Bridging the Values Gap: How Authentic Organizations Bring Values to Life - Softcover

Auster, R. Edward Freeman And Ellen R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1459696344 ISBN 13: 9781459696341

Publisher: ReadHowYouWant, 2015

Synopsis

Business has a values problem. It's not just spectacular public scandals like Enron (which, incidentally, had a great corporate values statement). Many companies fail to live up to the standards they set for themselves, alienating the public and leaving employees cynical and disengaged - resulting in lower productivity, less innovation, and sometimes outright corruption. The reason, argue top scholars and consultants Edward Freeman and Ellen Auster, is that most companies' values are handed down from on high, with no employee input or discussion. This practically invites disconnects between intention and reality. To bridge this values gap, Freeman and Auster provide a process, Values through Conversation, that focuses on four key types of values: introspective (reflecting on who we are and how we do things), historical (understanding our past and how it influences us), relational (asking how we can best work together), and aspirational (articulating our hopes and dreams). By developing values through discussions - casual or formal, one - on - one or in groups - VTC ensures that they are dynamic and evolving, not static words on a wall or a website. Freeman and Auster offer advice, real - world examples, and sample questions to help you create values that are authentic and embraced because they are rooted in the lived experience of the organization.

About this title

Book Description

Most companies put values statements on their websites and in their annual reports, but as recent scandals and financial crises have shown, the practice of values is dying in organizations. Edward Freeman and Ellen Auster argue that the problem is values are imposed from the top down and offer a process for involving employees in values creation through ruthlessly honest organization-wide conversations.

About the Author

R. Edward Freeman is university professor, Elis and Signe Olsson Professor, academic director of the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics, and senior fellow of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is the author of numerous books, including Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, and is the recipient of many awards and honors. Ellen R. Auster is professor of strategic management and founding director of the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto. She is widely published and is the recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Educator Award conferred by the Academy of Management.

Edition details

• Publisher: ReadHowYouWant
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1459696344
• ISBN 13: 9781459696341
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 296