There are values that each of us holds dear to our
hearts. Some of us may value family and friends. Where some of us may value
characteristics such as compassion. Finally, individuals could find value in
actions such as telling the truth or fighting for justice. I bet we could all
name several actions or characteristics that we value, but what about the
values we feel we must protect? According to Irwin & Barron, protected
values are considered “absolute and inviolable” (Hoch, Kunreuther, &
Gunther, 2001, p. 251). What values do we hold that are so important and
protected that we will fight for and refuse any trade-offs? Do any come to mind
quickly? As I contemplated about the concept of protected values, I thought of
three major protected values that I hold- equality, accountability, and autonomy.
Equality is a something that I have always felt very
passionate about. As I grew up in Mississippi there was still a lingering wave
of racism and inequality, but I was taught to treat everyone with respect no
matter who they are. My parents used to tell me to treat the custodian with the
same respect as you would the teacher or principal while at school, so equality
was a concept that I was introduced to at an early age. I feel a sense of
injustice when I believe someone is not being treated fairly or equally. I
believe that each person should be treated the same in each situation no matter
what is occurring. As the 1997 Creed song entitled one stated- “why hold back one to raise another” (Stapp &
Tremonti, 1997, n.p.).We are all humans and physical differences between us
should not warrant inequality. Race, gender, religion, age, sexual preference,
or any other difference between humans does not mean that they should be
treated differently.
I would like to say that knowledge, education, and
experience should be the guidepost as to how individuals are treated in a
professional matter, but sadly, there are times where inequality occurs, therefore,
limiting knowledge, education, and experience. I believe organizations who
begin to recognize that a difference in equality exists will be taking a step
in the right direction. Unfortunately, though most organizations would
disagree, inequality is all around us with women not being paid as much as men,
older individuals not being hired, and Millennials not being hired by
organizations.
According to Deyoe and Fox (2011), some managers
rewrite job descriptions to eliminate Millennials from being qualified for the
position. Not allowing a trade-off in a negotiation due to inequality may cause
the company I lead to veer away from the norm in society, but maybe that would
be a pro for the company. Maybe taking an ethical step in the right direction
will cause other companies to follow.
Accountability is another characteristic or value
that I feel very strongly about. I have always been the type of person to fess
up when I make a mistake or fail to complete a task that I said I would
complete. There are too many instances, both personally and professionally,
where people ‘pass the buck’ and fail to be accountable for their actions.
According to Ososami, Adeola, & Imevbore (2014), accountability builds
trust, improves performance, promotes ownership, and inspires confidence. I
once had a supervisor who never took ownership and it affected my performance.
There were times where they would blame me for mistakes I did not make and these
actions reduced my confidence. On the other side of the coin, I once had a
supervisor who nearly missed a deadline for a report due to the state. When
they realized their mistake they owned up to the error and asked me to help
them work as a team to complete the report. I can tell you from experience that
accountability promotes a better outcome.
One con of protecting accountability from trade-offs
in the negotiation process is that this trait is not something that most people
feel very strongly about. It would be very difficult to me to agree to end a
negotiation knowing that accountability was dismissed. As a supervisor or
leader, I would not agree to any situation knowing that someone else would have
to be held accountable for a mistake or decision I made. The advantage of
accountability is the positive effect it could have organizational productivity
and culture. According to Ososami, Adeola, & Imeybore (2014), “By building a culture of accountability
on the onset, you rid your organization of ineffective behavior, put the right
people in the right jobs, and send the message that you’re serious about
excellent work” (para. 3).
Autonomy is also a value that I find the need to
protect. I believe every employee should be offered autonomy in the manner in
which they complete their work. According to Nauert (2015) workers who
experience autonomy in the workplace are both more productive and happier. Micro-managing
is an activity that I do not care for one bit. In fact, the times that I have
worked for a leader or supervisor who found it pertinent to micro-manage, my
production, confidence, and overall attitude seemed to decline. One of my
previous supervisors liked things completed in a very particular order and
manner; including the comments made in the spreadsheet while reconciling an
account. They would constantly check on me and ask what I was working on. I
also have had supervisors who gave me complete freedom to design spreadsheets
in the manner in which I prefer and work in the order that I feel increases my
productivity. They did not follow my every move and make sure I was doing each
task the way they wanted it completed. The supervisor who allowed me to have
autonomy received a greater amount of production and a more positive employee.
The advantage of autonomy in a workplace will be a
stronger culture. The employees will feel like they have a voice in how the
organization functions. I would be hesitant to trade autonomy in order to end a
negotiation. The one con could be that there are employees that would not be
able to have autonomy. Some employees may need to be on a shorter leash, so the
idea of inequality may begin to take shape.
In his 2014 TED talk, Simon Sinek argued how good
leaders should make their employees feel safe. Sinek (2014) stated that if
leaders work to make their employees feel safe then production and work ethic
should increase. My protected values of equality, accountability, and autonomy are
methods to make employees feel safe. Hoch, Kunreuther, & Gunther (2001)
stated that some individuals attempt to hold on to these values in situations
where they values complicate the situation. I understand that there will be
times where these values would have to be reconsidered in a negotiation
process.
References
Deyoe,
R. H., & Fox, T. L. (2012). Identifying strategies to minimize workplace
conflict due to generational differences. Journal of Behavioral Studies
in Business, 5, 1-17. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1035289108?accountid=27203
Hoch, S., Kunreuther, H., & Gunther, R. (2001). Wharton on making decisions. John Wiley
& Sons, Inc.
Nauert, R. (2015, October 06). Worker Autonomy Can Lead to Greater
Productivity, Satisfaction. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/news/2011/01/25/worker-autonomy-can-lead-to-greater-productivity-satisfaction/22885.html
Ososami, W., Adeola, D., & Imevbore, E. (2014). Importance of
Accountability in Leadership. Retrieved from http://leadinglikeachampion.com/importance-of-accountability-in-leadership/
Sinek, S. (2014). Why good leaders make you feel
safe [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe?language=en
Stapp, S., & Tremonti, M. (1997). One [Recorded
by Creed]. On My Own Prison. Tallahassee, FL: The Kitchen Studios
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