[Dialogue] Does any one recoginize these two?

[Marge Philbrook]

David, where and when was this published?  We need that information for the
archives.  Thanks, Marge Philbrook

On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 1:40 AM, David Walters <walters at alaweb.com> wrote:

> Does any one recoginize these two?
>
> -David Walters
>   Friendship Fuels UA Applied Ethics Program
> [image: Vance and Spencer]
>
> Raymond Spencer (right, pictured with Neil Vance) recently was a guest
> lecturer for Vance's "Ethical Leadership" course. (Photo credit: Lori
> Harwood)
>  [image: Tree]
>
> Imagine culture as a tree. The branches and leaves are the visible part of
> the tree, just as the actions and behaviors of a group of people are easily
> seen. And the roots of the tree are the hidden part of the group: their
> philosophy, values and thinking. Why is it important to operationalize
> organizational culture?
> By Lori Harwood, UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, July 27,
> 2011
> By funding an applied ethics program in the UA School of Government and
> Public Policy, Raymond Spencer is helping prepare a new generation of
> leaders for the ethical challenges facing them in the workplace.
> What is an Australian businessman doing funding an applied ethics program
> at the University of Arizona? To find that answer, we must travel back 42
> years.
> In 1969, a young man named Raymond Spencer, who had grown up on a farm in
> South Australia, came to America and began working for a nonprofit in
> Chicago. There he met Neil Vance, now the UA *School of Government and
> Public Policy* <http://sgpp.arizona.edu/>'s Spencer Lecturer in Applied
> Ethics.
> After meeting, Spencer and *Vance* <http://sgpp.arizona.edu/user/110>worked together at the Institute of Cultural Affairs – an organization
> focused on rural and community development – for the next 15 years in
> Chicago and India.
> Their paths then diverged.
> Spencer, out of poverty and "pure desperation," went into the private
> sector and started a company called Kanbay, a technology consulting company;
> Vance went into academia.
> However, the two stayed in touch and found that their different
> perspectives on a shared passion – applied ethics – was beneficial to both
> of them.
> Vance invited Spencer to speak to his class about ethical leadership in the
> "real world." Spencer invited Vance to conduct ethics seminars with his
> leadership team in India.
> Spencer felt so strongly about the importance of this topic that four years
> ago, he and his wife, Tina, began funding the Raymond Spencer Program in
> Applied Ethics at the UA. His donation funds research, supports students and
> allows the program to bring in nationally recognized speakers on applied
> ethics. Vance also created "Ethical Leadership," a new undergraduate honors
> course.
> Nikhita Godiwala, a UA *Honors College* <http://www.honors.arizona.edu/>student in the course, said the class has strong relevance today.
> "I think leadership, ethics and classes that focus on applying knowledge
> instead of simply learning facts are what will benefit students in the real
> world," said Godiwala, who is studying *journalism*<http://journalism.arizona.edu/>and
> *philosophy* <http://philosophy.arizona.edu/>.
> "Everyone is a leader, and everyone will be faced with leadership roles and
> challenges in whatever field or career they choose," Godiwala said, adding
> that "learning about ethics and how it applies to good leadership is what
> will truly help one succeed."
> Spencer believes that ethical leadership training is more important today
> than ever before.
> "I think that 100 years ago there was a degree of consensus about what was
> important in the society," Spencer said.
> "That does not exist today. And yet it's impossible to have an organization
> that's effective without some kind of common values and an understanding of
> what's important and what it means to be a responsible member of the
> organization," he added.
> Spencer does not just believe in the concept of ethical leadership – a
> mission statement framed and hung on the wall where it proceeds to gather a
> layer of dust.
> For him, ethical leadership is intrinsically tied to creating a corporate
> culture, which is necessary for employee satisfaction.
> At Kanbay, Spencer had an opportunity to put his ideals into practice. The
> company had about 7,500 people in 14 locations in eight countries. Creating
> a common experience for the clients and the associates became the defining
> element of the company. The result: Higher employee satisfaction and one of
> the lowest turnover rates in the industry.
> For example, at Kanbay, one corporate value was respect for the individual.
> In practice, this meant that employees received 10 days of development a
> year, and the corporation had a low tolerance for gossip and delays in
> feedback.
> What about the relationship between ethics and profit? Did making the
> "right decision" – such as when Spencer had to fire a critical member of his
> team for questionable behavior – ever result in loss of revenue?
> "At times it cost us and at times it didn't," Spencer said.
> But with Kanbay's success, it was acquired in 2007 for $1.3 billion by
> Capgemini, one of the world's leading providers of IT and consulting
> services.
> "You might make money by violating your ethical framework," said Spencer,
> currently chairman for Capgemini's Financial Global Business Unit, a
> director of Rubicon Technology Inc., and a partner and member of the
> investment committee in three U.S.-based venture funds.
> "But in the long term, I'm absolutely convinced that ethical behavior was a
> massive contributor to our success. And even if it wasn't, it's still the
> right thing to do," Spencer also said.
> Vance said Spencer "lives his life trying to make a difference," and that
> his gift to the UA makes a "powerful" impact on the students, the future
> leaders.
> "I can see it in their eyes when they get it: Ethical behavior matters,"
> Vance said. "Ethical leadership has a powerful ripple effect in the world."
>
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