Title: Good Values, Great Business
Authors: Br. Prasanna Swaroopa & T.D. Chandrasekhar
Publisher: Sage Publications
Genre: Business, Strategy & Management
First Publication: 2019
Language: English
Book Summary: Good Values, Great Business
There is scepticism regarding the role of values in business. Values are at best implemented as checklists and codes of conduct and not as a fundamental way of enhancing stakeholder well-being, including employees, customers, vendors and the larger ecosystem. Organizations take note of values only when instances of ethical malpractices surface—be it financial, gender-based, intellectual property and so on.
Values bring out the best in individuals, teams and the organization by establishing a strong foundation for actions and interactions. Right from improving the effectiveness of day-to-day meetings to creating a culture of creativity and innovation, values form the substratum for every aspect and functioning of the organization.
Good Values, Great Business establishes a strong rationale for instilling values in business organizations by demonstrating how values are the foundation for excellence, productivity, creativity, quality and for creating a stress-free work environment. By presenting experiences, challenges, inspirations and conflicts regarding values, the book will help employees at all levels strengthen their conviction regarding values at the workplace.
The leader espouses values and lives the values
Addressing managers at all levels and the leadership, the book pragmatically discusses how to build and nurture a values-based culture in the organization. The authors examine the subject of values from the point of view of each individual’s personal journey, and finally delve into the crucial topic of values-based leadership, which is indispensable for a culture of values.
Book Review: Good Values, Great Business
Good Values, Great Business is a wonderful business book that needed to be written. Authors Prasanna Swaroopa and T Chandrasekhar guide you through the process of identifying your “core values” that will have real value rather than just hang on the wall. The real-life case studies of people and their organizations are both engaging and helpful (not something to just skim over), bring the powerful need for clear driving values to the forefront.
PAUSE-INTROSPECT-DISCUSS-DECIDE
From a business standpoint there is some opinion stating that values and business is a separate thing and can not be run simultaneously. But this view is being scrutinized further in this book ‘Good Values, Great Business’. Some of the success experienced by large companies all starts with good application of ethics in business process regarding whether the production process, treatment of employees, customers and suppliers or their competitors. There are some company who able to survive until more than a century because of ethical principles in developing its employees to grow and develop together, humanizing each employee and care for their customers.
The subject of values is very closely tied to the culture of the organization.
In the short term, doing business with ethics will often lead to high-cost, application of good ethics in business are also not necessarily guarantee success, if not supported by good management processes. So values are not the main factor that determines success in business. But ethical behaviour is implemented by an organization or company will be one key success factor for achieving success.
For the culture of values to become an organization-wide phenomenon, and for it to be sustained over time, perseverance is the key.
Good Values, Great Business provides a comprehensive view of values in business, ranging from the basic concepts of ethics to the ethics of business applications that include ethics in the production, advertising, labor and the environment. This book also provides real cases related to the ethical concepts being discussed. Value is the spark that makes a good leader be a great leader. I like the case studies and examples that authors share so that we can really relate and understand, as integrity sometimes seems to be a difficult thing to know exactly what to do. This is a great book to help you understand more about being a person who wants to do the right thing and look out for others before yourself.
Good Values, Great Business is an amazing book for leaders who are conscious about how their actions impact an organization, and how to lead with a blend of grace, strength, and openness. I can see why it is a must-read for executives, and totally agree with that!
