Abstract
Directors believe integrity is vital to the board. But what is integrity? Integrity is linked to personal values. This chapter builds on research into integrity and top teams by investigating how integrity varies by director’s personal values and draws implications for the board agenda. It will explore how executives’ and directors’ definitions of integrity are based on their values, beliefs and underlying needs. Data from UK society was collected from 500 UK adults, aged 18 and over. These results are compared with social research on German society. The results of the research found that definitions of integrity vary by one’s value system. The implications drawn include that what director’s mean by integrity differs substantially from other directors and employees with different values. Our recommendations include re-focusing the board agenda on issues that resonate with directors’ personal values. A passionate board requires integrity plus action; action without integrity equals indifference.
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Notes
- 1.
Respondents who strongly agreed that “I like to make my own decisions about what I do, and to be free to plan and choose my own activities” were taken to espouse self choice. In the following footnotes, the convictions are spelled out which correspond to the following values.
- 2.
“I believe that we should care for nature and that it’s important to look after the environment.”
- 3.
“It’s important for me to listen to people who are different than me, and, even if I disagree with them, I still want to understand them.”
- 4.
“I think it’s important that every person in the world is treated equally – that there should be justice for everybody, even people I don’t know.”
- 5.
“I need to show my abilities. I want others to admire what I do.”
- 6.
“It’s important for me to be very successful and I like to impress others.”
- 7.
“I believe people should do what they are told. I follow rules at all times, even when no-one is watching.”
- 8.
“It’s important that I always behave properly and avoid doing anything that others would say is wrong.”
- 9.
“I think it’s important to live in secure surroundings. I avoid anything that might endanger my safety.”
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Lichtenstein, S., Higgins, L., Dade, P. (2011). Integrity in the Boardroom: A Case for Further Research. In: Brink, A. (eds) Corporate Governance and Business Ethics. Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1588-2_15
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