Unitive Business

Emerging Vision for Unitive Business

Convener: Sara Daves Sara Daves has extensive experience in the corporate world and understands how challenging that environment can be to employees across the organization. Sara was drawn to the Unitive Justice model and its particular application to business because it offers a parallel model that can be created from the bottom up, a way to transcend a dualistic environment even while you are in it. Sara transitioned from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, now extending her experience to that of a small entrepreneur. She serves as a purpose coach, helping clients clarify their true life’s purpose. She weaves Unitive Justice theory throughout her work to support healing and authenticity.

Unitive Business is a model for businesses that embodies (or seeks to embody) certain core unitive structures: values, inclusion, community, honesty and mutually beneficial action.

In Unitive Business, conflicts are addressed early on using Strategic Conflict Intervention (SCI) in order to resolve conflicts in a manner that empowers people to solve their own conflicts and feel seen, heard and understood. The Unitive Business Model offers the opportunity to create connection, so employees feel empowered to create new possibilities that work in the best interests of their organizations.

Business leaders are busy people, so they often turn to how-to manuals, quick fixes and easy solutions to conflict that treat symptoms instead of actually solving the problems. Temporary fixes might work for a while, but problems that persist beneath the surface will inevitably reemerge later and create more conflict. This leads to lack of engagement, high turnover, ineffective communication, and unresolved conflicts.

Unitive Business theory emphasizes seven of 14 Arcs to Unitive Justice that provide a revolutionary way of engaging employees and developing mutually-beneficial solutions for the entire organization.

  • Arc 2. From Rules to Values

  • Arc 5. From Judgment to Insight

  • Arc 6. From Episode to Context

  • Arc 8. From Self-Interest to Community

  • Arc 9. From Hierarchy to Inclusion

  • Arc 10. From Deception to Honesty

  • Arc 12. From Opposition/Confrontation to Synergy

The business system most prevalent today is based on profit-before-people. Despite its sustainability (and mutually supportive structures) it fails to achieve desired or promised outcomes for the whole.

For a business to truly thrive, people must come before products and profit. This includes employees, customers and the community. The Unitive Business Model provides business leaders with a concrete plan for transforming their culture into a supportive, expansive and inspirational environment where both employees and business can thrive.

Our traditional understanding of business cannot change until a new model is presented and there is an opportunity to replace it. The Unitive Business Model is that new model.