Defining one’s own values at work and privately
As we grow up, our parents, family, teachers, and other figures of authority teach us a sense of ethics that becomes the basis for a code of conduct we carry throughout our lives. As children, we learn the importance of sharing toys, being polite, and showing empathy. However, societal pressures, both positive and negative, also shape our ethical understanding from a young age. I remember a child in my primary school who was constantly laughed at. And I would laugh with the others until at some point my own sense of empathy prevailed and I stopped doing it. It happened again when I was a teenager, and I must admit the peer pressure was much stronger, and it took me longer to stop acting like the rest of the class, because I wanted to belong to the group. And we know from the Milgram experiment that adults can also accept to do things that they wouldn’t have considered in other settings.
What this means is that there is a step between the theory (“I know laughing at others is bad”) and the practice (“everyone in the class is laughing at that one child, and I want to belong to the larger group and I don’t want to be the one being laughed at, yet I feel I am doing something wrong and I should stop doing it, even if I’m afraid to do so”). We all have a set of principles such as integrity, respect, empathy, honesty that help us fix some framework in our decisions and actions, what we consider good, bad, acceptable or not.
Nonetheless, we need to understand that not everything we were taught as kids, or that comes from society at large, is necessarily good. Blindly following norms without critical analysis can lead to the endorsement of dangerous ideologies, as history has shown. One of my favorite novels about this is “Les Dieux ont Soif” (“the Gods are Thirsty”) by Anatole France, which takes place during the French Revolution and describes how the main character loses all sense of humanity in following the Terror regime.
On top of this, it is also important to understand that while certain values remain constant, societal norms and expectations are subject to change. As individuals, we must remain vigilant against the pressures to conform to unethical practices or outdated beliefs. Let’s just remember that the very first time women had the right to vote was only in 1893 in New Zealand, and that the last decree to abolish slavery was signed in 1981...
So how do we apply this at work? We all seak to join organizations that fit our personal code of conduct, but sometimes organizational culture or industry norms may conflict with our own ethics. I know of a CEO who prefered to lose his job rather than conduct a wave of layoffs that the investors demanded, and which he felt wasn’t necessary, opting to preserve the livelihoods of employees despite personal risk. At a smaller scale, I once resisted dismissing a team member despite managerial pressure, opting instead to redefine her role, ultimately improving her performance. Yet I need to be transparent here: if my own job had been in jeopardy, I probably would have had to act differently.
If we are in a leadership position, we carry a responsibility to uphold ethical standards and challenge norms when necessary. Ethical leaders lead by example and should help build environments of open dialogue and critical thinking, and empower individuals to question the status quo and champion ethical integrity. This will inspire positive change and cultivate cultures of trust, respect, and accountability. In addition, it will foster creativity because employees will trust that their ideas will be taken into account and will not be dismissed nor stolen by the management, for fear of damaging some established positions.
For companies, establishing a strict code of ethics should obviously apply to all stakeholders, clients, partners, shareholders, employees, and local communities alike. Transparency in how we do business is critical and I can refer you here to Harvard’s triple bottom line of profit, people and planet. In the HRTech space, which I know best, I can give the example of how we use AI and algorithms. In EU regulations, any algorithm should be explanable, and any decision using algorithms should be human (so as not to dilute responsibilities). This is why, in the case of digital business coaching, a lot more R&D should be made around AI-based conversational chatbot “coaches”, because you can’t entirely control how users will react to AI “advices”. A real human coach will be able to interpret and adapt to the coachee’s reaction, to provide the best support.
In short, I strongly believe that by understanding the impact of societal influences on our own values and behaviors, we are better equiped to face ethical challenges with integrity and purpose, at work but also in our private lives.
