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Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership

Values-Based Leadership Expert (Mary Gentile) Visits Ivey School of Business

Jan 20, 2011

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Many of us have experienced sitting in on a meeting, whether at work or school, where suggestions are being proposed that we do not feel right about. However, speaking up in the office or boardroom can seem like an intimidating task for both junior and senior staff alike. Mary C. Gentile has developed a curriculum that focuses on ways to teach business ethics in an innovative way – to go beyond awareness and analysis but to develop ways for individuals to voice their values as a skill through practice in the classroom. This approach gives individuals the chance to speak up when they are unsure.  The focus therefore is on action in addition to awareness and analysis.

Mary C. Gentile visited the Richard Ivey School of Business to speak about her approach and her new book, Giving Voice to Values. She is the creator and director of the Giving Voice to Values Institute and Senior Research Scholar at Babson College, and is a former Harvard Business School professor.  Her presentation was a part of the Foundational Leadership Lecture series through the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at Ivey.

Gentile’s curriculum is now being used in more than 100 schools and organizations worldwide. Although originally developed for teaching MBA students, it is now used in undergraduate business programs as well as in corporate training programs.

The audience of students and faculty warmly received Gentile as she began her talk with what led her to create her new approach and curriculum. She described a “crisis of faith,” about the state of ethics courses in business schools, which occurred while she was teaching and developing curricula at Harvard Business School and consulting with other schools and organizations. With this as her inspiration, Gentile developed a multidisciplinary approach that was action oriented and based around case studies. In the classroom, this approach gives students the opportunity to script and rehearse situations in front of their peers, giving them a chance to practice in working through potential scenarios, and giving them a chance to identify ways to give a voice to their values.

Gentile stressed the importance of the practice in ethics education is supported by many studies. “When we looked at studies on altruism from World War II,” she said, “research showed that those who acted ethically, were those who had rehearsed ethical dilemmas in the past with a mentor whom they respected.”

Gentile says that this approach is not a rigid methodology, but instead offers a flexible framework allowing students to align it to their own values and personality. Students learn what works for them and to speak up on their own terms. Gentile also stresses that “no one knows all the answers,” to the sometimes large and complex ethical issues that arise in the business world. It is not about preaching to co-workers and management, she says. It could be as simple as someone asking a question, which can be a powerful way to open up the discussion of an ethical issue. Even a prompting as small as this can help others involved in an ethical decision to voice their values.

Gentile says that practice in the classroom leads to the development of business ethics as a skill, easing the stress and anxiety of the individual speaking up in the workplace, ultimately, leading to more ethical business decisions. Gentile is optimistic about the future of business ethics, where action and implementation are the focus of business ethics courses, empowering tomorrow’s business leaders to speak up and voice their values. Gentile points out that, “If you are more competent and in the habit of voicing your opinion, you don’t need so much moral courage, because it becomes the default.”