Introduction
In the culturally diverse settings that characterize the contemporary society, engaging in ethical behavior is crucial for the sake of promoting individual and collective growth and development. However, socio-economic and political vices such as corruption threaten the pace at which parties attain success. For this reason, advocating anti-corruption practices would bolster the move towards a morally upright society (Weaver & Clark, 2015).
Therefore, based on the speaker’s insights, this paper identifies the best practice for combatting the corruption issue that undermines effective interactions in the cross-cultural context that would also enhance personal and career growth. Further, pinpointing the necessary aspects that foster the development of the skill besides assessing the influence of faith and spirituality in the reinforcement of the quality would be the concentration of the paper. Moreover, the paper analyzes the essence of assuming the responsibility of gaining cultural intelligence on the individual’s career development.
The Speaker’s Major Idea
The corruption issue entails fraudulent and dishonest engagements mainly involving bribing individuals in authority. The corruption trend has resulted in the prevalence of discrimination besides other forms of inequalities in the world. For this reason, the culture of corruption has propped up misunderstandings between diverse groups who have incompatible perspectives regarding issues bribes to attain certain objectives and goals.
Notably, the vice has affected various sectors of the modern society as individuals and professionals in different and multiple organizational settings engage in the unethical behavior to pursue their individual interests. Thus, engaging in corrupt activities undermine the realization of a culturally diverse society dominated by equal opportunities for growth and development (Karhunen & Ledyaeva, 2012). Therefore, mitigating the practice is crucial for streamlining the attainment of impartial opportunities for growth and development in the culturally different atmospheres.
In that light, the anti-corruption idea caught my attention significantly owing to its contribution towards the attainment of a morally upright society. Mainly, advocating for the adoption of practices that undermine the growth of the corruption malignancy would ensure that the public contributes to the attainment of good organizational governance in the multiple structures of the socio-economic and political systems. Furthermore, addressing the corruption issue is essential since it raises awareness regarding the individual’s role and responsibility associated with monitoring the conduct of powerful officials.
Besides, the anti-corruption idea improves the participation of the public in decision-making protocols that seek to combat the challenge (Huberts, 2014). Additionally, combatting corruption issue facilitates an understanding of diverse communities and cultures amid the challenges that bar the eradication of corruption. Moreover, the highlighted idea reveals the available tools that enhance equality and thus, mitigate corruption. In this regard, the addressed issue is of the essence in a society that seeks to sustain itself through the prevalence of equality in the culturally sundry settings.
The Relevance of Practicing the Virtue of Integrity to Curb Corruption
In the wake of the unprecedented cases of corruption, upholding the virtue and practice of integrity reinforces the virtue in the attributes of an individual thereby, promoting transparency. Principally, advocating for the embracement of integrity as a way of curtailing the predominance of the corruption trend in the modern society would instill a culture that supports good governance characterized by transparency (Weaver & Clark, 2015). Therefore, upholding the practice of integrity would consent individuals, groups, and communities to conduct their engagements within the acceptable anti-corruption code.
Likewise, the integrity quality plays a significant role in fostering individual growth and development. Importantly, the practice instills a sense of responsibility in the individual to conduct their roles and functions in the most transparent and efficient way in realizing the set objectives and goals (Karhunen & Ledyaeva, 2012). Therefore, executing my professional roles in an environment that branded by culturally different workmates and clients would ensure that I consider their unique and dynamic needs satisfactorily while interacting.
Furthermore, upholding the quality of integrity fosters professional growth since it creates a sense of trust among individuals in the organizational setting. As such, the possibilities of assuming high-level responsibilities increase since seniors and colleagues in the professional environment gain trust in an individual who values integrity.
The development of the integrity practice in the individual skillfully requires the incorporation of several qualities in the individual. Importantly, maintaining honesty by questioning one’s motives besides avoiding excuses is key for building the practice of integrity since it not only allows one to be honest to themselves but also to others. Additionally, staying focused is relevant for sustaining the integrity quality since it ensures that one also stays on track and maintain a balance in the different aspects of their life. Moreover, interacting with people who can influence one positively is essential for fostering a culture of integrity. People of influence inculcate a sense of responsibility besides providing the necessary inspiration for handling individuals from diverse backgrounds ethically (Karhunen & Ledyaeva, 2012).
