CHAPTER XV: Vision For Holistic Technologies, Production Systems And Management Models 

HUMAN VALUES AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

LECTURE NOTES

UNIT –V : CHAPTER XV 

               Vision for Holistic Technologies, Production systems and Management Models

The Holistic Criteria for Evaluation:

There are three broad criteria to guide the development of technologies and systems conducive to human welfare:

1.       Catering to appropriate needs and lifestyles

2.       People friendly

3.       Eco friendly

More specifically, it can be described as follows:

Criteria for technologies –

·         Catering to real human needs

·         Compatible with natural systems and cycles

·         Facilitating effective utilization of human body, animals, plants and materials

·         Safe, user friendly and conducive to health

·         Producible with local resources and expertise as far as possible

·         Promoting the use of renewable energy resources

·         Low cost and energy efficient

·         Enhancing human interaction and cooperation

·         Promoting decentralization

·         Durability and life cycle recyclability of products

Criteria for Production Systems

What to produce?

How to produce?

For whom to produce?

And how much to produce?

Criteria to judge the appropriateness of production systems

·         Optimal utilization of local resources and expertise

·         Economic viability and sustainability

·         Priority for local consumption

·         Matching the pattern of production with the availability/producibility in the local environment and the pattern of consumption

·         Decentralized systems capable of meaningful employment of people in the community

·         Facilitating production by masses and not mass production in a centralized mode

·         Promoting individual creativity and sense of accomplishment

·         Using people-friendly and eco-friendly technologies

·         Ensuring requisite quality of production

·         Safe and conducive to health of persons involved in production as well as to others.

Criteria for Humanistic Management Models

·         The whole unit working as a well-knit family

·         Cooperative and motivational

·         Ensuring correct appraisal of human labour

·         Targeting employer-employee as well as consumer satisfaction and not profit maximization

·         Sharing of responsibility and participative mode of management

·         Continuous value addition of the persons involved

·         Effectively integrating individual competencies and complimentarity

A Critical Appraisal of the Prevailing Systems

à The present day models have been developed from the materialistic world view.

à They are using latest scientific knowledge and sophisticated technologies

à But they are incompatible with ecology and not conducive to Human Welfare.

à Heavily dependent on non-renewable sources causing depletion as well as pollution

à Natural resources, labour etc. are being substituted with the artificial ones.

à More complicated systems which are highly capital and energy intensive

à Although labelled as user friendly, and of being superior quality products or systems, they are not conducive to human welfare.

Learning from the Systems in Nature and Traditional Practices

To gain an insight into the holistic systems we need to learn from the systems of nature and from traditional practices. The modern world is living with a wrong notion that nature is meant to be controlled and exploited for human enjoyment. This is what is termed as development these days. But in reality, human beings are an integral part of this self-sustaining nature. Hence it is essential that they live in harmony with nature. 

Similarly, with the increase in knowledge and skills, and changing needs, many improvisations are being made in technologies. But they are not as eco-friendly and people-friendly as the traditional practices. Hence, it is necessary that the improvisations should recognise and retain the good qualities of the traditional practices.