An Assessment of the Book Giving Voice to Values
The book Giving Voice to Values analyses ways in which a person can be able to solve ethical dilemmas in business amicably. The book gives several approaches that a person ought to use in speaking out their values. I do agree with some of these approaches, but others I can’t entirely agree in a way. This is because different people work in various business organizations and with varying members of staff, and this means that you cannot approach the issue in the same way in these organizations and expect perfect results.
As mentioned in this book, I totally agree that most people want to air out their views, but they lack a way to speak out these concerns. In the current world we are living in, corruption has become so rampant such that in most cases, people are silenced from airing out their views by those who are financially well off. Trying to air out your opinions in such a society may not be as easy as mentioned in this book. Apart from saving the business, everyone wants to guard their lives; this means that if one’s life is threatened when they try to voice their values, then most will prefer remaining silent on the concerns. Only legends will speak out in such a case (GENTILE, 2010).
The first approach is the thought experiment. I agree that this is where it all begins. One has to think about and decide to act. This is where one chooses how to do it, if it is possible to do it depending on your organization, the impact it will make to you, and the organization as well and how you can correctly do it.
Secondly, we have shared values. In this case, one has to analyze their values before deciding to air it out. If these values are widely shared, then it is easy to air them out, unlike when they are not. The third course of action is that you make a choice now. From your values and your thoughts, you need to analyze the best way to air out these values. You can look at what has worked previously and use it again.
Again, you need to analyze if your choices are normal or they are beyond what others can comprehend. It is easier to air them out if they are a normal thing. The fifth thing is about what you are working for, or rather your purpose for doing this. It needs to be well aligned such that even in the rise of conflicts, you can handle it.
The next thing is about knowing your strengths and how to use them effectively. This is where self-image, self-knowledge, and alignment fall. In other words, self-discovery is essential when it comes to voicing your values. The seventh thing is about finding your voice. This is not a one-time event; it is something that develops with time and therefore needs some patience. For success, one needs to voice out their values most skillfully and appropriately.
The eighth thing is about analyzing the reasons and rationalizations. It would be best if you had well-laid reasons and rationalizations as to why you want to air out your values. The last thing is now putting all these to work. After you have done all the above, you now need to act on them practically.
In a nutshell, the points discussed above show how I can air out my values. I agree with these points, but as I said at the start, not all these approaches can work for me. The best way to know which ones work well for me is by understanding my organization well; the people am working with as well as my superiors. This will give me a hint of the approaches from the book that I can effectively use to air out my values. This book, therefore, gives me a guideline on how to effectively air out my values depending on my kind of organization.
References
GENTILE, M. C. (2010). Giving Voice to Values. Yale University Press.