What do you mean by Regenerative?
The regenerative tidal wave has started….
“We began to think about what processes we have in HR that are more extractive in nature, and which processes we have that are regenerative in nature.”
- Dean Carter, Chief Human Resources Officer, Patagonia
Regenerate means “to restore or to remake in a better form or condition.”
Over multiple centuries, society has evolved how we approach managing environmental resources such as farm land, forests, or water sources from depletive to sustainable to regenerative.
Here’s the Question….
What if we applied this to human resources?
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Depletive
Depletive approaches take what is needed without giving anything back. This ultimately leads to using up our resources until there is nothing left. In the workplace this results in burn out. low productivity, dysfunctional teams and employee attrition - all of which impact profitability.
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Sustainability
Sustainability is a better approach as it acknowledges that a fair exchange is needed for all to benefit. This new “buzzword” is starting to be applied in the arena of humans and workplace wellbeing. Resources may last longer when you try to replace what you take - but do they thrive? Is that making the world a better place?
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Regenerative
A regenerative approach aims to create systems that enrich our resources, leading to thriving communities and resilient ecosystems. Rather than merely maintaining by giving back to the resources we take, what if we seek to improve them to produce even better productivity and outcomes over time?
