About Zinnings
The Dream
What if everyone knew perfectly well why something appeals to his or her sense of justice? And if we disagree with someone about what is most just, and we can point out why?
And suppose we could discuss this with everyone, consciously and calmly?
Could it be that we all experience that it is actually liberating to consciously raise the ethical bar a little higher?
Would it be possible for all of us to become a little more ambitious and at the same time a little milder for ourselves and other people?
And that we would then really be eager in the exciting experience of being meaningful and righteous?
Well, that is what Zinnings is all about: exciting ethics .
That’s the mission of Zinnings, founded mid-2018 by Koen De Vidts.
How did this happen?
Ethics in personal life and in organisations have long been a passion. Hence a training as a certified “Facilitator of Moral Deliberation”, at the International School of Philosophy in Leusden, the Netherlands (2019,www.isvw.nl ).
In recent years, I have been working for the new cooperative ethical and sustainable bank NewB (collaborated on the banking licence, obtained in January 2020. www.newb.coop ). Now I am still active in the Board of Directors. It is fun and challenging to put ethics into practice in an organisation that uses exactly that as the guiding principle.
And before?
Studies in civil engineering (KU Leuven, 1987); then civil service in a psychiatric institution.
Then 15 years in the IT department in a cooperative bank (Bacob), then 14 years of other jobs in another cooperative bank (Crelan).
Why not a Phd in philosophy?
Indeed, apart from the certificate of “facilitator of moral deliberation”, I do not have a philosophy or ethics degree.
So I cannot give you a complete overview of the history of ethics, nor answer all philosophical questions. I would like to, but so be it.
What I do try to share is the experience of 30 years of work with two feet on the ground in companies and organisations, with as a common thread the attempt to apply what I read about ethics as concretely as possible in the field.
Everything I try to convey with Zinnings has already passed the test of practice. Privately, as a committed volunteer, but also at work.
And because of my experience as a father of three children, as a volunteer in the local primary school, and in many business domains (from IT to marketing, from operations to strategy, from mergers & acquisitions to accounting, from logistics to digital transformation) I hope to be able to empathize with the real work situation you are experiencing.
What can Zinnings do for you?
Training courses
Zinnings offers a two-day programme to personally skill you in ethics, and a follow-up day to apply that knowledge in your organisation. There is also a short version of half a day for pupils and students.
Moral Deliberation
A guided discussion method for a group of 3 to 12 participants, on a concrete moral issue. In about two hours a team learns something about a concrete problem, but also about each other.
Workshops
Practical, interactive consultation moments tailored to an organisation; they can be about a moment of moral crisis, about implementing your core values, about sharpening your mission, policies or codes of conduct.
Advice
On ethical issues in organisations. About policy, awareness or training programmes, enriching the mission and vision, making codes of conduct live up to. How to integrate moral reflection into stress prevention, or how to live up to the core values of your organisation.
Presentations
Do you want to share with everyone how thrilling it can be to live up to your moral standards?
Do you want to be excited about how simple it can sometimes be to be able to point out your moral gut feeling?