Studying the impacts of Moral Re-Armament
Dr Eric Dent, an expert in leadership and change management, is researching the impacts of Moral Re-Armament (MRA, the precursor to Initiatives of Change) in the period following World War II. He argues that, in several important cases, prosperity and peace in industry owed much to the personal choices made by individuals in management and labour. In this, he says, Moral Re-Armament was a driving force.
Dent, a Professor at the Florida Gulf Coast University, US, is conducting primary research into MRA, working from historical documents and interviews. He has published extensively about the role of MRA in industry, including its influence in Japan’s post-war economic success, and its contribution to resolving a pilots’ strike that crippled air transport between the US and Latin America. In February 2026, he visited Australia and connected with the Initiatives of Change community in Melbourne and Brisbane.
The trip included a Perth vist and interview with former Minister for Defence, Kim Beazley, whose father, Kim Beazley Sr, was known for his commitment to living out MRA principles while serving in government. In Melbourne, Dent met with former union official Jim Beggs, now 96.
Posting on LinkedIn, Dent later wrote, ‘I’ve met so many Moral Re-Armament heroes and he [Beggs] is another one…In short, he took a morally courageous step for which he was persecuted, but he stuck to his convictions. He turned around his local dock and then travelled the world trying to improve other unions.’
(Jim Beggs’ story is told in this 1975 article, and in his autobiography, Proud to be a Wharfie.)
Potluck and stories
On 5 February at Armagh, the Initiatives of Change community in Melbourne hosted an evening with Eric Dent and his wife Amy. Over a potluck meal and an informal Q&A session with around 25 people afterwards, he presented personal insights drawn from his work and experience.
In his academic work, Dent challenges simplistic narratives. Whereas many have attributed Japan’s post-war industry successes to the nation’s business and economic policies, Dent notes that, ‘Six of the eight Japanese prime ministers who held office after World War II worked with MRA or publicly endorsed the movement.’ His published research highlights how MRA introduced values that supported collaborative relations between unions and management, laying the foundation for strong economic growth.
In his personal life, he is involved in ministry to people in prison. Speaking to the group at Armagh, he emphasised the value of person-to-person friendships, and challenged everyone to learn more about the world by befriending someone of a different generation.
Paul Ntoumos, former chair of the Initiatives of Change Australia Board, commented, ‘It was a special evening for many of us…your reflections on post-war initiatives in industry really resonated — especially the way you traced change emerging from personal responsibility, moral courage, and lived values rather than just systems. These kinds of conversations are especially timely today.’
Text by Delia Paul
