During the past year, it has been a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. We have seen the best and worst of times and people.
While there is no immunity from the losses, struggles, and challenges, I hope you have experienced some success and brightness along the way.
Some studies and surveys indicate there has been a decline in moral and ethical values.
In the terms of values for organizations and individuals, which ones have carried us through and withstood the test of time, which have eroded, and do you see a new set of values emerging?
What is the purpose and value of values?
Please join the conversation and share your thoughts Saving Changes...
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Valerie Denney Associate Professor| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University- WorldwideCleveland, Sc, United States
Hi John,
This is such a great question. Why do we have values? In my opinion it is the tide that binds us together. Through values, we create and maintain a culture.
2020 has been a year of change. There are many who are searching for the new normal. I actually dislike *THAT* phrase because it implies a single state--- an end state. Instead, I'd rather focus on a continuous process of evolution and understanding.... in life and with our moral and ethical values.
So what does that mean? Fundamental values, such as those in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct remain the baseline, but that doesn't mean that interpretation is singular.. This year has taught many of us to reflect upon our priorities and determine what outweighs what. When making decisions (including about how to uphold values), individuals should carefully think through alternatives and options.
In this year(s) of change, perhaps we need to simply slow down and think before acting. Maybe it won't be as scary? Change and disruption aren't all bad and I'm trying to embrace that as I move forward.
Thanks for posting. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Great question, John.
My reply as a question is: do (human) values need to have a purpose? Or do they just exist and we experience them, feel them, follow them?
I think (human) values are common to humans, everybody talks about respect, fairness, freedom etc. The values come with emotions, if they are enforced we feel touched, if they are violated we feel angry.
Many of the values we have in our brains are there for thousands of year, so they are built by evolution, may be transferred in genes or by social learning (the toddler from the mother etc). Not sure what reason or purpose evolution had to create them.
As we all feel the values, they connect people across cultures. They are and build the common ground of human collaboration.
BTW - in contrast to values, beliefs divide and create conflict as they exclude the non-believers.
Values act as reminders to us of what is important to us as individuals and as part of groups. Sharing values is part of what defines the culture of a group.
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Thanks for bringing this topic up, John. This pandemic has shown the true colors of people for the good and the bad.
On one side, I have noticed that there is a large community of individuals that did not adhere to the new normality rules. Thus, values like solidarity have been negatively impacted. Individualism is becoming more prominent, and this crisis has made it even more obvious.
On the flip side, this situation has caused some employers to increase trust in their workforce (those that were typically working at the office and had to switch to WFH mode). A very imporant value, integrity, has been positively impacted. As Warren Buffet said "I look for three things in hiring people: integrity, intelligence and high energy level. But if you don't have the first, the other two will kill you". Tha pandemic has catalyzed a change or paradigm, specially in cultures where WFH was not widely implemented. Saving Changes...
Gretta KelziOperations Manager/Ethics Insights Team| Esri Lebanon/PMIJdeidet Al Maten, Al Maten, Lebanon
Great question John.
My answer is very simple: technology changes and evolves through times, but values are constant and are the pillars (solid foundation), on top of which we build everything. Saving Changes...
My reply as a question is: do (human) values need to have a purpose? Or do they just exist and we experience them, feel them, follow them?
I think (human) values are common to humans, everybody talks about respect, fairness, freedom etc. The values come with emotions, if they are enforced we feel touched, if they are violated we feel angry.
Many of the values we have in our brains are there for thousands of year, so they are built by evolution, may be transferred in genes or by social learning (the toddler from the mother etc). Not sure what reason or purpose evolution had to create them.
As we all feel the values, they connect people across cultures. They are and build the common ground of human collaboration.
BTW - in contrast to values, beliefs divide and create conflict as they exclude the non-believers.
Values are the qualities we deem important and as such they drive our decision making process, our actions, and may heavily influence situational outcomes.
The values of individuals and societies alike are not static. They are often situationaly dependent. In Europe's Renaissance period, we see an emphasis on things like art, literature, and learning. In the Dark Ages by contrast people prioritized survival.
It is natural to expect that during the chaotic last year, we would see a shift in values. When it comes to surveys on things like the state of moral and ethical values however, our own biases have a significant impact on our perceptions. "My values haven't changed for the worse. It is others who's values have eroded.
That's the same you see when people rate their approval of the US congress. The approval rating is terrible, but voters keep electing the incumbents. People tend to think their own representative is doing a good job, but everyone else's are doing a terrible job.
How much values have changed, vs. how our perceptions have changed is debatable. I think that due to the prevalence of media in society today, in many cases our perceptions are often influenced by seeing negative things more, rather than them actually occurring more. Saving Changes...
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