Values Cannot be Just Posters on Office Walls

AS YOU WALK INTO THE CORPORATE headquarters, you're greeted by a bright poster that proudly states:

- Srinath Sridharan & Steve Correa

“Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” Inside, down the hallway, the values statement is beautifully etched in glass, reflecting the sunlight like a guiding beacon of morals. However, step further into the board-room, and the atmosphere changes. A senior leader shares a knowing wink at a clever workaround to a policy. A vendor is gently encouraged to tweak an invoice just enough to keep things running smoothly. A performance review highlights results rather than the ways they were achieved.

A Polite Illusion

In this moment, the poster starts to feel like a polite illusion that everyone seems too weary to confront. It’s clear there’s a disconnect between what's proudly proclaimed and what's truly practised. Somewhere along the way, integrity lost its place as the backbone of organisations and became merely decorative. Ethics became something we admire but rarely rely on. The impact of this superficial approach is becoming increasingly evident.

Moral Science

When you talk to young professionals navigating India’s corporate or startup scenes today, you'll often feel a mix of realities that can be a bit disheartening. Many of them stepped into the workforce with bright eyes, shaped by a school system that placed genuine importance on moral science.