Monthly Archives: May 2018
Minzu University: Religious Demography – How and why?
BBC interviews Brian Grim: ‘America’s Pastor’ Billy Graham and the Business of Religion
24 May, 2018
⇒ LISTEN
Billy Graham died aged 99. The globe-trotting preacher transformed American religious life through his ‘crusades’ and activism.
He used his charisma and the power of TV to spread his gospel around the world – which translated into influence of a different nature – financial and political. We explore these issues with Dr Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation in Annapolis, Maryland.
Transparency International has published its latest Corruption Perceptions Index – assessing the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries. While countries like Senegal have climbed up this year’s rankings, Australia’s score has fallen.
Maggie Murphy, Senior Global Advocacy Manager at Transparency International, explains why.
Fergus Nicoll is joined throughout the show by Yuan Yang, Beijing Correspondent at the Financial Times, and Dante Disparte, founder of Risk Cooperative.
Picture: Billy Graham delivers a speech on stage in the 1970s (Credit: Keystone/Getty).
Accenture USA: Cutting Edge of Workplace Religious Diversity & Inclusion
24 May, 2018
by Brian Grim
Over the past month I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a nation-wide webinar for Accenture employees on the case for being able to bring your whole self, faith and all, to work. Also, together with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, we provide in-house training for Accenture managers in New York.
Nationwide Webinar: “Religious Literacy 101 – What does it mean to have an accommodation mindset”
Date/Time April 20th, 2018 – 11am -12pm EST, Conducted via Skype Meeting
Speakers:
- Jim Collier – Facilitator
- Brian Grim – President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation
- Mary-Frances Winters – Author, We Can’t Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics
In-House Training
The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute jointly provided a half-day training at Accenture’s NYC HQ for managers and executives.
Participants became religiously literate, that is, they become conversant about how religion impacts the workplace and the marketplace, their coworkers and partners as well as customers and clients.
Participants gained an understanding of the empirical evidence on the value that religious liberty, religious diversity, and religious inclusion and their roles in business strategy, corporate policy and economic growth.
This training provided Accenture managers frameworks that will help them lead effectively in a world of growing religious diversity.
The curriculum was grounded in the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s Corporate Pledge on Religious Diversity & Inclusion. As companies employ this framework, they send two clear messages to current and prospective employees: (1) you can work here without changing who you are; and (2) the company respects all employees and will not favor certain employees over others, and that’s good for the business of all.
China Leads World in Religious Diversity
24 May, 2018
Brian J. Grim, Ph.D. (葛百彦)
A Pew Research Center religious diversity study – based on methodology I developed with Todd Johnson – finds that about one-in-three people live in countries with high religious diversity (also see Chapter 3 in our book, The World’s Religions in Figures).
While the majority of the world’s countries (59%) have relatively low religious diversity, because many countries with low diversity have small populations, only a third (33%) of the world’s people live in them according to the study. About a third (32%) of the world’s people live in countries with moderate religious diversity and another third (35%) live in countries with high or very high religious diversity.
China has a very diverse mixture of the eight major religious groups counted in the Pew study: Buddhists (18.2%), Christians (5.1%), unaffiliated (52.2%), Muslims (1.8%), other religions (0.7%), Hindus (<1%), folk religionists (21.9%) and Jews (<1%).
During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, religion was completely outlawed and people were routinely beaten and killed for having superstitious or religious beliefs. While it is true that today China has very high government restrictions on religion relative to other countries in the world, current conditions are far less restrictive than they were in the 1960s and 1970s.
Today, China has the world’s largest Buddhist population, largest folk religionist population, largest Taoist population, 9th largest Christian population and 17th largest Muslim population – ranking between Yemen and Saudi Arabia (Pew Research Center 2012).
Religious Diversity Summit at Bloomberg NYC HQ
23 May, 2018
As religion grows around the globe and Western societies become more diverse, the workplace becomes a natural place where faith is included.
