Core Values – 3. Integrity

This is the third post in a series of eight, looking at Core Values in the workplace. The first post was a general introduction explaining where the core values were derived from. In the last post I described the first core value of Altruism. Here I will look at the role of Integrity.

As before, it probably helps to look at the descriptions that were set out in the two Impact Reports that illustrated the application of these values. In the first report, in 2011 the following was described:

Integrity. Stakeholders acknowledge the fairness and openness in the way that the NHS NW R&D team works with people.

And then in 2013 it was described thus:

Stakeholders have identified the independent and impartial approach the team has.This reflects their open style and the ‘broker role’ they are seen to play.

In developing this honest broker role, it has been vital to demonstrate absolute integrity in the way in which we work. This value works well with altruism as the key facet in a framework of values. So, how does this work, and would you really have an organisation that positively supported lack of integrity? Well, the idea of an overt lack of integrity is difficult to imagine, but there are certainly organisations where the main aim is to win at all cost. And there are plenty of organisations where the primary focus is the profit motive, and any broader concerns would be secondary to that.

In giving attention to Integrity we are looking for ways of operating that maintain an honest approach that is aimed at leaving the world better than we found it. There also needs to be a focus on being transparent to all, not playing people off against each other. This doesn’t imply that by behaving in this way we are open to being manipulated. Any work within and between organisations has a political dimension to it. When I hear people say that they can’t stand office politics and try to stay away from it, I think they are describing a desire to avoid negative politics such as gossip, bullying and victimising. But it is not possible to be completely removed from politics. In any organisation there is a need for people to interact and for them to build levels of trust. This requires interactions that lead to an outcome. By focusing on Integrity, those interactions should function with a positive intent.

We are not all out for what we can get out of things. Taking Integrity as a fundamental value enables us to work to a common goal and not for our own ends. Working in the public sector and in health care, our focus should be kindness and mindfulness.We ensure that those we encounter are improved through the interaction. These sound like bold requirements – but if they are addressed with humility, it is possible to build a reputation as a team that delivers, and a team that has Integrity, that can be trusted.

Ultimately, if we are seen as a team that can be relied on to work for a greater good than its own ends, we will be able to work in ambitious ways beyond our immediate parameters. The ambition then can be to go for the audacious goals, and take people with us.