Values and Ethics

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Values and Ethics - Aligning the Organization

We believe that from organizational values and ethics, (spoken or unspoken), flow organizational culture and style, vision, mission, strategy, and practices. Alignment with values is critical to high performance and sustainability. We believe and teach that that these values constitute an interdependent system of virtue-based attributes, not a list. A sound and thorough values construct enables alignment between organizational culture, vision, strategy, and performance. This is a fundamental part of governance and executive leadership. We can show and teach leaders how to accomplish it. These values are much more than simply ethics (the focus of much of the values literature), but include attributes flowing from compassion, respect, humility, service to others, and self-discipline among many.

The way the organization conducts itself, its style, is governed by its values. It is its style that is experienced by suppliers, employees and customers. The effort it puts into achieving excellence (or not) is governed by its values. How teachable it is or how arrogant it is is governed by its values. Whether it keeps its word is governed by its values. Values affect every nook and cranny of the organization. They are ignored at the organization’s peril, especially organizations and companies involved in intrinsically high risk activities such as medical care, child care, construction, rigging, finances, energy, etc.

The BroadBaker Group believes strongly in the importance of, and hence teaches and facilitates organizational development of values and ethics. In order to enable organizations to think comprehensively about their ethics and values we like to use a model based on three interdependent cardinal components, integrity, humility, and loyal compassion or caring. Held in tension or synthesis these cardinal virtues or values produce an unfolding of many others including such traits as teachability, excellence, trustworthiness, and capacity for win-win thinking. (Cf paper on Values Model.)

Values and ethics also profoundly affect the quality of board governance. Governance can be conceptualized having four components: 1.) structure (how the board is constituted and organized), 2.) process (the way it goes about what it does), 3.) dynamic (the way the members interact), and 4.) product or results (actions or policies). Values determine the nature of three of the four, all but structure (and structure should be designed to optimize good process and dynamic). (Cf the paper on board governance and the moral tone.)

Governance process, for example, should have integrity and coherency, assuring accountability, giving meaning and weight to the board's words. Sound values should enable a reliable process and one that helps facilitate consistently wise policies.
The dynamic between the board members rests on the nature of their values and character. Do they share openly and honestly? Do they respect and listen to each other? Is the board humble enough to learn? Can all be heard? Is the board chair a servant leader or controlling?
The products of the board, its decisions and policies, are the results of, and laden with, values. They reveal, in fact, the board's values.

Simple values to be sure, but they have profound impact on the quality of the board's work, its governance "product," - wise leadership and policies.

For interested clients we provide seminars and training in corporate ethics based on this core and enhanced by the client's own thinking concerning ethics.

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