The Role of Faith and Spirituality in Reinforcing Integrity
Religion and spirituality could also provide the essential inputs necessary for promoting the growth of the quality of integrity. Notably, the world’s entire religions regard integrity as its principle spiritual virtue (Marquette, Pavarala, & Malik, 2014). Essentially, faith and spirituality provide individuals with worldviews that influence the adherents to perceive certain issues in a particular way. Notably, the incorporation of the integrity quality and its practice involves the moral aspect of religion. Mainly most religions associate their deity with morality, and thus, the followers ought to maintain ethical standards in their engagements. In this regard, considering religion and spirituality values could also facilitate the efforts towards combatting the corruption issue.
Faith influences the individual to live within the eternal spiritual laws in a harmonious way. Thus, regarding corruption as a factor that breaks the spirituals laws, the individual strives to conduct their undertakings in a way that would secure their eternity like in the case of Christianity. In Buddhism, for instance, integrity entails acting in a morally upright way by considering the aspects of understanding, though, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration (Pavarala & Malik, 2012). Therefore, faith and spirituality provide the moral guidance requisite for nurturing the quality of integrity, an essential practice for curbing corruption.
In this light, faith and spirituality complement the factors that facilitate the development of integrity including honesty, focus, and association with positive influencers. Therefore, since religion in the various cultures fosters a sense of morality, applying it in anti-corruption initiatives is relevant. As such, besides providing spiritual nourishment, the multiple and different faiths facilitate the realization of a morally upright society and thus, combat corruption.
Cultural Intelligence
Since globalization has influenced the complexity, dynamism, and competitiveness professionals ought to portray cultural intelligence in the modern society that witnesses heightened cases of cross-cultural interactions. Essentially, cultural intelligence infers to the ability of the professional to execute their duties remarkably in varying cultural contexts. Thus, adopting cultural intelligence as a personal responsibility is vital for professional growth in the culturally diverse organizational atmospheres.
Cultural intelligence facilitates the linking of divides and knowledge gaps in the organizational setting (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015). Thus, for professional growth and development to occur, the individual needs to eradicate any issues that undermine harmonious interactions in their professional undertakings. Further, filling the knowledge gaps that undermine an expert’s decision-making capabilities is essential for career advancements. Therefore, the professional needs to assume the responsibility of incorporating cultural intelligence for the creation of harmony and informed cross-cultural interactions.
In the multicultural workplace environments, the establishment of interpersonal relationships and connections is crucial for streamlining the organizational processes (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015). Essentially, interpersonal interactions foster the individual’s professional growth and development since it supports inter-professional and collaborative working. Furthermore, such connections cultivate the creativity and innovativeness of an individual in the organizational resulting in the growth of their career besides improving the performance of the organization. In this regard, the individual needs to assume the responsibility of building their cultural intelligence since it facilitates their ability to incorporate diverse perspectives and resources in their professional undertakings.
Conclusion
Efforts geared towards curbing the prevalence of the corruption issue in the contemporary society hold considerable relevance. Importantly, practicing the virtue of integrity in the cross-cultural interactions is crucial since it ensures that every individual or group experience equal opportunities especially in the organizational setting. As such, nurturing the virtue through the incorporation of honesty, interacting with positive influencers, and upholding religious values among other strategies is crucial for promoting anti-corruption campaigns. Moreover, for the sake of bolstering one’s career growth, assuming the responsibility of developing cultural intelligence holds water.
References
Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Handbook of cultural intelligence. London, UK: Routledge.
Huberts, L. (2014). The Integrity of Governance: What it Is, what We Know, what is Done and where to Go. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Karhunen, P., & Ledyaeva, S. (2012). Corruption distance, anti-corruption laws and international ownership strategies in Russia. Journal of International Management, 18(2), 196-208.
Marquette, H., Pavarala, V., & Malik, K. (2014). Religion and attitudes towards corruption in India: A collective action problem? Development in Practice, 24(7), 854-866.
Pavarala, V., & Malik, K. (2012). Social constructions of religiosity and corruption. Economic and Political Weekly, 47(1), 61-68.
Weaver, R., & Clark, E. (2015). Behavioral ethics, behavioral governance, and corruption in and by organizations. In P. Hardi, P. Heywood & D. Torsello (Eds.), Debates of Corruption and Integrity (pp. 135-158). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.