Suma Qamana: The “Living Well” Lens for Sustainable Business
- Tamara Stenn
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Most Western business logic is built around living better: more growth, more competition, more accumulation. Suma Qamana—an Indigenous Andean concept from the Quechua language—offers a different foundation: living well, in harmony with oneself, others, and nature.
In a business context, it asks a powerful question:
Does our business improve life for all—employees, customers, communities, and the earth?
When teams use this lens, sustainability stops being an add-on and becomes a design principle—often leading to deeper engagement, wiser resource use, and stronger long-term resilience.
The Chakrana: Four values you can apply to strategy
Suma Qamana is often represented by the chakrana (an Andean cross symbolizing balance). Its four values translate surprisingly well into business design:
Yachay (Knowledge)
Deep understanding and interconnected thinking. Business takeaway: prioritize learning, transparency, ethical sourcing, and listening to real customer needs.
Munay (Love)
Relational and emotional well-being. Business takeaway: build supportive culture, gratitude practices, and brand loyalty rooted in care—not hype.
Ruray (Doing)
Turning ideas into practical action. Business takeaway: prototype, experiment, co-create with customers and community, and implement inclusive practices.
Ushay (Power)
Reflective, ethical use of influence. Business takeaway: negotiate fairly, lead ethically, share power through transparency, choice, and mutual value exchange.
Why this lens builds resilience
Suma Qamana views time as a spiral (Kasway), connecting decisions to both past and future generations—encouraging long-term thinking. It also embraces balance between opposites (like tradition and innovation), helping teams avoid fragile “either/or” strategies.
A real-world example: the Indonesian startup Siklus used these principles to pivot during new packaging regulations—applying Yachay (learning from customers) and Ruray (acting with a circular “Return from Home” model) while staying aligned with sustainability and collective well-being.
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