Giving Voice to Values Case-In Point

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Author: Gentile, Mary C.
Source: The Aspen Institute Business and Society Program
Year: 2007

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Abstract:

The Giving Voice to Values initiative (GVV) identifies ways to learn from business practitioners who have already acted on their values -- and most powerfully, to discover that those practitioners are sometimes ourselves. Recognizing the fact that we are all capable of speaking and acting on our values, as well as the fact that we have not always done so, is the empowering and enlightening starting point for GVV.

The "bottom line" in the Giving Voice to Values approach is to provide opportunities for participants to focus their energy, their intellect and their passion on finding ways to implement their values, rather than focusing that same energy, intellect and passion on asking whether their values are actionable.

This is not to say that it's always clear what the "right" thing to do is; in fact, those times of lack of clarity are exactly what more traditional ethics classes illuminate best. However, there are times when participants know what they believe is the right course of action, but they may still feel disempowered, unsure or unable to find a way to confront conflicting pressures in the workplace. That is what Giving Voice to Values is about.

This material is part of the Giving Voice to Values Curriculum (GVV). Aspen CBE was incubator and, along with the Yale School of Management, a founding partner in the project; and GVV is now based at and funded by Babson College. The full GVV collection is available at www.GivingVoiceToValues.org.