Integrity

"Integrity" means "The state or quality of being entire or complete." Also, "made of whole cloth." Something has integrity when all its parts are operating in a consistent and harmonious way; there is no part that is operating against the others.

An organization has integrity when all its participants work together in a mutually beneficial way -- there is no one who works against the others or at cross purposes -- and every expression of the organization, from private plans, to public statements, to actions, are in harmony. There must be no secrets, no exploitation, no deceit, nothing that would erode trust or conscience.

This ideal is difficult to achieve, since an organization is composed of individual people who have their own interests. It is only possible if the participants can access the wishes of their hearts, and find the ways in which they are mutually reinforcing. Some people wish for knowledge, others for accomplishment, affiliation or responsibility. The heart's wish is never wealth or fame, rather it is to understand oneself and life, to make a positive change, to bring joy, to promote an ideal, to create beauty, to experience closeness, to uphold honor, to attend to suffering, or to create a zone of peace. Everyone wishes to contribute something to life that outlasts their lifetime, and to be remembered as a good person in their absence. This is the wish to be eternalized; it's built into the human heart.

To build a Heart-Centered Organization, it is necessary that at least the leadership, and preferably all the participants, be trained in a process that can reveal the wish in their own hearts. The heart's wish is not what the mind thinks it is; that's only the surface of it. The wish of the heart must be discovered by diving into the heart, a process taught by IAM using Heart Rhythm Meditation.

The heart's wish is the real driving force in a person's life; it may be suppressed, but it will emerge eventually. One cannot operate against it long-term; when one operates with it, results come easily.

While it is usually assumed that an organization must force the subordination of the individual's wish to the company's will, such subordination is neither useful nor desirable. It is the wish in the heart of people that gives them their power and inspires their creativity.

The Heart-Centered Organization draws upon the power of the heart's wish in each person; it never counters it or dismisses it. The HCO seeks to harness the power and creativity of each heart by honoring the wish in every heart.

The art of the Heart-Centered Organization is to conduct its business such that each individual is brought closer to their heart's wish through their involvement than they could have reached on their own.