How will organizations retain talent among drastically shifting cultural priorities? In the words of the late bell hooks, it’s “all about love”.

Through a series of focus groups and surveys, we uncovered five overarching themes in describing love in an organizational context. We then used these themes to develop a basic framework for Loving Organizations.

The concept of love as a public-sector organization tool may seem novel, but it isn’t new. George Frederickson, a founder of modern public administration, and David Hart call for a deep and unconditional love of people in their 1985 article “The Public Service and the Patriotism of Benevolence”.

Frederickson and Hart suggest that the public service model exists at the intersection of patriotism (the love and devotion to one’s structural ethics ) and benevolence (a love of others).

They identify a need for moral courage in public service and a commitment to idealism. They argue that the role of a public servant is, in fact, to realize the ideal. The Patriotism of Benevolence is considered the space where idealism and practicality align.

Our approach generates organizations that actualize this duty of public service.