resultsthroughintegrity

TOWARDS A CULTURE OF INTEGRITY

“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.

SYNERGY IS AN OUTCOME OF INTEGRITY

It can’t be but it is!

Think about it, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

This is like saying 2+2 is not four but more.

Synergy means that things work together.

Words can’t explain the essence of this. We know it and want it but what and how do we get it?  

For a long time, the known world had no thought of synergy. The second law of thermodynamics dominated. It stated that everything will increase in entropy.

In other words, disintegration is the way of the world and chaos is destiny.  

And since we are of the world, well then ….the way and end are clear.

INTEGRITY DRIVEN PERFORMANCE

Does integrity drive performance? Apparently it does.

Novartis, a leading healthcare company, has adopted a philosophy that places integrity at the center of their strategy for success.

“Leading Companies, see integrity not as obstacle to competitiveness but as a driver of differentiation.”
Dan Ostergaard, Head of Corporate integrity, Novartis 

PricewaterhouseCoopers developed an integrity driven performance model that centers on governance, transparency and accountability reform. 

“This strategy suggests that business integrity, ethics and values do not detract from performance but, in fact, add to business performance when appropriately integrated throughout an organization.” PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Both approaches demonstrate practical ways to realize results through integrity.