This year’s third annual Religious Diversity Leadership Summit was the largest one yet, with attendance near capacity and a waitlist in hand. Tanenbaum’s first full day Summit boasted 155 attendees and 23 speakers plus moderators from 64 companies, spanning 18 industries. The day included four concurrent breakout sessions addressing focused topics, another first for the Summit. Hosted by Bloomberg, the Summit was sponsored by Bloomberg, DTCC, and the Walt Disney Company.
Ivy Latimer, Hanne Dalmut, Olivia Lang, Brian Grim
Public/Private Partnerships:
Hanne Dalmut, Director of Partnership Development, Concordia
Brian Grim, President, Religious Freedom and Business Foundation
Olivia Lang, Director, Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health
Moderator: Ivy Latimer, Senior Director of Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Strategic Diversity Management, CVS Health
During the Summit, the topic of why are public/private partnerships that address topics of religious diversity so important today. Each of the speakers addressed their organization’s engagement in public/private partnerships and shared some specific examples of the work public/private partnerships accomplish.
Brian Grim gave the example of how the biannual Global Business Convention & Peace Awards has grown in number of partners and scale of impact, including 21 CEOs signing the Corporate Pledge on Religious Diversity & Inclusion in Seoul earlier this spring (see video clip).
Brian Grim gave keynote at inaugural summit in 2016
Panelists and moderators in the programs emphasized the importance of “bringing ones’ whole self to work” and the positive impact, as well as sometimes challenges, this can have for everyone. This was addressed in the context of varying positions of power in a company, the impact of generational norms, and the influence of different company cultures (corporate, non-profit, government, etc.).
In response to the Summit, attendees shared the following reactions and takeaways from the day:
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“I have attended the previous conference[s]. They just keep getting better.”
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“I appreciated ‘respectful curiosity.‘ As a baby boomer, I was taught never to ask questions about why people are different. However, I always found [that] by asking respectful questions, you get to learn the culture and practices of others.”
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As organizations, we celebrate what we value. [Also,] don’t be paralyzed by potential backlash. Instead, be prepared to ask people what they want/need when they raise concerns and say ‘What about me?’”
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“The Senior Leadership Panel described strong actions implemented at their company that describes the financial [return on investment] from diversity and inclusion. Using the Learning Lab assignment with Senior Management will generate dialogue and ultimately result in exercise to implement with staff.”
The overarching message of the day as one attendee so powerfully articulated was that “diversity of religion is a fact, but inclusion of religion is a choice.”
Religion’s Role in Business – Horasis Global Meeting
6 May, 2018
Brian Grim’s Introduction: We live in a world where religious populations will dramatically outgrow religiously unaffiliated populations. According to the Pew Research Center, the global religiously affiliated population is projected to grow by 2.3 billion between 2010 and 2050 compared with almost no growth in the religiously unaffiliated population (about 0.1 billion). This is more than a 23-fold difference in favor of religious populations. That’s like religion “winning” 23-to-1.
This religious growth is also changing the global marketplace. Today, three of the top five economies are Christian-majority. But in 40 years, only one is projected to be. The other four top economies in 2050 will include countries where Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and the unaffiliated predominate.
Research shows that this religious growth can be good for the workplace and the bottom lines of businesses –– as long as it is accompanied by respect for freedom of religion or belief by governments and societies. In such countries, innovative strength is more than twice as high as in countries where governments and societies don’t respect freedom of religion or belief.
So, freedom to believe – or not believe – is good for business. We can see this in the world’s two largest economies.
First, China. Admittedly it is perhaps a counter-intuitive example. During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, religion was completely outlawed and people were routinely beaten and killed for having superstitious or religious beliefs. While it is true that today China has very high government restrictions on religion relative to other countries in the world, current conditions are far less restrictive than they were in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, China has the world’s largest Buddhist population, largest folk religionist population, largest Taoist population, 9th largest Christian population and 17th largest Muslim population – ranking between Yemen and Saudi Arabia (Pew Research Center 2012). It is undeniable that had the Cultural Revolution’s draconian restrictions on religion and all segments of society continued, China’s economic progress would not have been possible.
