Ethics plays a key role in shaping and maintaining a positive cultural environment.
BUSI750 – DBP 1 REPLY – RANDAL LANE
Each reply must be 200-300 words.
Replies: Specific Reference Requirements
For Discussion Replies: Introducing HR and Christian Worldview and Discussion Replies: Shaping the Future of HR, include a references section, and be sure to have in-text citations for the following sources:
• At least 1 citation from Valentine: Human Resource Management.
• At least 1 citation from Keller: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.
• At least 1 citation from a related scholarly journal.
For Discussion Replies:
Exploring Employee Engagement, Globalization, and Christian Worldview and Discussion Replies: Exploring Job Design, Staffing, and Christian Worldview, include a references section, and be sure to have in-text citations for the following sources:
• At least 1 citation from Valentine: Human Resource Management.
• At least 1 citation from Hardy: The Fabric of this World: Inquiries into Calling, Career Choice, and the Design of Human Work.
• At least 1 citation from a related scholarly journal.
Discussion Post to Respond to:
Work, is it a necessary evil, or is it a rewarding human need? Keller (2016) says that God Himself worked and found pleasure in the outcome of His work. Because of the fall of man and the curse that God put on mankind, I have heard many Christians grumble about work and say that work is a direct cause of the fall of mankind. Unfortunately, these Christians miss the fact that work existed before the fall and that God performed work while creating the earth. So, is work just an Old Testament thing that went away following the birth of Jesus? No, in John 14:3 (KJV) Jesus said “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” From all indications, Jesus is still working to prepare our place in heaven because he has not returned to take us all back to heaven with him.
Work is a means of providing the basic needs of survival, food, water, and shelter but for most people, it goes much further. As Keller (2013) discusses in his video, in Western Cultures work often defines how the person is viewed by society. Keller goes on to warn us not to overlook even the most menial jobs in his example of the milkmaid. The milkmaid provides the basis for the milk producer, the cheesemaker, the grocer, and the chef. Hardy (1990) says that work provides more than just the basic survival needs as it provides us our sense of identity and purpose in life. Self-esteem is defined by Kanayo (2016) as being a disposition of a person’s self-worth. This concept ties an individual’s own perceived value to their work and contribution to the greater good of society.
Humans place great value in work from both the survival perspective and the psychological perspective, therefore we can conclude that work is important to the worker. Are the workers and the work they do just as important to the organizations? Valentine et al. (2017) say that the people who make up an organization make valuable contributions to the organization’s mission. However, Valentine et al. (2017) say that individuals must be motivated and be given a reasonable opportunity to contribute. This is where the Human Resources (HR) function plays a strategic role in the management and success of the organization. HR helps shape the culture or personality of an organization and is often the sense or reason or consciousness of the organization. Valentine et al. (2017) liken the culture of an organization to the personality of an individual and say that the culture of the organization tells the members how to behave. HR’s strategic role in shaping a positive cultural environment plays out when they help managers foster an open and creative environment where the members can flourish.
Ethics plays a key role in shaping and maintaining a positive cultural environment. Humans look to role models to help shape and develop who we are and how we act in society. In the workplace, we tend to look to leadership to model our behavior. Gibson (2004) says that role models are important in guiding individual behavior. If workers see their leaders and role models adhering to poor ethical standards they will either follow suit or if their conscience directs them, leave for an organization with higher standards that meet or exceeds their own. HR plays a vital role in helping to maintain a high ethical standard through implementing and maintaining fair corporate policies. I am currently an ethics officer where I work and in this role, I work very closely with our HR department at the local level and the corporate level. Valentine et al. (2017) say that organizations that are known to be ethical have better long-term success and that HR is the keeper and the voice of organizational ethics.
Keller’s four big picture ideas of design, dignity, cultivation, and service remain true in today’s working environment. Humans were designed by their Creator to work here on earth. Colossians 3:24-25 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Based on this verse, earthly work is one way of serving the Lord.
References
Gibson, D. E. (2004, August). Role models in career development: New directions for theory and research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(1), 134-156. doi:/10.1016/S0001-8791(03)00051-4
Hardy, L. (1990). The fabric of this world. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.Kanayo, D. O. (2016). The influence of self-esteem and role stress on job performance of technical college employees. International Journal of Online and Distance Learning, 1(1), 58-75.
Keller, T. (2012). Every good endeavor. New York, NY: Penguin Random House LLC.Keller, T. (Narrator). (2013). Redefining work [Video]. The Gospel Coalition.
Valentine, S. R., Meglich, P. A., Mathes, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2017). Human resource management (16th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
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