Stephen Denning describes a genuinely ethical community as having three basic components: trust, loyalty, and solidarity (pg. 132). He also discusses the differences between espoused and organizational values within an community. Espoused values are those set of values an organization promotes, yet falls short of in action. Organizational values are established in action within an organization... good or bad. The biggest difference between the two is the belief that espoused values are organizational which can lead to some serious false advertising. Talking the talk, and walking the walk are two separate issues, and I believe actions speak louder than words. Denning feels, and I agree, that values "are something to be lived, to be embodied in action" (pg. 136).
For this week's blog I will align the lessons of values within my organization... the United States Navy. Now, this is a very large organization, and I can only speak from my experiences, but there is a lot of effort put into promoting our core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These are imbedded in our memory from day one, and reinforced throughout our service. We know what they mean and how to apply them, but are they espoused or organizational? Do we really live out, in action, Honor, Courage, and Commitment? Let's look at the three basic components Denning offers to establish a genuinely ethical community to decide if these core values are actually organizational or espoused.
The first component is trust. Now, I just returned from a long and arduous deployment on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear aircraft carrier and a true marvel of naval warfare. The amount of trust that transpires in one day of flight operations at sea is astounding. It is a well choreographed dance that leaves zero room for error. Pilots trust the controllers, the controllers trust the flight deck, the catapults trust the Air Boss, and so on. But does this mean organizationally we have a high sense of trust? Is there a culture of trust in the Navy? Operationally, without a doubt. Organizationally, no way. Stephen covey describes the evidence of a low-trust environment as organizations "filled with hidden agendas, a lot of political games, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental rivalries, people bad mouthing each other behind their backs and sweet talking them to their faces. With low trust, you get a lot of rules and regulations that take the place of human judgement and creativity, and people will not be on the same page about what is important" (Covey, 2008). Organizationally, this describes the Navy better than any description I could come up with. The Manual for Courts Martial is thicker than an old Yellow Pages book. The Articles of Non-Judicial Punishments are almost as deep. Then there are individual commands that have their own rules and regulations, as well as departments inside the commands. We are told what to wear, how to wear it, where to go, what time to get there, and what to do. It is amazing to me, with so many rules and regulations, we don't have a standing room only Captain's Mast (non-judicial punishment hearings by the commanding officer). We have random drug testing, which is the ultimate litmus test of a low-trust community. "Here, take the keys to a 70 million dollar jet, but first can you pee in this bottle?" So, trust in the Navy... not so much.
The second component is loyalty. When I think of loyalty in the Navy I can't help but think of the Special Operation War-fighters like the SEALs, SWIC, and EOD. These communities are built on loyalty. Their lives depend on the loyalty of their fellow comrades. Operationally, loyalty in the Navy is impressive. Organizationally, I think it would be fair to say that if the Navy did not make us sign a contract punishable by imprisonment (or worse) for breaching it a very large population of Sailors would bug out after a a few months of enlistment. Now, there are pluses to serving like health care, educational benefits, pay checks ever two weeks, sea pay, and basic allowance for housing, but nothing that I have seen that would keep me engaged under the stresses of deployment. I can tell you exactly how many days I have left to the end of my contract... to the hour. Ultimately, we take an oath to defend our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. But we can not leave of our own free will until we fulfill our contract. So, Navy and loyalty... not so much.
Finally, the third component of genuinely ethical communities is solidarity. Denning describes solidarity as "caring for other people's interests and being ready to take action on behalf of others, even if it conflicts with personal interests" (pg. 133). This component gives me pause because I have witnessed, experienced, and delivered personnel improvement services. There are ample opportunities for personal growth, education benefits, leadership training, team building, and mission accomplishment. I have seen as many Sailors defend each other as I have seen throw each other under the bus. So, I would say we do a pretty good job of this component. The old saying goes, "A complaining Sailor is a happy Sailor". We can stand solidified in that at least.
