Values and morals are inextricably linked and are borne from a strong set of core beliefs that we hold dear, it boils down to what we believe to be right and wrong. The adage, ‘treat others as you expect to be treated yourself’ is a prime example. Most people want to be treated well; most people think they treat others well. This is why it can be so shocking when we are notified otherwise. Ultimately, we want to believe or often do believe that we are right.
When we look at some of the most prolific dictators in the world, they have been entirely present in their belief that they are right in their actions, the rest of the world may have disagreed, but they have been somewhat unshakeable. When you look at how some of this filters down through society and how malleable we can be, it challenges us and how strong our set of values can be. Not to mention the pressures on us to fit in causing values to drift. Do we follow our values and beliefs or compromise them to fit in?
Our Moral Compass is supposed to set out how our morals shape our values, however, it is not fixed like a true compass, instead it is altered by interactions around us – biases. Understanding that Morality and Values are support/broken down by our group interactions and the biases they reinforce is vital to understanding the interplay and the fact the morality, values and bias are all deeply personal. We all want to do the “right” thing, but that is dependent on our view of “right” and “wrong”. Think of a Dictator, they believe they are doing the “right” thing, by their own moral code influenced by their own biases. There is a story about a prince, his father wanted to protect him from the evils of the world so raised him in the Palace surrounded by wealth and luxury, the prince should never know any pain or suffering… What do you think happened to the prince? He eventually became Buddha.
So where does data tie into this? Process (or actions and activities) generates our data. That is then interpreted using our morals, values, and biases. This means that if we cannot open our mind to the possibility that we do not know everything our analysis risks reinforcing our beliefs and deepening our biases rather than moving us and our organisation forward.
How will this help you? By understanding your own motivations and their subsequent interplay with those of others, we can start to establish whether the way in which we are conducting business follows our moral code and values or have chosen a compromise.
Geordie Consulting will help you and your business to let go of your assumptions to impartially analyse your data and better understand the true drivers of your organisational success. Check out some of our case studies on our website (Geordie Consulting – Our insight unlocks your insights) and book a call to see how we can help you overcome the hurdles whilst decreasing stress and override human error in data reporting.
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