ABSTRACT

The term value-based management is redundant because all human actions are based upon values. The question that needs to be addressed is, what value, and why? In the context of this chapter, “value” is equated with “ethic.” It is important to remember that an ethical person is viewed as always doing the right thing in his or her personal as well as professional life. This is directly related to the type of work a person chooses, as well as his or her feeling of success, fulfillment, frustration, and understanding of failure versus achievement. What constitutes work as “activity” or “value” is clearly both social and personal in nature, with occupation meaning not only what one does but also who one is. The meaning of work, then, is conceived from a highly individualized “network of direct and indirect influences or associations” (Hall, 1986, p. 169), resulting in an inherent subjectivity to the concept. In short, work is what we define it to be.