Introduction
In the current world, the role of values and the importance of good decision-making are becoming increasingly fundamental tools in the successful running of organizations. The Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory (EAI) self-assessment, as an ethical evaluation tool, indicates the personal values of individuals (The Williams Institute, 2008). After conducting the self-assessment, I compared them with the values of Kudler Fine Foods to determine how they align with the values of the gourmet grocery store. By analyzing the strategic plan of the organization, I was able to gauge how the alignment of my values and the values of the organization would influence my performance if I were the leader of the fast-growing organization.
Personal values
My results from the EAI in terms of my ethical perspective revealed that I am inclined to base my ethical viewpoint on the outcome of my actions and I look for solid proof to authenticate if the actions of someone are ethical or not. These results validate my value of having a strong character since I ensure that individuals “walk the talk.” It is important to note that character is the internal benchmark that determines the decision that one makes whether something is right or wrong; regardless of the extenuating circumstances, gauging the difference between what is ethical or unethical relies on one’s character.
Kudler Fine Foods values
In terms of my ethical style, the EAI results indicate that I believe that every person should experience a “good life”; thus, if this is not realized, I tend to look for ways of improving the situation. This reflects my value of love of servant leadership. I value taking care of the needs of other people, protecting their interests, and empowering them to improve their well being. Further, my EAI scores concerning the frustrations I have to deal with when tackling various ethical dilemmas were not very satisfactory as they revealed that I tend to focus on the immediate scope of the problem when arriving at conclusions and I am often frustrated by conflicting perspectives concerning what is the most convenient course of action for the society as a whole and by the way used to get whose perspective eventually is accepted.
After analyzing the strategic plan of Kudler Fine Foods, I was able to comprehend the values that have steered its dominance in providing the finest gourmet products for its customers. The strategic plan of the organization is focused on meeting the needs of its customers. The organization aims to achieve this by delivering top-notch services and products to cater to the needs of its increasing clients. Kudler Fine Foods uses the freshest organic supplies to deliver products of the highest quality. It is important to note that the values of the company echo those of its founder and manager, Kathy Kudler, who has the vision of ensuring that shoppers get what they have paid for by providing them with quality products and services.
She has inculcated the practice of establishing a relationship with the clients into the culture of the organization. Thus, the company values its customers and it has experienced specialists in various departments address their various compliments and complaints. Ms. Kudler even handles the feedback from the clients herself. The one-stop-shop for a wide variety of fresh ingredients for meals offers reasonable prices for its products and it demonstrates good business ethics and values since its products cater to the well-being of the community. Also, the company values generous giving to ensure that the underprivileged in society experience a “good life.” Products that fail to meet its stipulated standards, but have not gone out of shape, are usually given to the local charities to assist the needy. For instance, the company has often donated day-old bakery products to the people without homes instead of selling them via a different outlet to increase its returns.
Alignment of personal values with those of Kudler Fine Foods
Thus, aligning my values with those of the organization indicates that they are complementary and I can effectively serve as a manager at the grocery store. As indicated by my high EAI scores, the values of consistent quality products and services delivery at Kudler Fine Foods goes together with my innate personal values. As my ethical perspective is to encourage the best results in all types of situations, the company also aims to provide high quality in one shopping experience for its customers. The various departments of the company aim to produce the best results daily by providing the freshest products to its clients. To achieve this, the departments always buy the freshest and finest foods. More so, based on the strategic goal of the company, they are obligated to make sure that only fresh food is on the shelves for selling to the customers.
Based on the values of Kudler, my performance as a leader of the organization would be successful. Since our values are complementary, I would start by embracing the company’s vision and values so that they are a part of me in my management role. As a result, these attributes would be evident in my leadership style. Since leading by example is an important aspect in management, the employees at the company would inevitably embrace the same statutes (Yukl, 2002). Efficient service to the shoppers would go on and even become better since if I will know that something is wrong, I would do my best to have it fixed at the earliest time. More so, this would be beneficial in making the employees stay motivated.
The commendable initiative that the company has taken to assist the less privileged in society is an outward demonstration that it cares for the good of the community. This generous giving characteristic of the company as the probability of enhancing my performance as a manager since it authenticates my innate values of doing my best to realize what is best for society as a whole. As a manager at the company, my objective would be to earn the confidence of Kathy; thus, I would endeavor to demonstrate that my values and those of the company are consistent. As such, even if I tend to get frustrated quickly with a wide selection of conflicting perspectives, I would do my best to ensure that I make decisions coherently.
Conclusion
To this end, it is evident that my values and those of Kudler Fine Foods are complementary and I can effectively perform as a manager at the company since this coherence will assist me in seeking to strengthen the values that are already found in the company with even better results.
Reference List
The Williams Institute. (2008). Ethics Awareness Inventory (EAI). Web.
Yukl, G. A. (2002). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.