Values and Beliefs in the Workplace - Part 2 in the Morality series

Organizations today can be a lonely place. Filled with anxiety and isolated feelings, the main thrust today is productivity at the cost of individual satisfaction. For individuals, the main focus is "keeping my job" often at the expense of values and beliefs. The fear of loss is felt individually and is an expense to the organization because they lose the creative forces of their employees to fear - fear of losing their position, their job and their livelihood.

According to Porter in 1989, individuals feel a sense of isolation due to the taboo against talking about spiritual matters in the public sphere. Spiritual matters relate not only to a faith-based preference or religion, but are at the heart of our values and beliefs. These spiritual matters help form our satisfaction with ourselves, our work environments, and our relationship with others. By eliminating the discussion about spiritual matters, values, or beliefs, individuals in an organization become vulnerable to the behaviors of the organization. And these behaviors are not always positive. The drivers are often survival and the behaviors are again fear-based, aggressive, and contain little or no values in the process.

What is one to do then when organizational behavior is misaligned with one’s values and beliefs? Porter also asserted that the lack of spiritual matter in the organization "...robs people of courage, of the strength of heart to do what deep down they believe to be right." We spoke back in August about courageous behaviors and how difficult it can be in the present to act with courage. The inspiration for courage to show up is often something that conflicts with our values and the consequences of that courage can be grave for individuals and organizations. If you speak up courageously in an organization, are you banished or celebrated?

According to Kathleen Reardon (HBR, 2009), "In business, courageous action is really a special kind of calculated risk taking. People who become good leaders have a greater than average willingness to make bold moves, but they strengthen their chances of success – and avoid career suicide – through careful deliberation and preparation." By being discerning about how to live our values and beliefs, we can all be courageous workers, leaders, and individuals in our work lives.


Questions to Ponder: Consider what the communication norms are in your organization? Is it worth conforming to these at the cost of your values and beliefs? What bold moves are required to retain or sustain your values and beliefs?