Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Robert L. Dilenschneider
Founder, The Dilenschneider Group
There are many fine values, such as courtesy,
confidence, ingenuity, thrift, and so on. The trouble
is that the list of values grows easily and can cause
many employees to lose their focus. They fail to
prioritize. A short list of values is far more useful in
putting the workplace back on track.
Moreover, when the core values exceed four or five
points, it becomes difficult to communicate and
reinforce them. The following are five candidates
for the practical values having foremost importance:
1.
Integrity
2.
Accountability
3.
Diligence
4.
Perseverance
5.
Discipline
I know companies strong organizations
centered on these values. They are invariably
successful. Almost always, these core values
generate other values in employees.
But what if all our organizations started with the
same short list? Wouldnt that give American
industry, or the industry of any culture, an important
leg up?
INTEGRITY
Integrity is no simple matter. It is particularly easy
for business people to lie. I compiled a list of 46
reasons that executives lie. They include:
If I didnt lie about my loyalty to the firm, they would
never have promoted me.
If I hadnt lied, I would have exposed our firm to an
unfair lawsuit.
If the union knew our real profit prospects, they
would beat us black-and-blue at the bargaining
table.
There seems to be some compelling reasons to lie
in certain situations. Although Ive heard a few
plausible defenses of lying, Im not sure it is ever
INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
Instrumental Values are core values, permanent in
nature, comprise personal characteristics and
character traits.
Instrumental Values refer to preferable modes of
behavior and include values like honesty, sincerity,
ambition, independence, obedience,
imaginativeness, courageousness,
competitiveness, and also some negative traits too.
Organizations also have Instrumental Values
(which can be ascertained from the organizational
culture) and these are permanent in nature and
difficult to change.
TERMINAL VALUES
In our personal lives, Terminal Values are those
things that we can work towards or we think are
most important and we feel are most desirable
terminal values are desirable states of existence.
Terminal Values include things like happiness, selfrespect, family security, recognition, freedom, inner
harmony, comfortable life, professional excellence,
etc.
In a nutshell, Terminal Values signify the objectives
of the life of a person the ultimate things the
Integrity
An important aspect of workplace values and ethics
is integrity, or displaying honest behavior at all
times. For instance, an employee who works at a
cash register is expected to balance the drawer and
deposit the correct amount of money at the end of
the night. Integrity in the business world also might
mean being honest when turning in an expense
report or not attempting to steal a sales account
from a co-worker.
Accountability
Read this Before you take up a Job (or Before
Recruiting a Candidate)
Dedication
How hard an employee works, or how much effort
she puts forth, can go a long way. Obviously,
companies want results, but most employers prefer
a worker who gives an honest effort to one who
might be considered a natural at the job, but is
otherwise disruptive. Either way, when an
employee signs on with a business, they must be in
agreement to perform to the best of their ability and
their behaviour must be in alignment with the
companies core values and expected ethical
conduct.
Collaboration
In almost every business, workplace values and
ethics consist of teamwork. Thats because most
companies believe that when morale is high and
everyone is working together, success will follow.
So it is important for employees to be team
playerswhether assisting co-workers on a project,
teaching new hires new tasks, or following the
instructions of a supervisor.
Respect
Employee conduct is an integral aspect of
workplace values and ethics. Respectful behaviour
honours the dignity and contribution of each
employee. It promotes positive behaviours in
communication and interpersonal relations, as well
as with external partners, clients and stakeholders,
Respect earns trust. Employees must not only treat
others with respect, but exhibit appropriate
behavior in all facets of the job. That includes
wearing proper attire, using language that is
considered suitable around the office and
conducting themselves with professionalism.