BUS 303 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: John Dewey, Kazuo Ishiguro
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15 Aug 2016
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Ch. 5 – Defining Moments
THE APEX OF A CAREER
- John Dewey: important ethical decision have 2 important aspects
public side = what other ppl can observe
private side = more subtle, involves ways in which ethical decisions form,
reveal & test the self
REVEALING
- defining moments surface sth hidden, give sharp clear view of sth previously
obscure
- defining moments compel ppl to arrange values in single file & reveal priorities
among them
Stevens, choosing to remain at the conference rather than be at his dying
father’s side, showed that he cared first about his professional duties
but reveals his rationale for his values, he did what he believes his father
would have wished him to do
- a choice may reveal little to others but a great deal to the person who makes it
these moments private & personal
- other times, a choice can reveal more to others if they are careful & observant
- defining moments need not take place in a moment/brief episode
- what is revealed in defining moment is rarely a startling new facet of indiv’s
personality
- defining moments reveal by crystallizing
sharper, more vivid, more intensified versions of what a person has been
revealing, usu in small ways, almost everyday
- reveals as much about a person’s past as it does about a present choice
ppl can reveal who they are & what they care about only if they are already
someone
- defining moments deeply personal yet profoundly social/political
open windows on indiv’s lives & experiences and on values of communities
in which they lived
TESTING
- defining moments indicate whether someone is really committed to particular
values or only gives lip service
- right vs. right choices particularly demanding b/c ppl must choose b/t 2+ values to
which they are deeply & genuinely committed
- Stevens faced professional & personal challenge that many managers can
recognize
“We are all butlers.” – Kazuo Ishiguro
SHAPING
- some of this shaping involves uneventful, minor decisions/actions
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