterprises rather exist as sub-sets of larger organizations called countries/regions/districts/communities.

I see those corporate entities as mere departments or segments of one big organization called a country or the world. One may say that University of Ghana, Volta River Authority, Coca-Cola Ghana Ltd, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital etc. are just different departments of one big organization called Ghana.

Similarly, West Africa, North Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa are just departments of one big organization called Africa. In likewise manner, the continents (Africa, Asia , North America , South America , Antarctica , Europe , and Australia ) are nothing but different departments of one big organization called the world. As a matter of fact, but for the mental sicknesses of a sort called racism and tribalism as well as other factors of discriminatory differentiation, then we are actually employees of the same organization called the world. If it is so, then we do not need visas to travel from country to country. The explanation is that we are all employees of the same organization called the world.

Take a look at this for example. Apart from research stations, there is no life on the Continent called Antarctica . It is called the world’s oldest, driest and windiest continent. It belongs to the organization called the World. As such, it is not owned by any one country. It is thus administered or governed by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), which encompasses a number of countries managing the lifeless continent as a condominium.

The ATS was first signed in 1959 by a dozen of countries but currently, there are about 54 countries that are signatories/partners to the ATS. These countries are broadly classified as consultative countries (29) and non-consultative parties (25) to the treaty. Whereas the consultative countries have voting power the non-consultative parties do not. Ironically, South Africa is the only African country that is a party to the ATS and it is one of the consultative parties.

Per the tenets of the ATS, the Antarctica is to be used for only peaceful research purposes and not for warfare or testing of weapons or nuclear power.

Conclusion

My thesis is that we do not only live in communities or countries or what have you. We live in organizations. This is why Carroll & Shabana (2010) argued on the altar of the business case for Corporate Social Responsibility that societal problems are equally organizational problems.

The whole world is nothing but an organization being managed by various managers called leaders. They use rules, policies and laws to govern the people. In a way, we can say that the people of the world are employees of one big organization called the world. These employees find themselves in different departments called continents and countries. The countries are equally further departmentalized depending on the choice of the managers based on democratic laws or decrees.

From another perspective, the citizens can also be termed as employers or shareholders in the organizations they call their countries. The entire world is governed like an organization. We rather live in organizations. Even the lifeless continent is administered as one of the world’s departments.

~Asante Sana ~

Philip Afeti Korto

Email: [email protected]

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