Transforming Personal Values into Actions: The Role of Managers

This essay delves into the crucial role of managers in organizations, emphasizing the importance of translating personal values into effective actions. It highlights how managers navigate ethical dilemmas and make decisions, particularly in response to rapid changes in technology, marketing, and finance. The essay introduces the concept of "defining moments" as critical junctures where managers' characters are shaped through irreversible situations. It discusses the significance of self-inquiry, ethical considerations, and understanding the perspectives of others within the workgroup. The essay explores how managers can address issues related to personal identity, employee character, and company values. It further examines real-world scenarios and provides insights into how managers can use their intelligence and knowledge to transform their core values into calculated actions to achieve desired organizational goals. The essay also provides examples of how managers can plan for potential ethical issues before they arise, considering the impact of decisions on the workgroup, individuals, and society. The essay concludes by reiterating the importance of understanding the consequences of decisions and the need for managers to consider diverse viewpoints and apply their core values in action.

Running head: ROLE OF MANAGERS
ROLE OF MANAGERS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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A manager in an organisation is the one who directs the activities of employees in
the workplace. With the rapid ongoing changes that are taking place in technology, marketing
production, as well as techniques and the financial structure, therefore, the manager, should
be well equipped to deal and cope with all the above changes. A manager plan organizes and
directs the changes that take place in the organisation. A workplace environment goes
through a lot of changes and the managers respond to these changes in several ways. Some
are impulsive to act in the situation while some retrospect the consequences of their actions.
Repeated decisions are taken by the managers over periods to help in building his/her
character. A manager needs to think both ethically as well as practically. Therefore, the essay
aims to see how managers need to transform their personal values into actions.
Managers need to translate their personal values into actions by deciding what is right
and wrong in a particular situation. A defining moment helps the managers to choose
between two ideal conditions that allow them to form their character as they are repeatedly
exposed to irreversible situations that shape their personal as well as professional identities.
To translate their values into actions, the managers need to take time for self-inquiry that is
carried out along with the activities instead of seclusion. The self-inquiry helps them to focus
on their values as well as principles that assist them in renewing their purpose of work and
taking actions for the welfare of the organisation (Badaracco 1998). Three kinds of defining
moments are common in today’s workplace- issue regarding personal identity, the character
of manager and employees in the organisation, and finally, the question relating to the
company. Once the managers can deal with the above three issues, they will be equipped to
decide right v/s right without any hesitation. The managers need to define their personal
identity to avoid the problem in their leadership. While dealing with problematic situations,
the managers should look at the arising conflict not as a problem but instead as a tension that
is natural and bound to happen when two appropriate perspectives clash. Managers should

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understand their intuitions as well as feelings that give them intelligence and insight. For
instance, when a manager selects a candidate based on his/her specified category that would
benefit the organisation then that would affect the employee as he is not being chosen for his
excellent work but an inherent attribute. But by framing the moments of intuitions and
feelings, one can remove the conflict from the context of business and make it manageable.
Thus it is vital to trace the roots of personal values that give the managers a better
understanding of the situations. Often managers make the mistake of throwing themselves in
cases that involves their personal cause and might suffer from serious setbacks.
Most of the ethical philosophers and other ethical propagators agree that when
idealism is not tempered by realism, then it cannot improve the world. The self-inquiry of
leaders should lead to persuasive, self-confidence as well as smart actions if he wants the tool
to be useful. Moving up the organisation is not easy for the managers. While resolving the
conflicts, the managers of the organisation should add another dimension to their approach.
They should include the values and responsibilities of his/her workgroup towards people they
manage. While taking any decision, the manager should be aware that it will affect the entire
organisation and the people involved in it. His decision will shape the future as well as
develop the values of the workgroup (Badaracco 1998). Several managers go through ethical
myopia, where they believe that the whole group will view the situation through the same
perspective. This mindset prevents leaders from bringing people together that helps in
achieving common goals. No two people can see a particular situation in the same way. The
main ethical challenge of the leader is to consider the opinions and dilemmas of others in his
group instead of imposing his version of right and wrong. The managers need to speculate
whether other coworkers support their version of ethics or not. For instance, if a manager
hires a single mother who is qualified and experienced but is not able to give her full
attention towards her work due to her child and the former considers this excuse and he might

