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Gary Erickson, founder of Clif Bar Inc., has an open and innovative style of leadership that fits very distinctly with one of the generations of workers defined by Zemke in the text. While the “Veterans” and “Baby Boomers” are much too prone to tradition and routine and the “Nexters” are far too young and undeveloped as a group, the qualities of a “Gen-Xer” fall directly in line with Erickson’s leadership style. In the text, Zemke describes Gen Xers as “entrepreneurial” and being “more committed to their vocation than to any specific organization” (155). Gen Xers are also said to seek balance between life and work, and they do not define leadership in terms of meetings and vision statements. They would rather leaders make work environments …show more content…
He showed great entrepreneurial vision in the creation of Clif Bar, having started the company simply because he thought he could make a better energy bar alternative for cyclists and other athletes (183). He built his business from the ground up, only having his family’s bakery as an aid (183). How he chooses to lead Clif Bar shows an understanding and appreciation for the work-life balance and other things Gen-Xers desire from their leaders and work environments. His 2,080 program, named for the number of hours a full-time employee will work in a single year, was launched in order to allow employees to get paid for their volunteer work. Erickson also supports employees who want to travel to Third World countries by paying them to do so and covering travel expenses (184). He attempts to give employees opportunities to experience things greater than just sitting at a desk while still on company time. He also makes sure his employees are comfortable and constantly rewarded in their working environment by supplying them with bikes, a gym, personal trainers, hair salons, and an auditorium for movies and parties all within the company’s site …show more content…
Obviously, one goal of every company is to make a profit. Without a profit, Erickson and his employees would not be able to make as large of a positive social and environmental impact. It is very clear, though, that this company values much more than just profit, which was made apparent when Erickson denied selling the company for $100 million because he wanted to retain the vision and values that he held for the company (183). Erickson’s “ethics and values-based approaches to leadership,” shown through his mixture of authentic and servant leadership, allows Clif Bar Inc. to have a very ethical climate. “Authentic leaders exhibit a consistency between their values, their beliefs, and their actions,” and they also take actions that concentrate on relationships, social responsibilities and performance standards (169). Erickson also practices servant leadership by emphasizing the importance of building community and giving his employees opportunities to grow (171). Erickson has successfully integrated his values with his leadership and his organization, allowing Clif Bar Inc. to have an ethical climate “in which ethical standards and norms have been consistently, clearly, and pervasively communicated throughout the organization and embraced and enforced by organizational leaders
It appears that Generation Y is executing the wishes that other generations of workers subdue, and are subsequently portrayed as a vocal group by default. As a result of millennials’ demands, various companies are now beginning to conform to the ideas this generation presents. As such, new policies are being implemented,
Johnson & Johnson, a healthcare company that has dominated its industry for several decades, is currently undergoing managerial upheaval in light of recent blunders amongst its top-tier managers. It has spent years priding itself on appeasing stakeholders and being a safe provider of various pharmaceuticals, but product recalls and subsequent revenue drops have plagued the company as of late. Alex Gorsky spearheads Johnson & Johnson’s revival after previous CEO William Weldon resigned due to missteps. The cause of which stems from misinterpretation of common business ethics through poor leadership and social responsibility that damage the stakeholders.
Boomer’s see millennial’s as having a short attention span which is not what millennial’s intend. If they don’t see a job working out, they are faster to jump ship than Boomer’s and that fearless attitude actually leverages them more power with their company. Sherry Buffington, co-author of Exciting Oz: How the New American Workforce Is Changing the Face of Business Forever and What Companies Must Do to Thrive, says that they have the upper hand because they are perfectly fine working dozens of different jobs in their lifetime. “In a survey conducted by IdeaPaint of 600 employed Millennials, 49 percent believe that poor management is dragging their company down; 45 percent attribute that to the lack or misuse of technology solutions.” (Avallon) This helps the reader to better understand the mentality of millennial’s. They are typically more tech savvy then their older bosses and feel they could make more of an impact if they were in charge. Millennial’s are hard-wired to think that time really is their most important resource. If they feel they aren’t being treated completely fair then they won’t hesitate about trying to find a new
It's difficult not to be cynical about how “big business” treats the subject of ethics in today's world. In many corporations, where the only important value is the bottom line, most executives merely give lip service to living and operating their corporations ethically.
New Belgium Brewing, a small business based in Colorado and founded by Jeff Lebesch, was motivated while on a biking trip through Belgium. The case states “the company places great importance on the ethical culture of the brand.” (p.357) Furthermore, explain that, what a company says and does must be synchronized. New Belgium Brewing knew their core values and beliefs before the company was established.
