If you wish to be better prepared to make tough ethical decisions at work or elsewhere in your life, it can be extremely helpful to clarify your personal ethical values before they’reseriously challenged.  Following is a selected list of values (in alphabetical order).  Feel free to add one or more if you havea deeply held value that is not represented on this list (it is not meant to be an exhaustive list).  In priority order (with 1 being the most important value), list between 3 and 6 values that are most important to you personally in making decisions. 

 

Action orientation Altruism Authority Compassion Competence Conformity Creativity Customer Satisfaction Diversity Equality Excitement Experimentation Fairness/Justice Flexibility/adaptability Freedom Harmony Helpfulness Honesty/Integrity Honor

Humility Initiative Innovation Moderation Novelty Obedience Order Power Promise-keeping Respect Risk-taking Security Self-discipline Success Status Teamwork Tradition Wealth (personal or shareholder?) Winning

 

TASK

1. Identify the values that are most important to them personally.

 

2. Identify the values that are most important to the organizations where they have worked.

 

3. Compare the two lists. 

 

QUESTIONS:

• Are the lists different? • Does it matter that they are different? 

• What might happen if someone works for an organization with values that are very different from the individual’s personal values?

 • What might happen if the individual’s values and the organization’s values are aligned?