It was reaffirming to see Bible excerpts in the course readings from this week's lesson. As I reflected on the use of parables to teach and communicating ethical values, I thought on the life of Jesus. The man who was able to feed thousands from barely enough food to feed five people is the same man that is influencing our future leaders. I was so excited to know that His teachings were woven into the curriculum, as they are still true today.
With leaders like Jesus, I do not feel he spend time doing personal surveys or hiring consultants to analyze His value system. It is more His honest reflection on what is being preached and what is being practiced. Denning (2011) refers to this as "Distinguishing between organizational values and espoused values." It requires a firm hard look into what is being communicated from a personal level to a corporate level, and what is being acted upon in the organization on a daily basis.
In order to align the practicing and preaching of values, Denning (2011) suggests the use of storytelling and structure, a consistent reward system and creating shared values among employees of the company. In the Ms. Wheelchair Florida, Inc. organization, the values espoused are of equality, education, advocacy and empowerment. These are communicated through written format, through personal interaction and through public service events. The organization has to ensure that the titleholder will be able to maintain the three critical components of an ethical organization- trust, loyalty and solidarity.(Denning, 2011)
The organization is able to do this by maintaining a board of directors that is representative of persons with disabilities. It is also made up of diverse individuals that have a common purpose of promoting independent living and dignity of life for those that are often robbed of their dignity. This past weekend Grace and I had the pleasure of spending an evening with the State Coordinator of the organization and we discussed these values.
During our discussion, the State Coordinator, Shari Wilson, shared her experiences in years past and witnessing the other state competitions through the years. She explained that while the organization is intended to be a platform for social change, there are still instances where contestants at the state and national level will become catty. I was a little taken aback by this. While I do tend to look at things optimistically, this statement helped me prepare for what may occur at the national level. Understanding that human nature is often one of competition, I could see why there may be less than ethical behavior among contestants. Shari and I then spoke about how our state could espouse the ethical values that we stand for as an organization. Specifically, we began speaking about the upcoming fundraiser needed for national competition qualification. Some states will have contestants just do a gofundme page and raise the funds. While that is often done to qualify for the state level, once you are the state titleholder it is somewhat understood that your fundraiser should give back to the community. Therefore, Shari and I spoke about doing an event called "Tea and Tiaras." The event would bring together key community stakeholders, all adorned in their bonnets and fashionable attire, as well as amazing young women throughout Florida that being recognized for the wonderful efforts they are doing in their community. There will be a donation system setup and the attendees will be able to enjoy a nice afternoon tea while hearing the inspirational stories of these incredible women. The idea is not to make the event about raising funds to pay for the national competition. The event is to recognize the contributions of these amazing individuals and create community awareness for attitudinal changes for women that are facing significant disabilities.
While this is just one example of how we are trying to ensure our organizational values match our espoused values, we are aware that there are always missing values in our organization. For example, we recently collaborated to ensure that there would be no question of whether the finance and operations is being unethically handled. Due to the limited staff to support the organization, the State Coordinator is required to be the CEO, CFO, and COO all in one. She has to make decisions and then have the board review to ensure the agency is staying aligned with the organizational values. In order to make sure there was no question for reimbursement expenses, she worked to create a standardized system in which the titleholder can log expenses and then submit monthly for review. This practice allows for the trust that is needed to continue year after year.
It is exciting to know that I am able to be part of an organizational change, and I feel very blessed to have the wisdom of my teachers, my classmates, my coursework and my personal faith renewing those values each and every day.
Denning, S. (2011). The Leaders Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
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