The Network Effect of Integrity
Exploring Individual & Organizational Implications
Implications for Individual Performance
For individuals, there are two types of word / action alignment: internal and external. Thinking about something and resolving to take action is the same as having a conversation with someone else and make a commitment. Because the commitment is silent, there is no external pressure to deliver. Predictably, the commitments we make to ourselves are often the first to go. Consider the resolutions many of us make each year. We may resolve to eat better, exercise regularly or spend more time with family. How many years in a row have you made the same resolutions?
External integrity involves the commitments you make in a conversation with someone else where there is outside accountability. Even when we deliver on the big commitments, we regularly break our word on the smaller things. How many times have you been late to a meeting? How many times have you said you would send someone a document or forward an email or set up a time to talk and forgotten about it? How many times have you promised to be home from work at a certain time and not kept your word?
Each day we break our promises and commitments to others and ourselves. It has become so commonplace that these small breaches of behavioral integrity are rarely questioned – but they are noticed. In cases where they are called out, we craft legitimate sounding excuses, which only serve to further widen the breach.
It’s very simple. Every time you say you are going to do something and don’t, an integrity breach is created. As managers and leaders, we want to be seen as having integrity. When we know that our words and actions don’t align, or are perceived to be out of alignment, we must invest energy in either bringing them into alignment or convincing others that they are in alignment when in fact they are not. How do we do that? We justify ourselves, make excuses and convince those around us to buy into our reasons and explanations – all the while, widening the integrity breach. Over time, these breaches exact a psychological and emotional toll that leads to deteriorations in performance. The energy required to maintain appearances slowly wears us down. We begin to resist being around certain people or situations because they require too much energy. Our enthusiasm declines, things that were once enjoyable become difficult and a general sense of struggle begins to prevail (LEBD, 2002).
Integrity as Management Practice
Christine Pietschmann wrote this as a principal with Root Paradigm, Inc. She is presently employed as director of training and leadership development for Bell Canada.
SUMMARY
As a manager, your Behavioral Integrity can make the difference between average and exemplary team performance. Behavioral Integrity is defined as the alignment between words and actions. Research shows that employee perception of behavioral integrity in their managers has implications for individual, team and corporate performance. Employees who perceive strong behavioral integrity in their managers show increased trust, commitment and willingness to go the extra mile, thus improving customer satisfaction, decreasing employee turnover and improving profitability (Simons, 2002).
Recent studies have quantified the bottom line impact of integrity on an organization. In one important study, a 2.5% increase in profit could be seen for every 1/8-point improvement in perceived behavioral integrity on a 5-point scale. In this particular case, it translated into a $250,000 bottom line impact per 1/8-point change (Simons, 2002).
Based on a review of relevant business, research, philosophical and organization development viewpoints relating to the notion of behavioral integrity, this paper proposes a management practice framework to identify and repair integrity breaches that directly impact corporate performance.
THE INTEGRITY / PERFORMANCE LINK
The word ‘integrity’ is often used interchangeably with ‘ethics’. Dictionary definitions suggest observance of moral and ethical principles, confirming the widely held understanding of integrity as ‘doing the right thing’.
Research shows that integrity can be viewed in another light that has profound and practical applications for management. Coined “Behavioral Integrity” (BI), it is defined as the congruence between what one says and does. In this context ‘doing the right thing’ is less relevant to your perceived behavioral integrity than simply doing what you say you will do (Simons, 2002).
