There is increasing talk in management circles about empowering employees and developing participative models of management. These models stem from the need to view employees as a valuable resource in coping with today’s knowledge-based economy. So far, little in the way of a consensus has emerged from the many competing ways to access this rich base of knowledge. But most accept the prevailing structure of management which tends to be autocratic and hierarchical. No matter how non-hierarchical, or “horizontal,” we try to make this structure, its very nature frustrates all efforts to achieve truly democratic decision-making. Part of the problem lies in disregarding the integral inner reality of human nature – call it “enlightenment” or “spirituality” – which theologian Paul Tillich has described as a person’s “ultimate concern.” United consultation seeks to tap this source of competitive advantage.