Integrity

In business, integrity means "doing what you say you will do." This includes subtleties of symbol, speech and emotion that carry an implicit promise. However, the issue becomes somewhat clouded if the client has clearly manipulated, pressured or maneuvered a businessman into a corner where they unknowingly have acted against their better judgment and made a promise they cannot fully keep.

To visualize what integrity is, think of it in the sense of a high-rise building. The structural integrity of the building is defined in engineering terms and in terms of the quality of construction practices. A building must have integrity if it is to survive the stresses and strains of use, high winds, corrosion, earthquakes and the like. In addition to being able to survive stresses in the moment, a building must also be able to with stand stress for a century or more to be considered integral. The minute architects and engineers begin to cut corners the integrity of the building is impacted. Likewise, when the building contractors begin to cut corners and do shoddy work the integrity of the building is affected. Running a business is much like building a high-rise apartment house. Every decision along the way is positive and generative or degenerative and destructive of the integrity of the business.

In real terms, the integrity of a business is a function of consistent dealing, fair treatment of clients, social responsibility, and honesty. Key to understanding integrity is that little of what transpires in the business is arbitrarily decided. A business with integrity has rules and stick close to them with few deviations. Violation of the rules does not necessarily mean the business is without substantial integrity. People in important positions have lapses of judgment; have the powerful manipulations of clients to contend with; and have occasionally financial crises to deal with. The important consideration here is whether or not the ethical deviations are temporary or are they permanent? Integrity involves the long term aspects of business. Is the business going to last, given deviations, or not?

Every decision a business person makes is either integral or disintegral. It is important for businessmen and businesswomen to keep track in every transaction, which way things are going. This is much like keeping track of profits and losses. When a pattern emerges the business acts on the problem and changes policy. In a criminal enterprise there is no tracking of deviations of behavior.