Integrity refers to the quality of having strong ethical principles that are adhered to at all times. Examples of characteristics and skills associated with integrity are:
Integrity refers to the quality of having strong ethical principles that are adhered to at all times. Examples of characteristics and skills associated with integrity are:
Integrity is also said to be about “doing the right thing” under all circumstances. Some examples of integrity skills and how integrity can be shown in everyday life are highlighted below.
Integrity skills in the workplace include acting with integrity when demonstrating core values. Show up for work on time, be ready to work and be honest and open in communicating with others.
Hold yourself accountable for the work you do and what people do under you. Pay particular attention to this in leadership positions: the people under you are setting an example for you.
The Ethical Leadership Model clearly shows the elements of ethical leadership and leadership with integrity.
By adopting strong values and standards, employees are encouraged to do the same.
Software developer Jeffrey is working on a project trying to optimize a client’s software. However, he keeps getting into trouble with his own written code.
He may choose to avoid losing face by going ahead with his own code and covering up the errors, but instead, he takes his problem to the developer team.
He describes the problems he is experiencing with the code and asks for help. The team is called together and they come up with the solution. John deletes the code completely and starts over with the team’s input.
Thanks to his honesty in acknowledging his shortcomings, the customer now has an optimally working product.
Project team member Susan misses an important deadline for a part of the project because colleagues were delayed. Instead of throwing her colleagues in front of the bus, she took responsibility for the missed deadline herself.
Internally, she made this problem negotiable. Team members acknowledged their failure, but because Susan took responsibility, the team was able to learn from the mistake.
Benefits of having a high level of integrity in the workplace
Having a workforce of integrity in an organization is worth its weight in gold. After all, it means a workforce that you can trust and build on.
They don’t compromise when it comes to quality, ideals or honesty. They do not lie, cheat or steal. They behave according to the company’s code and exhibit equivalent values.
Having integrity in relationships within a company creates strong ties with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. Integral employees will not indulge in corruption and scandals are not swept under the rug.
Achieving a perfectly honest organization is difficult, if not impossible. Nevertheless, this should always be the goal. Various measures can be taken to achieve this. One example is to discuss integrity dilemmas.
This gives employees a chance to think about what is expected of them in certain situations and it also teaches them to recognize situations in practice where integrity is compromised.
