This oath I make freely, and upon my honour
David McFarlane, July 2009
Do you trust your immediate manager? Do you think your employees trust you to do what’s right by them? The relationship between managers and their employees plays a major part in generating and implementing company strategy, so what happens to long term company performance when this relationship breaks down?
Overall, public trust in managers has plummeted in recent years, partly caused by major scandals such as Enron and partly by a perception that managers act in their own self interest and often against the general interest of society. Professors
The idea is that an MBA certificate should inspire the same feeling of confidence as a license to practice law or medicine, or a charter ship for an account. The oath would require MBA graduates to commit to a code of conduct, designed to regulate their behaviour, some of the points in the oath include a promise to; act in an ethical and socially minded manner, help create a sustainable world, take reasonability for my own actions and to never achieve personal gain through decisions which harm society. Whether or not this code is enforceable, or even if it would have an impact, are open to debate, but the idea does highlight the importance of honesty, transparency and accountability in any organisation.
The ability of a manager to inspire trust in clients is essential if a company wishes to generate sales, but what is equally important is a manager’s ability to gain the trust and confidence of their employees. Trust in the proponents of change can allow managers to implement necessary changes with minimal resistance from staff; this in turn allows SMEs to be more flexible and responsive to changing business conditions.
Key to achieving this trust is the presence of a companywide and universally accepted vision for a successful company. This can allow all members of staff to not only support, but also to understand, the decisions which are being made at the top of the company.
We have seen from experience that a workforce which are all pulling in the same direction are much better positioned to achieve growth than an organisation which is riddled with silos and conflicting aspirations. This is not to say that the later type of organisation is doomed to failure - we have seen examples of companies which are able to turn the situation around, often simply through a more inclusive strategy development process, or through improvements in communications within the organisation.
To view the proposed MBA Oath please visit
www.mbaoath.com