The Leadership and Values Initiative (LVI), launching fall 2002, is an assemblage of classroom instruction, such as LVDM, LEAD and The Moral Leader, and extracurricular programs that integrate ethics and leadership training into the standard curriculum of the Harvard Business School.
The initiative is an outgrowth of Dean Clark’s conviction that teaching ethics at the world’s preeminent center for business studies should be explicit, not implicit. Each LVI program will intertwine leadership and ethics training with business instruction. The programs will challenge students to access their moral compass and to apply rigorous ethical standards to their business and leadership decisions such that this process becomes instinctual.
During the winter 2002 term, an “Aspirations Committee” was formed from within the Community Standards Committee in order to re-think the role of Community Standards in the HBS community. This committee was comprised of students Lisa Lewin (OD), John Stone (OB), and Paula Campbell (OG), and was supported by Director of Community Standards Pam Ring. Feedback on the group’s ideas was solicited from representatives of the entire HBS community and the Leadership and Values Initiative was formally presented to the Student Association on September 11th, 2002. The following week, the senate unanimously approved replacement of the Community Standards Representative with the Leadership and Values Representative role and corresponding responsibilities. LVI is one of Dean Clark’s top priorities for the 2002-2003 academic year and, since it is a new initiative for the school, many of the programs within LVI will continue to evolve.
LVI kicked off during Dean Clark’s Welcome to the Class of 2004. The August 23rd, event featured talks by Dean Kim Clark, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and the Class of 2003’s very own Lisa Lewin.
Lewin’s speech provided an excellent perspective on why leadership and values are important from a current student’s point of view. “Having been here for a year, I’ve seen that Harvard does not evangelize or preach morality per se. But what this school does is equally ambitious.
It broadens your set of analytic tools to include careful consideration of ethical and moral issues in normal course of the decision-making process. The programs of the Leadership and Values Initiative, like the Leadership, Values and Decision-Making Foundation course, where you’ll discuss the Tylenol tampering case and international child labor practices, and the speaker series, where business leaders who’ve demonstrated both exemplary integrity and stellar business performance share their experiences, are all part of Harvard’s explicit approach to weaving leadership training with technical business instruction.”
HBS Professor Lynn Paine captures the long-term vision for LVI as she describes a need to “develop a comprehensive approach ‘to leadership and values’ that goes beyond the often punitive legal compliance stance”.
She continues by stating that there is a need to foster ” [integrity] strategies that can help prevent damaging ethical lapses while tapping into powerful human impulses for moral thought and action”.
The Leadership and Values Committee (co-chaired by Careina Williams (OA) and Jaynie Randall (OJ)) is an outgrowth of the Harvard Business School Community Standards Committee, and is comprised of students, faculty, and staff. With the new and dynamic nature of this initiative, it is a great opportunity to make your mark on the school by helping to define leadership and values at HBS.
Secretary of State Chao truly captured the essence of LVI in one simple comment in her speech on August 23rd, “We must encourage the development of principled leadership. And the best place to start is right here… with you.”
HBS Leadership and Values Committee Representative
As the 2002-4 Leadership and Values section representative(s) your chief responsibilities include a two-year commitment to the development of the new Leadership and Values Initiative and to oversee that the underlying principles of the HBS community and key standards of behavior are maintained. These include:
o Respect for the rights and dignity of others
o Honesty and integrity in dealing with all members of the community
o Accountability for personal behavior
Formerly known as the community standards representative, the role has been combined with new responsibilities on the Leadership and Values Committee to better link behavioral integrity and leadership. This newly created position will emphasize coordinating leadership related issues both inside and outside of the classroom.
Within the context of your section, your responsibilities will include:
Maintaining classroom integrity by assisting your section in resolving local issues of conflict
Educating and training the class on HBS community policies
Advising fellow students upon request
Participating on the Community Standards Panel (appointed by the Dean)
Encouraging students to participate in the development of LVI programs
Meeting on a regular basis with the section president, education representative, and section chair to discuss issues of leadership and values within the classroom environment
Providing student input and perspective on issues related to leadership and values
Within the broader HBS community, as a representative to the Leadership and Values Committee, your responsibilities will require active participation in regular LVI Committee meetings. You will also be expected to serve on one or more subcommittees related to the following programs:
Alumni Speaker Series: Alumni discuss moral dilemmas they have faced post-HBS
Distinguished Speaker Series: Business leaders speak about the integration of ethics and business practices
Topical Roundtable Discussions: Student-led sessions where front-page ethics cases are closely scrutinized and deliberated
Awards: Recognition of outstanding members of the HBS community who have demonstrated the values of this initiative
Communication: Articles in the Harbus and other campus communication materials regarding issues related to leadership and values
For more information, please contact Careina Williams (cwilliams@mba2003.hbs.edu) or Jaynie Randall (jrandall@mba2003.hbs.edu).
