Integrity is such an interesting word and an incredibly elusive value for most organizations. I’m not saying most organizations are unethical or bad in some way: I’m saying that I wonder if organizations – and people – really understand what integrity looks like in our everyday lives.
Years ago, when we developed the Value Reflection Cards, my colleague and I discussed leaving out the value of integrity because we feel it had been overused and often, misused. Just before going into production, we decided to keep it and use the value to have open, honest, and perhaps uncomfortable discussions about personal and organizational integrity.
I watch organizations proudly display their organizational values on the walls of their offices or in a prominent place on their website. But when you look closely at the behaviors in the organization, there is an inconsistency with the actual meaning of the value.
And isn’t that the foundation of the word integrity? It is the alignment of beliefs, words, and actions. It is the commitment to do the big and the small things that are tough and maybe cost money or require each of us to admit mistakes or be vulnerable with our colleagues.
We are hearing from employees every day that they need to work in an organization that acts ethically and has a culture that supports the alignment of actions with the core values of an organization. In fact, recent surveys indicate that over 75% of applicants consider culture as a key factor in their assessment of employment.
In today’s work environment, we cannot afford to lose one current employee or job candidate or client or customer because we do not create and support a culture where we “do what we say we are going to do” and commit to the values and principles of our organization.