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disappoint the other employees working in his organisation. The employees might feel that
the manager is biased towards a specific employee even though her production is inadequate.
This might eventually lower the performance of the group while the manager, on the other
hand, is being ethical by considering the problems of the single mother that might not be
understood by others. It might also lead to the termination of the new employee because of
her poor performance and the reputation of the manager might also be affected. Therefore the
managers need to plan for these types of situations before it becomes a crisis. Active
managers consider all the conditions before the considerations become real. In the situation
described above the manager could have speculated the issue and defined a plan that could
give importance to both works as well as family.
Managers should be efficient enough to take up the organizational fray and thereby
use appropriate methods that would help in making their vision into reality. The leaders
should always share their view of ethics with shareholders, employees as well as customers.
Mangers should devise a plan by considering the workgroup, individual, and lastly, the
society as a whole. For instance, if a person working in a healthcare sector makes a drug for
abortion, then it will affect the organisation as well as society at large. It will divide the
community into two groups. One who supports the decision to introduce abortion pills is
backed by feminist views regarding the rights of women while some will protest against the
antiabortion groups. This issue might lead the manager as well as the organisation into a
controversy. This type of situation can be defined as personal defining moments but the
manager in these situations also has to consider the job security of his employees. These
situations divide the employees within the organisation. Some employees may support the
introduction of drugs in the market while some may disagree with it on ethical grounds
fearing that the customers would boycott their company and they may lose their job. To avoid
such situations, the managers of an organisation should discuss their plan with government

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officials and shareholders (Badaracco 1998). The managers should win the confidence of
women who want a non-surgical abortion that would be supported by political activism. Here
the managers need to recollect their core values and decide what is right and what would
benefit the society. The same incident happened with Sakiz, the CEO of a pharmaceutical
company. He first announced that their company would not introduce the drugs in the market
because of the active opposition group. This decision angered the rest and sparked a protest
so much so that the government of France had to intervene and ask Sakiz to introduce the
drug as it was a necessity (Badaracco 1998). By applying little politics, Sakiz had achieved
his goals, he rallied his supporters to his side, but he did it indirectly and shrewdly. It seemed
that he agreed because of the outside pressure. By doing this, he had secured his position in
the company and put his company Roussel Uclaf in a technological as well as social
leadership.
The managers must indulge in self-inquiry that will help them to arrive at a definite
conclusion based on their values and personal understanding of right and wrong in the
situation that arises. In all the three examples given above it shows how the managers with
their acumen, intelligence and knowledge of their defining moment were able to cope with
the situation that had arisen in the company. They had applied the knowledge of their core
values into action to achieve the desired target. Friedrich Nietzsche once said that due to
opposites and feelings tension is created for the leaders. However, the defining moments
bring together the opposites as well as the feelings into focus (Badaracco 1998). The former
helps everyone to understand the balance between idealism that is created by the heart and
the reality of the workplace. Thus, defining moments can be described as something that is
not only intellectual but also gives the individual an opportunity for action as well as personal
growth.

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To conclude, it must be noted that while taking any decision regarding a specific
topic, the managers need to understand its consequences and forge a plan from before to cope
with any opposition. They need to apply their core values while making a decision. They
should always consider the employees working in their organisation as well as other members
connected to their company to know their viewpoints and bridge the gap for effective
outcomes. The managers should understand the importance of defining moments that will
help them to figure out the difference between right and wrong. By following the above
examples and advice, the managers or leaders can translate their personal values into
calculating actions.

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References
Badaracco, J.L., 1998. The discipline of building character. Harvard business review, 76,
pp.114-125.