The Lexico Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” (“Definition of integrity by Lexico Dictionaries”, 2019)
Integrity in the workplace is crucial because it cultivates a positive work culture. General Appliances: An Aging Workforce Case Study provided an awesome example that I would like to mention. Harold Bruney, the founder of General Appliance had a remarkable concept of creating this culture for his employees. He believed that great people make great products. Bruney recognized this and built on this core value. (Austin-Hawley, 2014, p. 3) The whole idea behind this core value is that motivated employees come to work every day and get the job done well; which increases revenue and profit for the company. It’s a win-win situation for both the employees and the employer because it benefits both of them.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hypocrisy as the “behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 1828) The erosion of trust is the fruit of hypocrisy. Trust is a scarce and valuable commodity in today’s “survival of the fittest” marketplace. (Roberts, 2015) Hypocrisy produces a powerful negative emotion that violates ethical and moral values. It underlines self-interest, which isn’t a characteristic that a servant leader embodies. As long as we live on earth, the human nature will always falter. It’s the consequences of the fall of man and disobedience towards God. The good news is; we can overcome it with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
My take away from this weeks reading in Chapter 3 is “our worldview provides the foundational values and principles that comprise the normative ethics employed in a specific situation.” (Roberts, 2015) I believe this to be true. The foundational worldview of an individual whether a leader or not will impact the way they lead. An individuals core values, beliefs, behaviors, and practices will define how they lead and manage in an organization.
Reference
- Austin-Hawley, D. (2014). General Appliances: An Aging Workforce Case Study. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.
- Hypocrisy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrisy
- Integrity | Definition of integrity in English by Lexico Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/integrity
- Roberts, G. (2016). Christian scripture and human resource management: Building a path to servant leadership through … faith. Place of publication not identified: Palgrave Macmillan.
