Jesuits and Multinationals

Many researchers have dedicated their time to the study of religion as a transnational force in global politics, but not as many have delved into the role that structures play in this dynamic.  However, in recent years, there are a growing number of academics who approach the Society of Jesus as a subject of study from the organizational perspective.
Already in 1973, Ivan Vallier characterized the Catholic Church as an example of a transnational actor worthy of analysis. Our Church has characteristics similar to many other transnational structures: There is a center of coordination, it is present in multiple countries, the Church has its own trained personnel, it follows a defined mission, it has a communication system, and it develops specialized activities across one or several international borders. For Brian Hehir, a Harvard professor, the clearest examples of transnational actors are IBM, Coca -Cola and the Jesuits.
Recently, Erik Vanleeuw graduated with an MBA from the Vlerick Business School in Belgium for his research project on the organizational design of the Society of Jesus and its capacity for change. Our collaborator, José Bento da Silva, from the University of Warwick, recently published an article in the Financial Times “Do the Jesuits hold the answer for misfiring multinationals?” José has been studying the Jesuits as an example of a multinational, and according to his analysis, a lot can be learned from its structure from the organizational perspective. A few weeks ago, in an interview with Core Magazine, he highlighted information management, training, the principles of our spirituality, the structure of provinces, the balance of hierarchy, as well as obedience and discernment as some of the features of the structure and way of proceeding of the Society of Jesus that seem to significantly resonate with the gurus of organizational management in the era of networks.
Do you know of any similar studies that are important to highlight? Is there a reference that you’d like to share with us? Through the Jesuit Networking project, we have a Facebook Group  where we invite all who are interested in further engaging and collaborating in the study of the Society of Jesus from the structural and network perspective to join.