“Our integrity - both individual and collective- is the foundation of our business success and should be reflected in everything we do.”
Stana
Askren, Chairman, President/Chief
Executive Officer, HNI Corporation
Organizations, like HNI are
now conscious of the role and the impact that their existing culture has on performance
and compliance.
They know the cultural behaviors required for success and they understand their role in creating the environment that governs the way people act.
In my opinion, Stana and HNI have acknowledged some very important things.
First, culture is not soft or fluffy –it is hard core reality.
Second, culture impacts the performance of the organization.
Third, culture is a leadership responsibility.
Integrity is defined as wholeness or completeness, unfolding or becoming, purity and objectivity.
Simply put, it is doing the right thing, doing the next right thing and doing things the right way.
Integrity has three
constants:
- that which is within;
- that which is without; and
- the interchange between the inside and outside
HNI
interprets “that which is within” as the interior subjective experience of an
individual. This is personal integrity and it is defined by HNI as an uncompromising
adherence to individual codes of moral values and conduct.
HNI
labels “that which is without” as the exterior subjective experience of the
collective. This is business integrity and it is defined by HNI as uncompromising
adherence to a common code of moral values and conduct.
The
“interchange between inside and outside” is defined by HNI as the manner in
which personal integrity and business integrity interact which is evident in
the objective criteria of performance.
The
proof is in the pudding !
Accordingly,
they believe, integrity is the foundation of their success and it should be
visible in everything they do.
HNI
then sets out an action plan for everyone individually and collectively to
follow to ensure the culture of integrity:
STEP ONE: Determine what is right and wrong in a business situation. This
requires knowing the rules and getting the facts straight.
STEP TWO: Act with the intention of doing what you believe to be right for the company.
OUR
CULTURE OF INTEGRITY
STEP THREE: Disclose what you are doing and that you are acting on your
understanding of what is right for the Company. Open disclosure is the easiest
way to avoid a hidden conflict of interest.
Bravo!!!
Is it working the way
they wanted to?
…only Stana
Askren, and the performance of HNI can answer that.
Want
to learn more? Contact me at 706-267-0609. I want to speak to you about integrity and
how it can help you and all of us.
Douglas
Ross is an advocate for the promotion of integrity as a strategy for
performance.
©
2010 All Rights Reserved, Douglas Ross, Principle Dynamics Consulting Inc.
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