Professional_Vales_and_Ethics

With the rise in job loses and increasing unemployment, it is turning out to be indispensable to find a suitable career that provides promotional growth as well as careers that employ leaders who properly integrate values and ethics in their positions. Values and ethics are essential to any organization; those functioning in leadership positions are no exception. When a person states values and ethics the terms are both significant and wide-ranging, and individuals must focus on the professional viewpoints pertinent in career success. Defining the terms values and ethics is the first topic in this discussion; second, three sources of professional values and ethics will be identified; and third, we will provide two specific examples of how professional values and ethics can impact career success. Values as actions are important to or valued by someone. Values as explained by Syque (2010) “is a confusing word that often gets confused with ‘value’ as in the value you get from buying a cheap, but well-built house. Values are, in fact, powerful drivers of how we think and behave [sic]” (p. 1). Values are furthermore, defined as those factors considered imperative to or valued by a person. An individual person can have values as well as an organization. According to Values and Ethics (2010) “one place where values are crucial is in relation to vision.” For example, “one of the imperatives for organizational vision is that it must be based on and consistent with the organization's core values” (p. 1). From an organizational standpoint, values include integrity, teamwork, stewardship, professionalism, and caring. These aspects of value are so important, they are included in most organization vision statements or core value statements. Ethics, on the other hand, is a form of values, which surrounds morals, and living a good life. In addition, ethics is more complex than the common perception of doing what is right and not doing what is wrong. Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, S.J., & Meyer (2010) defined ethics as two different things: First, ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligation and ethical standards include standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy. Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one’s ethical standards [sic] (para. 8 & 9). Ethics either way are an ideal set of choices we make toward how we live our lives. As explained by Rue (2004): One problem in discussing professional values and ethics is that there is no unanimity regarding what is ethical and what is unethical. Little disagreement exists with regard to flagrant ethical violations such as embezzlement or stock fraud. Views become clouded, however; with regard to less obvious ethical questions, such as whether it is ethical to take longer than necessary to do a job or to engage in a few minutes of personal business on company time (p. 57). The most prevalent behaviors that raise professional values and ethical questions in the workplace are “taking extra personal time (late arrivals, longer lunch hours and breaks, early departures),” (Rue, 2004, p. 57) doing personal business on company time, and “not reporting others’ violations of company policies and rules” (Rue, 2004, p. 57). Working individuals are often used to witness coworkers leaving work early and arriving to work late, scheduling personal appointments on company time, and witnessing company violations and failing to report them. Individuals in specific positions such as a store operator may witness the most prevalent behaviors firsthand, such as employees calling in stating they will not show up for work or stating they may be several minutes late for their shift. Sadly many employees have experienced a coworker disregarding company values and displaying unethical behavior; unfortunately, those same employees may attempt to report these ethical issues to their supervisor. At the point when it becomes the supervisor’s responsibility to report those allegations to upper management, they should, as well, take corrective action. When these issues/behaviors become so dominate in the workplace and lack consequences, the organization can lose its drive, resulting in conflict, gossip, and resignations. Not all professional values and ethics portray breaking organizational policies or behaving unethically; professional values and ethics can impact career success. Values and ethics can, in fact, negatively influence career success in several important ways; for example, the career of a cosmetic plastic surgeon. This is the most controversial career that argues both sides of professional values and ethics. To prosper in this chosen career, the individual has to hold values regarding life and death. Implementing a universal view, which forgives the practitioner for altering the human body for a person’s self esteem, is an obligation. Trouble can arise if the surgeon fails in doing his or her operation by causing bodily harm or in numerous recent cases causing death. Various value systems; in addition, forbid an individual from causing bodily harm to another person and it could be argued that surgical cosmetic procedures are ethically wrong according to certain beliefs. Cosmetic surgery is a million dollar industry and in order for the surgeon to be successful in this field he or she must honestly adhere to boundaries affiliated within surgical interference. Another example comes from a time when, Lewis, worked for a manager in the past. He was the type of manager who would preach professional values and ethics in the workplace. Throughout their time working together Lewis supported the faculty in accordance with his position at the university. The faculty Lewis worked with trusted him to provide the service they deserved and still do to this day. As far as Lewis knew, he had never had a complaint against him while working in that position. The manager came into Lewis’ office one day, and suggested some jobs he should look at applying for. Not knowing why, Lewis told him thank you and continued with his work. A few days later the manager yelled at Lewis telling him he was not working out. He said Lewis had numerous complaints and he didn’t know what exactly Lewis did. Lewis was not sure of how his manager was getting his information. Lewis told him he had a good rapport with the people he had worked with and the manager then changed the subject. Lewis suggested the manager track his work in the work tracking system the company used. Although not all of Lewis’ work was documented, he had tasks, and projects external to that system. Lewis discovered his manager’s behavior had come about because Lewis did not hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree. This is a form of discrimination. Discrimination goes against both professional values and ethics in the workplace and as a result hinders the impact of career success. In conclusion, honoring values and ethics are an essential element in the morality of an organization. Highlights discussed were organizational values, which consist of the integrity and professionalism in which personnel in an organization perform; as well as the ethical concentration of a field in its entirety, which consists of general positive religious or societal viewpoints. Failure is imminent when ones professional and personal values and ethics clash. References (2010). Values and Ethics. Retrieved on April 15, 2010 from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch15.html Rue (2004). Staffing Skills. Chapter 4 Ethics and Organization Politics. [Foundations of Supervision Eighth The McGraw-Hill Companies]. (Adobe Digital) Syque (2010). Values. Retrieved on April 15, 2010 from http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/values.htm Velasquez, M. Andre, C. Shanks, T. S.J., & Meyer, M (2010). What is Ethics Retrieved on April 15, 2010 from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html