Second, the U.S. Religion annually contributes nearly $1.2 trillion of socio-economic value to the U.S. economy. That is equivalent to being the world’s 15th largest national economy, putting it ahead of about 180 other countries. — It’s more than the annual revenues of the world’s top 10 tech companies, including Apple, Amazon and Google. — And it’s also more than 50% larger than that of the annual global revenues of America’s 6 largest oil and gas companies. So – you might say – that represents a lot of spiritually inspired fuel being pumped into the U.S. economy.
Religion-related and religion-friendly business add about $438 billion to the US economy each year. These include faith-based businesses, ranging from the Halal and Kosher food industries to religious media such as EWTN and the Christian Broadcast Network. The largest group within this sector are not religious companies, per se, but are faith-inspired or religion-friendly companies. Tyson’s Foods, for example, employs a large force of chaplains for their multi-religious workforce.
Many Companies Engaging
Tyson Foods isn’t the only company that’s religion-friendly or that has religious roots. Walmart came out of the Evangelical culture of Arkansas – at the time one of the most rural and least technologically advanced U.S. States. Ted Malloch notes that although the commercial success of Walmart is well known, “less well known are Walmart’s connections to the distinct religious world of northwest Arkansas and rural America … [and its] corporate culture and how specific executives incorporated religious culture into their managerial philosophy” (2015: 82). For a full discussion of the religious roots of Walmart, see Bethany Moreton’s Harvard book (2009).
Ethos of the company
Worldwide, a number of companies adhere to a religious or belief-based ethos. For instance, Sanitarium, the most popular breakfast cereal company in Australia, is owned and operated by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. As a practical demonstration of the Church’s doctrinal dedication to health and well-being, Sanitarium is a South Pacific leader in producing healthy products and in organizing community programmes to encourage healthy lifestyles.
One such Sanitarium programme is their popular nationwide TRYathlons, which inspire children to get moving in a friendly and supportive environment with an emphasis on enjoying the experience as part of an active lifestyle rather than competition.
In fact, breakfast cereals in general have Adventist roots. The parent company of Sanitarium was Sanitas, the original company set up by then-Adventists John Harvey and W.K. Kellogg to manufacture toasted corn flakes as a healthier alternative to the greasy American breakfasts of the day. And now you know the religious roots of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes!
Religious Diversity & Inclusion
Major global companies are adding religion as part of diversity and inclusion programs. Recently, EY created an online program, Religious Literacy for Organizations, winning EY UK Chairman Steve Varley a Global Business & Interfaith Peace Award at a March 2018 gala keynoted by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with the collaboration of the UN Global Compact.
Bloomberg, DTCC and The Walt Disney Company are sponsoring the 3rd Annual Tanenbaum Religious Diversity Leadership Summit on May 10 at Bloomberg headquarters in New York. At the summit I will discuss the global traction of the Corporate Pledge on Religious Diversity & Inclusion, which has a growing number of signatories including the CEOs of Hyundai Elevator, Berkshire Capital, The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, Yuhan-Kimberly and the Mizan Group, Indonesia’s largest Muslim publisher.
Religion, not just religious diversity and inclusion, also animates business leaders. Here, at the annual Horasis Global Meeting of business and world leaders, five CEOs will share with their peers how their faith inspires and animates their work in business. And faith is a consistent topic at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, ranging from special sessions on the power of faith to informal events like the Davos Shabbat initiated by the late Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
A question Davos has yet to address
Today at the annual Horasis Global Meeting of business and world leaders, five CEOs, each from a different faith tradition (Catholic, Confucian, Evangelical, Mormon and Muslim), shared with their peers how faith inspires and animates their work in business. This is an issue the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos has yet to take up.
Brian Grim will moderate.
