Book Title:       Amish Enterprise: From Plows to Profits

Reviewer:  Ray Anderson

Authored by Donald B. Kraybill & Steven M. Nolt, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995, 2004

 

Have you passed an Amish buggy traveling down the side of a rural Midwest highway? Can you recognize an Amish follower through their black, gray and colorless clothing style? Or recognize an Amish man by his long, untrimmed beard? Do you recall photos of traditional Amish farmers plowing by horse? Have you shopped a modern ‘Amish’ grocery store that appears to be a throwback in time but laden with an excellent selection of homemade pastries, pies and food items?  Have you seen business advertisements for the excellent artisan work of an Amish wood craftsman? Would you like to receive a better understanding of the Amish and their business practices?

Amish Enterprise, From Plows to Profits, by Kraybill and Nolt is an intriguing read about the history, development and current business opportunities of the Amish population in the United States.  The book very successfully overlays the Amish culture and Amish business practices. Kraybill and Nolt are leading experts in both Amish and the Anabaptist movements which lends significant credibility to the literature.

The book tells the story of the Amish, focusing on Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who have started to transition their traditional agricultural farming and ‘plows’ as a means of living for the pursuit of profit in microenterprises, factories and mobile work crews.  The result of this transformation has been an intriguing growth of some very successful Amish microenterprises and entrepreneurs. Few Amish businesses fail. A fact presented in the book is that greater than 95% of new Amish business ventures succeed.  This success rate is higher than the non-Amish population.

However, with this business success will also come questions as to how this transformation might impact Amish culture in the future.

Kraybill and Nolt seek to answer, and do provide responses, to five major questions in their analysis of Amish business practices:

• Why did microenterprises arise at this particular juncture in Amish life?
• In what ways does Amish culture represent entrepreneurial activity?
• How are these enterprises distinctive?
• Why are they successful?
• How will they influence the future of Amish society?

Amish Enterprise, From Plows to Profits, is an excellent complement to our Creighton University Business, Faith and the Common Good course as it engages in topics including cultural resources, cultural constraints, religion, faith, profits, wealth, marketing and management perspectives in relation to the Amish and business enterprise.

KEY ELEMENTS

Amish Enterprise, From Plows to Profits opens with an excellent introduction of Amish history.  Kraybill and Nolt introduce us to the church founding in the 16^th Century as part of the Anabaptist movement and the eventual Amish migration to the United States in the 1800’s. You will quickly understand how the Amish, and how the Anabaptist persecution throughout Europe in the early era, attributes to the Amish culture of today.

This review of the Amish past is very helpful to establish an understanding of why and how the Amish culture developed as it has. The author’s do an excellent job tying the history and culture into modern day Amish business practice.

For example, two key Amish concepts presented that sculpt culture and business practices include the Ordnung and Gelassenheit.

Ordnung is roughly translated as “the expected conduct of members”. The Ordnung defines the practices, teachings, and taboos of the church.  It articulates the moral order of the community and its practice defines the very essence of the Amish community. The book walks through many excellent examples of Ordnung, including the reasons for specific styles of clothing, use of buggies and worship services.

Gelassenheit is roughly translated as “submission – yielding to a higher authority”.  The book explains it as a fairly elastic concept carrying many meanings: self-surrender, resignation to God’s will, yielding to God and others, willingness to suffer, self-denial, contentment, and a calm spirit.  Words including obedience, humility, submission, simplicity and plainness are often used to describe Gelassenheit. Gelassenheit is in sharp contrast to the proud, aggressive spirit of individualism found in modern American culture and commerce.

Progressing through the book, you will begin to understand why the Amish encounter with our current world of commerce is indeed a struggle between the quiet and modest habits of the Ordnung, and Gelassenheit, and the efficient high-tech ways of modernity.  However, you will also begin to understand why these Amish principles result in multiple success stories within their business ventures.

Due to Amish cultural sensitivities, the authors were cautious about how to present quotes or photos from community members cited in the book. Although it would be intriguing to read deeper into the individual thought of many of the Amish citizens, including photographs, the authors do note and explain that out of respect to the culture this is accomplished less than traditional book writings.

RECOMMENDATION

Amish Enterprise, From Plows to Profits is a very refreshing read.  I offer a very high and excellent rating for this book. The book is very well written and the topics integrate extremely well as you progress through the book.  The ties between history, church beliefs and business are brought together seamlessly to leave you with an excellent understanding of the Amish.  There are several characteristics of the Amish business culture that, many of which are biblical based, leave you with a refreshing impression of this unique community.  Upon completion of the book, you will have obtained a much more clear understanding of the Amish.

In addition to the learning, you may appreciate and long for the simplicity the Amish incorporate into both their business ventures and their lifestyle.