{"id":57,"date":"2013-11-13T16:43:32","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T15:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/ethics\/?p=57"},"modified":"2015-04-08T16:49:25","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T15:49:25","slug":"values-that-we-can-change-in-companies-and-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/ethics\/2013\/11\/13\/values-that-we-can-change-in-companies-and-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Values that We Can Change in Companies and Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ethics:<\/a>A few days ago I was invited to speak at the <\/span>Club of Rome<\/b><\/a>\u2019s series on \u201c<\/span>The Crisis of Values and Social Regeneration\u201d organized by its Catalan Chapter. I asked, \u201cWhat can we do with our <\/strong><\/span>society\u2019s<\/strong> values?<\/strong>\u201d What I would like to discuss in this regard is important: <\/span>Values can be changed<\/strong>. The second part of my presentation dealt with this, while the first focused on precisely some \u201cvalues\u201d that I believe are not the most appropriate given what our society needs today.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the personal sphere, we can understand values in two ways: as ideals<\/b> (what I would like to be) and as practices<\/b> (what I do effectively). With regard to values as ideals, I pointed out that they require two things: information and training.<\/p>\n

Information:<\/b> What values do I deem desirable? This sounds very theoretical. However, it need not be if we understand how we receive this information. For example, when I observe my father working hard, my mother making sacrifices for her children and my teacher worrying about keeping details in order, I am learning that there are values that are worth living.<\/p>\n

Training:<\/b> Why should I live those values? This is the rational<\/b> dimension that one learns through thinking, study, consultation, etc. Being industrious is good for many reasons, and it is certainly much better than its opposite which is not so for many other reasons, yet it obviously has its limitations as well for several reasons. I should be able to understand this and similarly, about other values.\u00a0 Probably the best way to acquire this type of knowledge, however, is not to attend a conference series, but rather to simply ask my father, who would explain to me the reasons why industriousness is a value.<\/p>\n

The other way to understand values \u2013 as practices<\/b> \u2013 deals with the ability to live according to these values, i.e., to practice them. It is fine to say that one should be industrious, but if I have never in my life been so, it won\u2019t go beyond being an attractive yet unattainable desire.<\/p>\n

Training yourself to live according to your values<\/b><\/h3>\n

Certainly, the conference attendees were interested in how one goes about <\/b>training<\/b>.\u00a0 Following are some of the ideas I discussed (of course there are many more):<\/p>\n