Job rotation/enlargement allows Ben & Jerry to reinforce the motivations of the workers. Employees are paid to work in the community doing some kind of social service. The program known as Making a Difference Day allows a typical manufacturing employee to go out into the community to paint a fire house or plant trees. This allows the employee to realize that the money made by Ben & Jerry’s does indeed go to community services and reinforces their values.
The case of Bernard Ebbers has described by Trevino and Brown (2005) showed a lack of moral leadership that resulted in the largest bankruptcy in US history. Researchers further stated that business leaders set the ethical tone in their organizations and with the use of rewards and punishments they can reinforce positive ethical behaviors (Trevino & Brown, 2005). Bernard Ebbers was seen has a strong innovative leader that took the communications industry by storm. He was charismatic and business savvy and within a few years he had grown his company tremendously. The rapid growth and expansion of his business was a concern to some but for most it was just another example of hard work and forward thinking.
Stereotyped in popular media as whining, self-absorbed, narcissistic, overindulged and tech-addled, the Millennial generation - born 1980 through 2000 - is generally considered to be the epitome of spoiled unreasonableness. Now that Millennials are making strides in the workplace, it is evident that those stereotypes are based more on anecdotes rather than reality. In fact it now appears that they very much echo their Boomer parents, which is why they are often referred to as Echo Boomers. Simply put, where Boomers have an optimistic outlook of the world, Millennials are hopeful; where Boomer work ethic is driven, Millennials are determined; where Boomers have a love / hate relationship with authority, Millennials treat authority with politeness; where Boomers believe in leadership by consensus, Millennials believe in leadership by pulling together; and where personal gratification is the impetus for Boomer relationships, Millennials have no personal motivation for relationships which are inclusive and with no boundaries (Zemke, Raines & Filipczak, 2013).
•Members of its executive board continue to show strong industry leadership on ethics, participating in the UK Anti-Corruption Forum, Transparency International and the Institute of Business Ethics. As a multinational company, depending (to a large extent) on contracts from governments, it is of the utmost importance to uphold a reputation of a company that values integrity, having a zero-tolerance on bribery and corruption and being fully compliant with relevant national and international laws and regulations. This is what ensures new contracts and guarantees the sustainability of the business which, being an employee-owned company, benefits the stakeholders as well. Being an employee of this company, one takes pride in knowing that there are high ethical standards being upheld. The PRIDE values, as described above, are not hollow phrases: the company is really practising what it preaches.
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, NASV). If O’Neal was not given authority to fire all of Merrill’s trained associates, the company would not have been exposed to the disaster that the leaders and consumers were faced with. "Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens” (Exodus 18:21). If there was an ethical leader that valued the fundament of business ethics, the firm could have avoided such a devastating loss that caused unemployment and debt to the employees and employers that once represented the firm and caused business to flow appropriately. If management relied on Client focus, it would assure customer service and interaction. Focusing on the concerns, needs, and desires of the customer gains the trust of the
Many laws have been put into place to make sure corporations act ethically, so they do not harm people or the environment. Corporations have a social responsibility to follow these laws and various other ethical actions; Johnson & Johnson, considered to be one of the most admirable companies according to Fortune, is one company that included their corporate social responsibilities in their code of ethics. Their code of ethics states that executive officers cannot financially benefit from unethical transactions or that their management must be competent and ethical (Code of Business Conduct, 2015). It is important for corporations to act ethically and hold up to their social responsibility, especially within the workplace; ethics are especially
As young adults, Generation Xers find themselves facing limited economic prospects and a society different from any preceeding them. The previous generation saw rapid economic growth and expanding opportunities. Generation Xers see corporate downsizing and layoffs, limited opportunities for career positions, and an economically troubled socie...
Organizations are constantly tested with various moral and ethical problems and dilemmas. Organizational leaders are the key to establishing an ethical climate in the workplace. By understanding and improving their own moral reasoning, and the biases that affect moral judgment, they enable themselves to make better decisions. This has a catalytic effect that positively increases organizational climate, ultimately improving all organizational behavior.
Klobucher, T 2011, Characteristics of Generation 2020: Generations at Work, The Great Workplace Revolution, accessed 11 November 2013, http://www.thegreatworkplacerevolution.com/characteristics-of-generation-2020-generations-at-work/
Business Ethics are much more than the buzz word stories on late night news. The Corporate Social Responsibility of a company goes well beyond that. “Business Ethics are moral guidelines for the conduct of business based on notions of what is right, wrong and fair.” (Bellow, 2012). Individual backgrounds play a huge role in person by person code of conduct can vary from employee to employer. To help solve some grey areas in what is ethically correct, companies now make a code of conduct that is over everyone in the company. This code of responsibility helps employees have better understanding of what is required of each and every one of them. “Corporate Social Responsibility is a business philosophy which stresses the need for