Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior - Soltanieh ...

LEAD THROUGH VISION AND VALUES
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Some researchers claim that effective leaders must be self - sacrificial. It is not always
clear what they mean by this. Sometimes it refers to the leader not taking bonus money
that was earned when the leader ’s organization met its goals or not fulfilling his or her
commitment to followers. But this would not be a sacrifice if the leader held justice as a
moral value. It would be in the leader ’s self - interest to be fair to the followers because, if
they were treated unfairly, then followers would tend to leave (Locke, 2004 ). Ultimately,
this would hurt the organization and thus undermine the leader ’s effectiveness as well as
undermine the leader ’ s self - interest.
Self - sacrifice has also been referred to as the leader taking time away from family in
order to help the business succeed. Many working people, including leaders, are often
faced with this conflict. Choosing to work additional hours rather than spend that time
with family is not a sacrifice if one passionately loves one ’s work and career. However,
it would be a sacrifice if one disliked one ’s job and preferred spending those additional
hours at home. Spending extra hours at work can be a sign of commitment to one ’s job.
A truly self - sacrificial leader would be a leader who, out of a sense of duty, worked for
a company that he did not like, made a product that he did not value, worked with people
that he despised and customers that he abhorred, at the expense of leading a company that
truly inspired him. No business leader could be effective if motivated in this manner.
In sum, genuine leader self - sacrifice cannot be an effective role - modeling or motivational
technique. In an actual business environment – where a long - term commitment
and motivation on the part of the leader and followers are required – nothing less than a
passionate, personal commitment on everyone ’s part will do.
Integrate the values into organizational systems
The desired values can be further implemented by integrating them into the organization’s
systems. Human resources systems, for example, should reinforce the stated business
values by basing rewards and promotions on results as well as achieving those results by
practicing the desired values. Other organizational systems, such as the work processes,
organizational structure, and technology, should also be aligned so that they support the
desired values.
For example, the Walt Disney Company has core values of imagination and wholesomeness.
These values are reflected in its movies and theme parks. Disney theme parks
are family oriented, and theme park employees are hired for their ability to interact with
“ guests. ” Disney ’s street sweepers, who are responsible for keeping the park clean, are not
just hired for their skill with a broom, but also must be able to communicate with guests
and work well with other team members. To give another example, Seattle - based department
store Nordstrom has relied on the same core values for its entire 100 plus year history.
These values include delivering outstanding customer service and striving for high
individual productivity. Nordstrom ’s values can be observed in its commission - based compensation
plan for its store clerks, its customer service policies, and its strategic focus as an
up - scale department store.
The organization and its values should not change because of shifting popular opinion,
competitive forces, or changes in corporate strategy. Core values should be intrinsic to the
organization ’ s business, reflected throughout the organization, at all levels, in all units, in
stated policies as well as actions by leaders, managers, and employees.