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“People of character have a strong sense of values. To have a sense of values is to be guided in your thinking and actions by an inner core of standards and to hold back from what you think
as wrong.’— TV Rao
In this context, we need to understand what values are and what are some of the values we have, how our values influence our behavior, and whether we can change our values.
“Value is the degree of worth we attribute to a person, object, situation, and behavior. The higher the value or perceived value of that object in our mind, the more we strive to obtain or achieve it. Therefore, if we value money, we are trying to accumulate wealth. If we value relationships and people, we are helpful to people and sociable. If we value power, we may seek opportunities that give us power, etc. In the early nineteenth century, scholars formulated what they considered to be the six core values. These are theoretical, aesthetic, spiritual, economic, political and social.
— TV Rao
Theoretical values represent truth and the systematic arrangement of knowledge. Those with theoretical values are empirical, critical and rational. Those with economic values focus on wealth and money; those with aesthetic values such as creativity and the arts. Those with prosocial values have altruistic tendencies, empathize with others, and love relationships. Political values orient a person towards power and politics and make him seek power and recognition. Religious or spiritual values can push a person towards mysticism and philosophical attitudes.
OCTAPACE is an acronym for Openness, Collaboration, Trust, Autonomy, Proactiveness, Authenticity, Confrontation and Experimentation. These values are considered important for organizations to get the best out of their employees. These are also called HRD values. Many organizations embrace these values. When large numbers of people carry these values and organizations foster a culture that includes them, they are found to be effective
A total of 242 values or indicators of value-based actions and ideas emerge in the case studies of the thirty HRLs. The authors used these value statements to classify them using Udai Pareek and TV Rao’s OCTAPACE value framework: Openness, Collaboration, Trust and trustworthiness, Autonomy, Proaction, Authenticity, Confrontation and Experimentation, along with other values such as innovation, learning and discipline that often appear in the management and leadership literature. Furthermore, as observed by most competency models, honesty, integrity, trust and reliability appear to be dominant values shared by almost all of our HRLs. Discipline and respect for people are also consistent values from these leaders. The values that characterize most of our HRLs resulting from our research are:
• Trust and trustworthiness are directly evident in twenty-one cases. This includes indicators such as trusting others, reliability and honesty, fulfilling commitments, believing in the truth
will prevail seeking the truth and be true to it, be upright, speak up and be very reliable.
• Honesty and integrity were brought up in at least twenty cases, which included: a reputation as a good person who treats those less fortunate than himself, honest and intolerant of dishonesty, and
careless presentation, telling the truth and being ready to face the consequences, keeping commitments and not making false promises, being apolitical, not abusing proximity, being ethical and not defaming the employer and the like.
• Disciplined and fair and firm with people were found in at least nineteen case studies indicated by such HRL traits as: firmly keeping one’s space and boundaries and not accepting calls even from top bosses outside of the designated time, fairness in decision-making, yes don’t just stick to politics, be fair to women, favor young people when necessary, deal firmly with union-led indiscipline, try to see things in black and white, diplomacy not force, yes to be thrifty and never spend money, to be generously grateful and sincere and showing gratitude.
• Selflessness and respect for people include service orientation, sharing, self-renewal and reflection, which are evident in eighteen cases. Such HRLs respect people regardless of hierarchy,
even the critics, respect all functions, respect people’s personal time and don’t disturb them on weekends.
• Sacrifice for peers, reinvention of self and selflessness include the ability to work without ambition getting in the way, show no personal superiority, share everything and pass on
responsibility without feeling threatened, generously sharing knowledge and learning with others and passing knowledge on to the next generation.
• Higher purposes and a higher purpose were evident in at least seventeen cases and included: caring for others, ensuring that no worker under one’s supervision is exploited, connecting with nation-building activities, creating economic wealth by ethical way to make India a better place, creating happiness in people’s lives and serving humanity while creating wealth, caring for other human beings – learned from education in missionary institutions, doing good for society, leading from the greater purpose, giving back to society, constantly going that extra mile and being passionate about that higher purpose of working for the nation, being liberal with the less economically privileged, wanting to make a difference in the world by serving of the country, value the poor, be meaningfully employed, be welfare oriented people who live in India and work for India and do not yearn for better opportunities abroad and are driven by such beliefs only rats leave a sinking ship.
• Humanitarian values were found in at least seventeen cases and include being humane and caring, supporting people, being helpful, caring for others, standing up for others, having the highest standard of work ethics, being compassionate , having socialist views, speaking up for people by supporting, having sympathy for the underdog and taking chances with people.
Excerpted with permission from Leaders in the Making: The Crucibles of HR Change Makers, Arvind Agrawal and TV Rao, Penguin.
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