Values, Morals, and Ethics. What's the Difference?

When I consider a course of action or decision, I invoke my values, morals, and ethics to guide me. It’s a mysterious choreography, because these three sources of wisdom are tightly interrelated and also different. Some people say that values, morals, and ethics are pretty much the same thing. However, while they inform and build on each other, they operate quite differently. Let’s take a look at each.?

VALUES

Values are motivating beliefs about what the individual considers important.

Values represent the fundamental principles I prioritize in my life. Values motivate me to show up as my best self. Values generally motivate my behavior, not constrain it.

I alone am the authority for my values. While my values have been shaped by my family, culture, and society, they are governed exclusively by my own judgment regarding what is important and worthy. Values vary from person to person. There is little reason to expect that my values conform to yours.

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Examples of Values

·??????? I value learning

·??????? I value being on time

·??????? I value travel

·??????? I value perfecting my tennis game

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MORALS

Morals are a system of beliefs that obtain their authority from an external source. Morals often constrain conduct.

When people consider morality, they generally invoke some source of morality outside themselves. Some common sources are the Ten Commandments, the Koran, and other bodies of wisdom considered to be holy. Other sources are secular, such as the U.S. Constitution, widely-accepted precepts (The Golden Rule), or philosophical movements such as Utilitarianism, Confucianism, or Stoicism.

Moral beliefs help me organize my understanding of what is right and wrong, my sense of decency, fairness, justice, and obligations to others. Some moral precepts are individualistic (it’s immoral to gossip) while others govern social behavior (it’s immoral to claim credit for someone else’s work).

Morals are expressed in the form of rules and statements, often stated as what not to do, such as the Ten Commandments (you shall not steal). Morals are highly dependent on culture and society. Morals change over time within a given society as that society changes (such as the morality of slavery). In the business world, it’s generally best to frame issues in terms of ethics instead of morals, as invoking a moral framework might prove offensive to a colleague whose moral frame of reference is different.

Examples of Moral Principles

·??????? Avoid Hurting Others’ Feelings

·??????? Do Not Cheat or Swear

·??????? Show Respect for Others

·??????? Do Unto Others as you would have Done to Yourself

·??????? Admit Fault as Necessary

·??????? Respect Differences

·??????? Do Not be Jealous

·??????? Take Turns

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ETHICS

Ethics is the practice of applying a code of conduct to balance what is fair for individuals and what is right for society.?

Ethics balances the inevitable tensions between people who co-exist in a complex society. An ethical framework is the operating system that helps individuals and organizations decide what is good or bad, fair or unfair, and acceptable and unacceptable as parties navigate rights and responsibilities. In expression, ethics are often abstract, governed more specifically by codes of conduct, professional standards, policies, norms, and legally-enforced laws and regulations.

Ethics has nothing to say about actions that impact only the individual. In operation, ethics often limits and constrains freedom, such as the freedom to be selfish, dishonest, or impulsive. On the other hand, it also motivates behavior, such as cooperation, or self-sacrifice, or philanthropic.

It’s true that ethical codes of conduct are based on moral principles. When I act in ways that are consistent with my morals and values, and when I am willing to defend my conduct in the court of public opinion, I am acting ethically.

Examples of Ethical Issues

·??????? How do I balance my desire to advance at work with teamwork?

·??????? How do I balance my preteen’s right to privacy against the risk of unmonitored social media use?

·??????? Can I end an unwanted relationship by ghosting them?

·??????? Is it okay to lie to a sick loved one?

·??????? A billing error is in my favor. Must I correct it?

When I am confronted by a tricky situation, considering my options through the filters of values, morals, and ethics gives me the best hope of making a defensible decision.? I hope the distinctions and examples outlined here help clarify the similarities and differences among values, morals, and ethics.