Humanistic Management and Sustainable Transformation with Regional Scope on Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Global and European financial crises, which have had bad effects on people of all income classes over the years, have made people rethink the economic system, rules of action, and their priorities in life. On the global level, UN institutions work on new instruments and agreements beside the GDP (gross domestic product) to measure growth. On the local level, policy, civil society, and business institutions work on new models of economic and social development in countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Through those initiatives, conferences, and research activities, society and policy makers largely agree upon two things: firstly, the importance of highlighting and strengthening the humanistic values in the businesses and the economies on global and local levels and, secondly, the need for change and transformation to more sustainable developments in our lifestyles and economic behaviour. Also, during the past decades, we have learned that it is a long way from knowledge to action. Widely acknowledged studies like ‘The Limits to Growth’ published by Donella H. Meadows et.al. (1972) for the Club of Rome or, more recently, the ‘The Spirit Level — Why Equality is Better for Everyone’ by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (2010) showcase the effects and the impacts of human carelessness on the environment and society because of economic growth and egocentrism, and questioned the present system.