There is no argument that military service is a sacrifice for all involved. There are many adjectives to describe military service, but after considering Denning's definition I don't think a "genuinely ethical community" would be an accurate one. Honestly, I don't believe I can change the Navy's culture myself, but what I can do is live out my personal ethical code on a daily basis. I can be an example of how to treat your Shipmates, make tough decisions, care for my team mates, and promote personal growth. I can put others before self, and be a positive beacon to follow. I have no illusions that I can make a huge impact, but I sure can make a hundred little ones. Hopefully, that will be enough to keep the tides from shifting too far off course. In the end, I am accountable to my God, my family, and country. I draw my values from them in that specific order, and whatever obstacles I may encounter in my service I will always try to live my life with Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
JP
Denning, S. (2011). The leader's guide to storytelling. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
For this week's blog I will align the lessons of values within my organization... the United States Navy. Now, this is a very large organization, and I can only speak from my experiences, but there is a lot of effort put into promoting our core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These are imbedded in our memory from day one, and reinforced throughout our service. We know what they mean and how to apply them, but are they espoused or organizational? Do we really live out, in action, Honor, Courage, and Commitment? Let's look at the three basic components Denning offers to establish a genuinely ethical community to decide if these core values are actually organizational or espoused.
The first component is trust. Now, I just returned from a long and arduous deployment on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear aircraft carrier and a true marvel of naval warfare. The amount of trust that transpires in one day of flight operations at sea is astounding. It is a well choreographed dance that leaves zero room for error. Pilots trust the controllers, the controllers trust the flight deck, the catapults trust the Air Boss, and so on. But does this mean organizationally we have a high sense of trust? Is there a culture of trust in the Navy? Operationally, without a doubt. Organizationally, no way. Stephen covey describes the evidence of a low-trust environment as organizations "filled with hidden agendas, a lot of political games, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental rivalries, people bad mouthing each other behind their backs and sweet talking them to their faces. With low trust, you get a lot of rules and regulations that take the place of human judgement and creativity, and people will not be on the same page about what is important" (Covey, 2008). Organizationally, this describes the Navy better than any description I could come up with. The Manual for Courts Martial is thicker than an old Yellow Pages book. The Articles of Non-Judicial Punishments are almost as deep. Then there are individual commands that have their own rules and regulations, as well as departments inside the commands. We are told what to wear, how to wear it, where to go, what time to get there, and what to do. It is amazing to me, with so many rules and regulations, we don't have a standing room only Captain's Mast (non-judicial punishment hearings by the commanding officer). We have random drug testing, which is the ultimate litmus test of a low-trust community. "Here, take the keys to a 70 million dollar jet, but first can you pee in this bottle?" So, trust in the Navy... not so much.
The second component is loyalty. When I think of loyalty in the Navy I can't help but think of the Special Operation War-fighters like the SEALs, SWIC, and EOD. These communities are built on loyalty. Their lives depend on the loyalty of their fellow comrades. Operationally, loyalty in the Navy is impressive. Organizationally, I think it would be fair to say that if the Navy did not make us sign a contract punishable by imprisonment (or worse) for breaching it a very large population of Sailors would bug out after a a few months of enlistment. Now, there are pluses to serving like health care, educational benefits, pay checks ever two weeks, sea pay, and basic allowance for housing, but nothing that I have seen that would keep me engaged under the stresses of deployment. I can tell you exactly how many days I have left to the end of my contract... to the hour. Ultimately, we take an oath to defend our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. But we can not leave of our own free will until we fulfill our contract. So, Navy and loyalty... not so much.
Finally, the third component of genuinely ethical communities is solidarity. Denning describes solidarity as "caring for other people's interests and being ready to take action on behalf of others, even if it conflicts with personal interests" (pg. 133). This component gives me pause because I have witnessed, experienced, and delivered personnel improvement services. There are ample opportunities for personal growth, education benefits, leadership training, team building, and mission accomplishment. I have seen as many Sailors defend each other as I have seen throw each other under the bus. So, I would say we do a pretty good job of this component. The old saying goes, "A complaining Sailor is a happy Sailor". We can stand solidified in that at least.
There is no argument that military service is a sacrifice for all involved. There are many adjectives to describe military service, but after considering Denning's definition I don't think a "genuinely ethical community" would be an accurate one. Honestly, I don't believe I can change the Navy's culture myself, but what I can do is live out my personal ethical code on a daily basis. I can be an example of how to treat your Shipmates, make tough decisions, care for my team mates, and promote personal growth. I can put others before self, and be a positive beacon to follow. I have no illusions that I can make a huge impact, but I sure can make a hundred little ones. Hopefully, that will be enough to keep the tides from shifting too far off course. In the end, I am accountable to my God, my family, and country. I draw my values from them in that specific order, and whatever obstacles I may encounter in my service I will always try to live my life with Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
JP
Denning, S. (2011). The leader's guide to storytelling. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Covey,
S. R. (2008, February 5). The high cost of low trust [Web log
message]. Retrieved from http://www.stephencovey.com/blog/?p=13
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