A521.5.4.RB_MedinaM

Denning discusses and explains the 3 basic components of a genuinely ethical community: trust, loyalty, and solidarity. According to Denning, trust is the general expectation among members that their fellows will behave ethically toward them. This first value is missing from my organization and if I’m not mistaken they are aware of it. Its not something that you clearly see that it is unethical but that you see if you work behind the scenes. An example of this will be when a supervisor asks a subordinate to get certain tasks done before the end of their shift, an hour before their shift actually ends and without staying past their scheduled time. This has often happened and many individuals stay “off the clock” in order to complete the tasks given in fear of punishment.

This unethical practice of basically forcing individuals to stay “off the clock” past their scheduled time to complete tasks has many safety implications and concerns that arise every time this happens. Instead of giving subordinates tasks towards the end of their shift, management should consider giving them the list at the start of their shift. Basically if it’s a task that would take a couple of hours to complete, the best time to give them this task will be at the beginning of their shift so the subordinate has the chance to plan the tasks of the day. On the safety aspect of this situation, if a subordinate hurts him or herself while “off the clock” but fulfilling on duty tasks, the organization is responsible and forced to provide workers compensation. Therefore, I would recommend all supervisors and top management to make sure tasks are given at the beginning of the subordinates shift to ensure they are done with time, while on duty, and the subordinate has the chance to plan out the tasks of the day. It also makes it a less stressful day for the subordinate. If tasks happen to be given towards the end of the shift, subordinates should be encouraged to speak up about the situation and if it’s of high importance to stay on the clock until the task is completed.

The second basic component of an ethical community is loyalty. Loyalty is the acceptance of the obligation to refrain from breaching one another’s trust and to fulfill the duties entailed by accepting that trust. There is some loyalty in my organization but not to the full extent of this definition provided by Denning. Loyalty is present when subordinates accept the obligation to fulfill a task because they have been trusted to fulfill the requirements of that task but not from refraining from breaching one another’s trust. The example above can also be used to explain my point. The subordinate was trusted to fulfill the task given but the conditions in which they were given were/are inappropriate and therefore, the subordinate finds him or herself obligated to stay off the clock in order to not brake the trust between the supervisor and the individual. Not only is the individual now worried about breaking that trust between the supervisor and the individual but he/she is now scared of the punishment that will be received if the task isn’t completed. The solution above can also be applied to this situation.

The last basic component is solidarity. Solidarity is caring for other people’s interests and being ready to take action on behalf of others, even if it conflicts with personal interests. I have been a witness of solidarity in my organization. There are moments were individuals who happen to not get along outside of work, tend to work closely together in order to complete tasks faster and more effectively. They have effectively put their differences and conflicts aside in order complete tasks. I have with time developed these values. Even though I’m unaware of some of the values of the individuals around me, values like these are easy to recognize when you have worked both the front line and the “behind the scenes”. They can be aligned through sharing the experiences we have encountered as well as the stories of conflicts and how we as a team overcame them.

Denning, S. (2011). Transmit your Values. The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (Revised and updated ed., pp. 132-133). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.