Integrity - Definition

Integrity is consistency of actions, values, methods, measures and principles.

Integrity may be seen as the quality of having a sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one's actions. It is more and always taken in reference to honesty and ethics.

The word, as per my definition, can be split as Internal Grit meaning as follows:

Internal – Interior, Inner, Inside, In-house

Grit – Determination, Perseverance, Tenacity, Fortitude, Courage, Bravery

When we say Internal, it shall refer to the Boundaries defined for a given activity/circumstance. The centre point or the nearest point is the inner self of the person and the Outer Boundaries gets defined on a case to case basis. When we talk about work culture integrity, it starts from the inner self of the employee and keeps extending like the department, the organization, the Industry, the society, state, and country and so on.

As I read somewhere, a Real Hero is the one who does what he wants, when he wants, where he wants irrespective of the consequences. Grit is the determination of the person to stick to the defined set of values.

These two words together get us to the crux of the meaning for the word Integrity.

To try and put it from the negative perspective, a person who either doesn’t follow the rules of the game or tries changing around with the rules of the game is considered not achieving integrity.

Let me try with an example:

When you say a clerk at an office is not supposed to take favours, this rule in itself becomes the boundary. The level of grit of that clerk becomes his level of integrity read with the rule.

Moving one step ahead of this, the consistency of actions of the person with reference to differing places, times and rules decides the level of overall Integrity level of the person.

I will write more on this topic and hence giving a separate label for this.