Many global events seem beyond control and ultimately affect people locally. People become disillusioned, and without hope fall prey to despair and populism. How may we develop trust, faith and togetherness to enable inspirational progress that can develop economic, political and spiritual change? Businesses by and large are secular, but how are they impacted and inspired by religion?
- – King Husein, Chief Executive Officer, Span Construction & Engineering, USA
- – James Kong, Assistant Secretary General, The World Federation of Confucius Descendents, Hong Kong
- – Don Larson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sunshine Nut Company, Mozambique
- – Ali Ahmad Makahleh, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, 3Du, Jordan
- – Fleur D. S. Spari, Chairperson, Mahrberg Group, Liechtenstein
- – Chaired by Brian J. Grim, President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, USA
Can Corporate America Join the National Day of Prayer?
3 May, 2018
by Brian Grim
May 4, Washington, DC: Who can imagine Corporate America pausing today for the U.S. National Day of Prayer? After all, the business of America is business. And yet, a major food supplier – one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” in 2017, employing more than 100,000 in the U.S. – does just that as a matter of course.
Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein, employs a force of 98 dedicated chaplains to provide compassionate pastoral care to their workforce and their families, no matter what their religious affiliation or beliefs might be. This includes prayer, not just on the National Day set aside for it, but when people face issues of life that a spiritual perspective can help address.
U.S. law requires the President to issue annually a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer. The law envisions prayers in places of worship, in groups and by individuals, but it makes no mention of prayers in the workplace. In fact, the non-profit National Day of Prayer Task Force’s guidance on the matter is to pray for business, apparently not expecting businesses to join in.
Including and recognizing faith is part of other diversity and inclusion commitments. In 2017, Tom Hayes, President and CEO of Tyson Foods, Inc., also joined the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion group of more than 250 CEOs. “As part of our core values, we strive to treat each other with dignity and respect every day,” said Hayes. “Signing this pledge is another visible demonstration of our ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, which we believe makes us a stronger, better team.”
Many Companies Engaging
Tyson Foods isn’t the only major global company adding religion as part of diversity and inclusion programs. Recently, EY created an online program, Religious Literacy for Organizations, winning EY UK Chairman Steve Varley a Global Business & Interfaith Peace Award at a March 2018 gala keynoted by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with the collaboration of the UN Global Compact.
Bloomberg, DTCC and The Walt Disney Company are sponsoring the 3rd Annual Tanenbaum Religious Diversity Leadership Summit on May 10 at Bloomberg headquarters in New York. At the summit I will discuss the global traction of the Corporate Pledge on Religious Diversity & Inclusion, which has a growing number of signatories including the CEOs of Hyundai Elevator, Berkshire Capital, The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, Yuhan-Kimberly and the Mizan Group, Indonesia’s largest Muslim publisher.
Such corporate diversity and inclusion initiatives are tapping into a couple of current trends. First, workplace religious diversity is increasing as people have more job mobility. Second, religious switching in the United States and elsewhere has increased the number of people who identify as spiritual but not religious. Within this increasingly fluid religious marketplace, it is natural that the workplace becomes part of the environment where religious identities are lived and shaped, especially because that is where so many of us spend so much time.
Underlying religious diversity and inclusion initiatives is the need for freedom of religion and belief in the workplace. Workplaces adopting these values send two clear messages to current and prospective employees: (1) you can work here without changing who you are; and (2) the company respects all employees and will not discriminate on the basis of religion or belief. And that’s good for the business of all.
Religion Animates Business People
Religion, not just religious diversity and inclusion, also animates business leaders. Next week, at the annual Horasis Global Meeting of business and world leaders, five CEOs will share with their peers how their faith inspires and animates their work in business. And faith is a consistent topic at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, ranging from special sessions on the power of faith to informal events like the Davos Shabbat initiated by the late Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
We live in a world where religious populations will dramatically outgrow religiously unaffiliated populations. According to the Pew Research Center, the global religiously affiliated population is projected to grow by 2.3 billion between 2015 and 2060 compared with almost no growth in the religiously unaffiliated population (less than 0.1 billion). This is more than a 23-fold difference in favor of religious populations.
