A521.5.4.RB - Aligning Values

Based on the readings in the Denning text and the assessment you took in A521.5.1 identify in detail the process of developing and aligning organizational values. Identify the three basic components of an ethical community and discuss how they might be applied in your organization. Are there values that are missing from your organization?

Discuss how you might develop those values and also align them with the values of the individuals in the organization

Three tenets of an ethical community are: 

• trust
• loyalty
• solidarity

In my organization, trust is established through students knowing that they can rely on our product (education) and that they will be treated fairly in the classroom, in our offices, and in the community. We practice loyalty by never giving up on students and providing them with resources to succeed. We do this through providing tutoring; through faculty holding office hours for students to come is an ask questions; through staff and faculty serving as advisers for student organizations and creating opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom; and through highlighting their achievements. Solidarity is sometimes practiced through helping students outside of the confines of the job - for example, one of my mentors drives one of our students two hours to a specialized doctor once a month for a long-term sickness - but I have not seen staff or faculty risk their reputation for students. I would like to see more leaders in the community question practices, identify red tape and play a more active role in connecting with students as people, but it is more important for me to point out what I see to the appropriate people, and to be as active with students as possible so that I can be a continued resource to them in any circumstance.


References

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (Revised and updated edition). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons/Jossey-Bass