MANAGERIAL VALUES AND ETHOS

Ethos refers to habitual character and values of individuals, groups, races, etc. Managerial ethos is concerned with the character and values of managers as a professional group. Contemporary managers hold some specific values which affect work and some of these are: autonomy, equity, security and opportunity.

1. Autonomy: These managers tend to allow enough latitude to individual employees as long as the use of this freedom does not violate basic norms of the organisation. In the last two decades, some management practices have been innovated which are in keeping with this value of autonomy.

2. Equity: Equity refers to justice in rewarding performance. Modern managers strongly feel that a person must get a reward proportionate to his input.

3. Security (providing security both economically and emotionally): Keeping a person on his toes by making him feel insecure is slowly but steadily getting discredited as a management philosophy. Even the societies which have practiced "hire and fire" policy are unmistakably shifting towards providing security of job. 

4. Opportunity: Providing enough career advancement opportunities to employees is yet another contemporary managerial value.

Besides these four values which affect a manager's work, the manager may have a strong "Work Value". Work Value refers to the worth a person ascribes to the opportunity of work. If you have a "strong" work value you are going to identify the worth or value of work to you in more ways than one. You may view work as an opportunity to: (a) accept challenges, (b) serve others, (c) earn money, (d) enjoy prestige and status, (e) be creative, or (f) be independent, etc.

MANAGERIAL ETHOS: ITS CHARACTERISTICS

Apart from these values, the managerial ethos requires below characteristics as well.

1. Action goal orientation: Persons with high sense of adequacy have clear goals about their future and are directed by these goals. They are action oriented to reach their clear goals

2. Pro-action/Pro-active: Proactive people do things on their own without having to be told by any one. Such initiative taking behaviour leads to a high level of activity and experimentation.

3. Internal resources: Managers with high sense of adequacy are aware of their internal strength and are guided by these strengths. They are aware of their weaknesses but this awareness does not deter them from acting positively or to look for opportunities for continuous self-improvement. They are open to feedback and ready to learn from experience.

4. Problem-solving attitude: A superior ethos requires that managers view themselves as problem solvers, rather than problem-avoiders. These managers have a positive orientation to problem situations and do not want to run away from problems. They tend to approach problem situations with optimism because they have internal locus of control, i.e., a strong belief that they can change the environment through their own efforts.

HOW CULTURE AND ETHOS ARE MAINTAINED

You may have often experienced that every organization has its own unique traditions and customs. Seldom are these traditions and customs explicitly spelt out, yet, over a period of time, organizations do develop long standing unwritten rules, regulations and rituals. The process through which the people are trained to accept the tradition and maintain the homogeneity of ethos and behaviors is termed as socialization.

Socialization is a process of adaptation by which `new' members come to understand the basic values, norms and customs for becoming `accepted' members of an organization. Though the most intense period of socialization is at the “fresher” stage of entry into an organization, the process continues throughout one's entire career in the organization. The people who do not learn to adjust to the culture of the organization become the targets of attack and are often rejected by the organization.

Socialisation process has three stages: 

1. Pre-arrival
2. Encounter
3. Metamorphosis

1. Pre-arrival: This stage tries to ensure that prospective members arrive at an organization with a certain set of values, attitudes and expectations. This is usually taken care of at the selection stage itself. Selectors try to choose the "right type" of people, who they feel, will be able to "fit" the requirements of an organization. Thus an organization, even before allowing an outsider to "join", makes an attempt to ensure a proper match which contributes toward the creation of a uniform culture within the organization.

2. Encounter: After gaining an entry into the organization a new member faces an encounter stage. There is always a possibility of difference between his expectations of an organisation and the OC. If the expected image and OC matches, then encounter stage passes off smoothly leading to confirmation of the image. If the imbalance between the two is acute, the person has usually two choices open. 

1. First, he undergoes further socialization which detaches him from his previous expectations, replaces these with another set of expectations and thus helps him get adjusted to the prevailing system.
2. Second, he drops out due to disillusionment. In both the cases the final result is the same: the status quo of traditions and customs are maintained.

In both the cases the final result is the same: the status quo of traditions and customs are maintained.

Metamorphosis: People who had discovered an anomaly between their expectations and OC, but decided not to drop out, enter into the metamorphosis stage. They must sort out their problems and go through changes-hence this is called metamorphosis. When this metamorphosis is complete, the members feel `comfortable' with the organisation and job. Successful metamorphosis results in lowered propensity to leave the organisation.

For a very few persons, the metamorphosis stage may remain incomplete or unsuccessful. These people, as yet, have not been able to "accept" the OC and thereby remain nonconformist. Sometimes they continue to `fight' the system, at least for some more time, with zeal and enthusiasm. 

Sometimes an organization, anxious to break away from its stifling OC, may choose to deliberately appoint people without subjecting them to metamorphosis stage so that they bring organizational change.