Sharing Organizational Values and Ethics

SHARING ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES AND ETHICS

When I was the Department Training Officer for the Santa Monica Fire Department we conducted several recruit classes.  I really enjoyed this part of my job. From the first day at the drill tower, we tried to instill our department’s value system in the new recruits.  We shared our formal value system, as well as our informal value system and ethical expectations.

Our formal value system contains values such as;

• Integrity, the core of our work. Integrity is being honest, open and fair in our dealings. It is being responsible for our actions, willing to admit our mistakes and ensuring that our behavior builds credibility. It is respecting individual, as well as community diversity while maintaining the public trust.
• Professionalism which is the style in which we carry out our work. It is striving for quality, timeliness and excellence in our services to the community. It is having a clear sense of commitment, perspective and direction in serving the community. Professionalism is being accountable and taking pride in the work we do.
• Sensitivity is the quality we bring to our interactions with others. It is considering the public as our customers and striving to manage their perceptions by being responsive in a caring, helpful, and in an understanding manner.

Sensitivity is being approachable, listening and learning from information gained to develop programs and make sound judgments. It is anticipating needs before they become problems. It is providing open and timely constructive criticism to supervisors without subsequent negative activity. It is treating fellow employees as customers.

• Cooperation is using our combined resources to provide services. It is communicating and cooperating with each other to reach city and fire department goals. It is demonstrating independence, action and initiative with the recognition that our success as an organization is realized through team effort.
• Vitality is the sprit behind all our efforts. It is planning ahead and pursuing innovative approaches to solve challenges before they become problems. It is being active, intuitive and curious, approaching our work with a sense of enjoyment and excitement.

We asked our recruits to memorize our organizational values and more importantly to understand how these values help make our department well respected in the community and throughout the state.

Our informal value system includes statements like “There is more to this job than just showing up,” and “Never forget why you are here.”

There is more to this job than just showing up. In this case we want members to do more than just fill a slot. We expect members to take the initiative and do work without being told. If something needs to be done—do it.  There is always work that needs to be completed. Whether is be maintaining the station, the grounds, the apparatus or the equipment. Also, losing something is a big deal.

The department expectation is to take pride in the department along with your company.  Be a good team member and develop positive relationships with your peers and supervisors. Realize that a positive attitude is just as contagious as a negative attitude.

Never forget why you are here indicates how important your job is. It makes no difference if you are the fire chief or recruit firefighter, you have a responsibility to know and do your job. When you arrive at work all your efforts should revolve around doing the departments work and there should be no hidden agenda. Your focus should be to providing value added customer service. Become a life long learner and never become stagnant.

These value statements indicate that all department members should try to be the best that they can be. Additionally, these values let the recruits know that we consider our profession as a very important component in keeping the community safe. By sharing our values with the recruits we let them know that these values are the foundation of our operational effectiveness.

Does your organization have written values?

Do you know what they are? If you do, do you share them with your new members.

What do you teach them by knowing or not knowing your organizational values?

We also focused serious attention on the issues of ethics along with values.

When I mentioned this push on values and ethics to an associate of mine he

thought it was a waste of time.

The skeptic that he was argued that you can’t teach ethics to adults. By the time they’re in the workplace, they’re either ethical or not.

It’s a plausible argument, but it misses the point.

The purpose of a department ethics program is not to make people ethical but to increase the likelihood that they’ll act ethically. This is definitely achievable. In today’s environment, failing to do what can be done to protect a department from team member misconduct is irresponsible.

The objective of a department identifying and teaching proper ethical behavior is to establish a department culture in which it’s easier to do the right thing than the wrong thing, and where concerned team members and vigilant supervisors repress illegal or improper conduct that can potentially endanger or embarrass the department.

A department can further improve its ethical track record by assuring it has clear and credible statements of values and standards of conduct. When supplemented with quality training, those values and standards can clarify expectations and reduce misconduct resulting from ignorance or misinterpretations of laws or department policies and procedures.

A department that wants to strengthen its ethical culture hires for character and trains for skills. It takes background checks seriously, screening out employees who lack the moral compass or strength to resist temptations and weeding out those who lack moral commitment or judgment during probation. The probation period should be considered as part of the promotional testing process. And during performance reviews and promotions, it assesses ethical attributes like trustworthiness, responsibility, and respectfulness. Only people who are comfortable living up to high ethical standards should be retained or promoted.