Managing beliefs, managing silence

Silence is not always the best method of dealing with volatile Issues, l ' ~ oston did not have a parade D on Samt Patrlck's day this year. The Mhed War Veterans Council, sponsors of the parade since 1947, decided to cancel the event rather than abide by a court order directing that the Irish-Amencan Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group be allowed to march. In New York, the parades go on, but only because the Saint Patrick's Day Parade Commit tee-af ter court appearances -ag reed to allow gay groups to participate Also in New York, members of Congregation Beth Slmchat Torah were shut out of a Salute to Israel parade because the synagogue 's members are avowedly gay And in Chicago, the Ad Hoc Committee of Proud Black Lesbians and Gays filed a complaint with the city's Commission on Human Resources because they were not allowed to march in the Bud Bdhken parade The issues go far beyond simply sexual orientation They involve such matters as f reedom of religion, f reedom of speech, property rights, and compel led agreement and behavior Further, they are not so remote from the clashes of values that business managers confront every day m America's plurahstlc society Other Americans have had to contend with ideas or institutions that support views contrary to their own In some of these instances they effectively have been refused the right to remain s,lent on matters that concern them Consider the following • Pamela Prodan didn't want the outhne of a lobster on her Maine automobile license plates Further, she didn't like the word "Vacatlonland." So she obliterated them, leavmg only the parts that were essential for ~dentlficatlon Ms Prodan was arrested and charged with violating a law that forbids altering the state's license plates • Rutgers Umverslty reqmred Its students to pay a small fee each term to fund pubhc Interest activities But a group of students oblected to paymg for Ideological causes with which they might disagree They sued the university, winnmg their case before the U S Supreme Court Because the law is mixed on this issue, unlverslnes that hope to tap students' purses and wallets for nonacademlc purposes must say, "Please ." or at least be willing to refund the money • Judith Caron disagreed with her employer ' s no-smoking policy She was fired from her lob, allegedly because she widely advocated smokers ' rights, including explaining her views during an appearance on "60 Minutes." A Massachusetts appeals court held that the Department of Public Welfare's termination was wrong It could not tell Ms Caron what to do or say after work hours It's a small step from Saint Patrick's Day parades, lobsters on license plates, political action contributions, or after-hours free speech about cigarettes to moral or ethical issues that affect America's managers and other employees This article, based on both the literature of the field and questionnaires sent to human resources directors m a small number of American companies, explores the commercml stance and legal rights that businesses and employees may take toward ideas or movements with which they profoundly disagree Some have fought back Others have quietly suppressed their view, going along with the malorlty No doubt still others have quietly disagreed with unpopular views but have actively suppor ted the rights of others to disagree and act out their beliefs More specifically, this article focuses on the dilemma managers confront when there is a conflict between return on investment and deeply held values that are personal to themselves or others in the firm In short, asking managers and others who face such wrenching decisions to abide by the old saw, "To get along, go along," is