Given these workplace, religious and demographic trends, it will not be surprising if more companies join in the National Day of Prayer in 2019.
More on the Tyson Foods Chaplaincy
Related: Tyson Foods Appoints Karen Diefendorf as Director of Chaplain Services. Karen is a former military chaplain with more than 33 years of experience in ministry has been named director of chaplain services at Tyson Foods. Full press release. See video on Tyson Foods’ Chaplaincy program below.
Exec Ed: Workplace Religious Freedom
If your business or organization wants training on successfully navigating religious diversity and inclusion in the workplace, please contact Brian Grim, RFBF President.
Horasis Challenges Davos
1 May, 2018
Frank-Jürgen Richter, chairman at Horasis, previews the upcoming Horasis Global Meeting that will bring together 600 CEOs and discusses French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit with U.S. President Donald Trump, and the future of trade. He speaks with Bloomberg’s Mark Barton on “Bloomberg Markets.” (Source: Bloomberg, 25.04.2018)
A question Davos has yet to address
Next week at the annual Horasis Global Meeting of business and world leaders, five CEOs, each from a different faith tradition (Catholic, Confucian, Evangelical, Mormon and Muslim), will share with their peers how faith inspires and animates their work in business. This is an issue the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos has yet to take up.
Brian Grim will moderate.
Many global events seem beyond control and ultimately affect people locally. People become disillusioned, and without hope fall prey to despair and populism. How may we develop trust, faith and togetherness to enable inspirational progress that can develop economic, political and spiritual change? Businesses by and large are secular, but how are they impacted and inspired by religion?
- – King Husein, Chief Executive Officer, Span Construction & Engineering, USA
- – James Kong, Assistant Secretary General, The World Federation of Confucius Descendents, Hong Kong
- – Don Larson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sunshine Nut Company, Mozambique
- – Ali Ahmad Makahleh, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, 3Du, Jordan
- – Fleur D. S. Spari, Chairperson, Mahrberg Group, Liechtenstein
- – Chaired by Brian J. Grim, President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, USA
Brian Grim at Previous Horasis Meetings
MICROSOFT: Embracing Diversity
1 May, 2018
MICROSOFT: Embracing Diversity
Microsoft’s most valuable assets are its employees and the unique perspectives they bring to their jobs each and every day. Produced for Microsoft by Untamed.
* UNTAMED is a film production company based in Seattle, WA. They create high-value content for international nonprofits, fortune 500 companies, universities, and startups. They seek to highlight the depth, emotion, and diversity of the human experience through intimate interviews and compelling vérité footage.
Faith at a $700 Billion Company
1 May, 2018
How does someone live out faith in a global, iconic company like Apple — especially when reporting to a brilliant but demanding leader like Steve Jobs?
Ron Johnson and John Brandon, both recruited to senior level positions by Jobs, share some surprising insights about implementing principles of faith and love at Apple.
Cast
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SENIOR VP OF RETAIL OPERATIONS
Ron Johnson/
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VP OF INTERNATIONAL
John Brandon/
Ron Jonson and John Brandon applied gospel principles into developing one of the most successful retail stores in history.
FAITH & CO. is a 13-part documentary film series by Untamed* and distributed by Seattle Pacific University, which explores the tensions, struggles, and life of leaders who approach the world of business through the lens of faith.
From senior executives at Apple who created the most successful retail store in history, to a high-fashion wearable technology company in Vietnam. From a couple revitalizing an entire town in Alabama, to a $1 billion dollar car dealership infused with the values of transparency and service. You can watch them all at FAITH & CO.
* UNTAMED is a film production company based in Seattle, WA. They create high-value content for international nonprofits, fortune 500 companies, universities, and startups. They seek to highlight the depth, emotion, and diversity of the human experience through intimate interviews and compelling vérité footage.
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