We have all experienced situations in which our professional responsibilities have come into conflict with our personal values. Often these situations are “defining moments” in our life — moments that force us to find the right balance between our hearts and idealism, and the reality of the world. Character is forged during these defining moments, when we must choose between right and right.

Expression of an authentic self is an important personal attribute. It is a quality that others must attribute to you. Authenticity is associated with sincerity, honesty and integrity. Today, it is often difficult to discern what is authentic and what is a cleverly created image designed to dupe us.

To be successful in today’s complex world, it is often necessary to manage your authenticity. The notion of managing something which must be attributed to you by others may seem like a contradiction, but that's not necessarily the case. In "Managing Authenticity," Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones discuss this very subject (Harvard Business Review, 83(12):87-94, 2005, www.hbr.com). According to Goffee and Jones, managing authenticity may indeed be desirable — and the best way to achieve a goal. Their article provides some tips for establishing and managing your authenticity.

Finding your authentic self can be difficult; it moves back and forth on a continuum bounded by how you were created at one end, and what the world has told you to be at the other. Where you are on this continuum is dependent on life experiences, judgment and how well you know yourself. Skill in managing your authenticity responsibly is a sought after ability in today’s world, one that Goffee and Jones lament is “unfortunately in short supply.”

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the engineering community:

• During our careers, some of us may have the need to prepare a case study. Cases have been used in business education for many years. An excellent guide to writing case studies is “SWIF Learning: A Guide to Student-Written, Instructor-Facilitated Case Writing” by Paul Michael Swiercz of The George Washington University.
  
  This 19-page guide will assist you in preparing a clear and concise document. Topics covered include: why write and study cases; what is a case study; where to begin; preparing/writing the case; ethical concerns; and releases. References to sources of further information on case writing are included. In the Appendix, a number of useful tools, including a checklist and flowchart, are provide to guide you through the process of writing a case.

• We each have nuggets of wisdom or “secrets” that we believe have contributed to our success. In “My Golden Rule” (Business2.0; 6(11): 108-130, 2005; www.business2.com), the editors report on their interviews of 30 business visionaries, in which they reveal the single philosophy each believes to be the “secret of their success.” These men and women have all achieved considerable personal and life success. What they say might be important to you.

• The experience of stress is a normal response. Stress to a certain level is beneficial, as it keeps you alert, focused and efficient. When stress exceeds this level your body becomes overloaded and performance and health will suffer. In “Are You Working Too Hard? A Conversation with Mind/Body Researcher Herbert Benson” (Harvard Business Review; 83(11): 53-58, 2005; www.hbr.com), Benson provides insights on how to control stress so that you can benefit from it while avoiding its dangers. He describes a four-step process for managing stress in a way that will maximize your productivity.

• The population of special-needs children is growing as medical advances enable children to survive illness and live with conditions that were previously fatal. In the United States, it's estimated that there are more than nine million children with special health care conditions. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human services one in five households is caring for a child with special needs. Research from the Families and Work Institute in New York suggests that nearly 9 percent of a given company's work force is caring for a child with special needs. This data is provided in “Special Needs” (HR Magazine; 50(12): 47-51, 2005; www.shrm.org/hrmagazine, in which Donna Owens discusses how organizations can and should help employees who have special needs children. Providing such a service benefits both parties; as the organization will win employee loyalty and see increased employee productivity, and job commitment.

• Codes of Conduct are increasingly regarded as a necessity for all organizations globally. In some jurisdictions it is a legal necessity. In “Up to Code: Does Your Company’s Conduct Meet World Class Standards?" (Harvard Business Review; 83(12): 122-133, 2005; www.hbr.com), Lynn Paine et. al. discuss their research on an emerging global consensus on basic standards of corporate behavior. Paine and company provide a Global Business Standards Codex that consists of a set of principles and conduct standards for implementing the principles into practice. This Codex is meant to be used as a benchmark for those who wish to create their own customized code of conduct.

• Throughout history, individuals have emerged who possess a genius that sets them apart from their contemporaries. Their creativity resulted in inventions that are years or even centuries ahead of their time. A Japanese gentleman born in 1799 named Tanaka Hisashige was one of these. In: “Karakuri Ningyo: The Amazing Ancestors of Today’s Industrial Robots” (Japan Close-up; 10(11): 14-20, 2005 ) Mark Schreiber discusses Tanaka’s genius and innate ability to grasp the workings of machines earning him the Japanese nickname “Karakuri Giemon” translated into English as “The Gadget Wizard." This article focuses on one of his inventions, the “Moji-kaki Ningyo“ (Writing Doll). Through a complexity of cams and gears, the doll was capable of writing multiple characters. The article goes on to describe other sophisticated mechanical devices dating back to ancient times. Tanaka founded the company that was the forerunner of Toshiba Corporation. What Japanese character did this doll write out? Read the article for the interesting answer.

• Two articles recently published reflect on changes occurring in the General Electric Company. In: “GE’s Makeover” (Bloomberg Markets; 15(1):89-95, 2005) Monée Fields-White and Rachel Layne discuss the re-organization and new financial management initiatives of this multi-billion dollar organization. GE’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt and his team believe that these changes will boost earnings, increase its stock price, and maintain its triple-A credit rating. The second article “Connecting Profits and Preservation” (Industry Week; 254(12): 16-22, 2005; www.industryweek.com), John Teresko describes how GE has embraced “Ecomagination” in everything it does. Ecomagination views environmental issues as important, and it provides socially responsible opportunities to meet customer needs while at the same time improving revenue growth.

 

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