UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

SOCIAL AND BEBAVIOURAL SCIENCES

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND LIFE SKILLS

INTEGRITY

SITHOLE DM
 INTEGRITY
Definition of Integrity
• Integrity means doing the right thing even no one is watching
• It is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
• Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and
uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and
values.
• A term used to describe a person’s level of honesty, moral
commitments and willingness to do what is right
Attributes of Integrity
Dependability
• Dependability means people can rely on you and that you keep
promises. You are able to commit to tasks, people and events in which
you can take part. Employers can trust you and give you more
responsibilities. Your colleagues are happy to collaborate with you
because they can rely on you to complete your share of a project.
• To develop skills to be dependable, ensure that you meet deadlines,
do what you say and are punctual. Assisting your colleagues is also a
good way to show you're dependable.
Attributes of Integrity
Loyalty
• Employers especially value and appreciate the loyalty of their
employees. You can show loyalty by committing yourself to the
company where you work and helping them to achieve their goals.
You can be loyal to your team members by speaking kindly of them
and assisting them when they need help.
• Listening to authority and respecting their decisions is another way to
show loyalty. It's also important to protect trade secrets such as
company processes, inventions or strategies.
Attributes of Integrity
Honesty
• Integrity requires honesty. Those with integrity strive to be truthful.
They own up to mistakes and try to learn from them. This attribute
also means being authentic in the workplace.
• Being honest encourages others to trust you and helps build meaning
full relationships. Your colleagues are more likely to enjoy working
with you, and this can create a positive work environment. You may
also increase your career opportunities by handling professional
matters with honesty.
Attributes of Integrity
Good judgement
• Integrity requires some critical thinking and assessment skills to
determine the best choice in decision-making situations. Showing
integrity can help you develop a keen sense of intuition and make good
judgements more consistently. Ensure that you carefully consider your
options in a situation and try to predict the outcomes of each choice. If
your decision affects your colleagues, it's important to decide with them
in mind.
• Possessing the other attributes of integrity is indicative that you are an
individual with good judgement. You make decisions and act in a way that
encourages others to trust, respect and depend on you.
Attributes of Integrity
Respect
• People with integrity value other people by showing them respect at
work. They do their best to be on time for meetings, meet project
deadlines and keep others' feelings in mind. You can demonstrate this
trait by exercising punctuality, care with your words and careful
consideration of people's ideas. Developing interpersonal skills can
help you be more aware of others' feelings.
Signs of lack of Integrity at work
• People receive bribes in order to do service to clients
• Corruption is high
• Employees are not reliable
• What people say is not what they do
• Employees are not punctual for work but leave early
• Employees do personal business during work time
• There is high rate of absenteeism from work
• Employees are too defensive
• Lack of team work
• Communication is poor within the organization
Improving Integrity at work
(Be intrinsically motivated)
Show up ready to work
• Always be Punctuality for work
• If you have an emergency, let your boss know immediately, rather
than arriving late or being absent from work without notice. This
shows responsibility and respect.
• Always have a positive attitude towards work and workmates
• Be motivated to complete your work assignments
Improving Integrity
(Be a role model)
Set a positive example
• Be a role model in anything that you do
• Always apply your best abilities on your work
• Don’t settle for less, always go beyond the limit
• Let results of your work Inspire everyone
• Develop a mark of excellence in anything that you do
• Let People be impressed by your results
Improving Integrity
(Be guided by Humanity)
Be respectful during a conflict
• Avoid speaking negatively of others or using unprofessional language
• When you disagree with someone, take time to consider their point of
view and respond respectfully
• Always open up for a discussion during conflict and accept the views
of others
• Focus on conflict resolution
• Maintain relationships.
Improving Integrity
(Be Accountable)
Practice accountability
• Be accountable for your actions, including mistakes or failures
• This means you can admit when you do something wrong and that
you accept responsibility for the results of your behavior
• Showing accountability fosters trust between you and your employer
or colleagues
• Take responsibilities when assigned to you. This is a sign of leadership
and can help you advance your career.
Improving Integrity
(Code of conduct)
Stick to a Code of Conduct
• Always be guided by a code of conduct in execution of your duties
• Encouraging others to adhere to company policies is a good way of
showing integrity
Improving Integrity
(Be Ethical)
Improve your work ethic
• Work ethic means you apply effort to ensure the quality and
timeliness of your work
• Try to meet deadlines or complete work early
• Strive to be productive during working hours and meet each task or
assignment with enthusiasm and motivation
Improving Integrity
(Be Part of the Organization)
Respect property
• Be part of the organization
• Employees acting with integrity take care of the company and their
personal property
• This includes handling items with care, using equipment properly and
taking supplies only for use of your work assignments
• It is important that employers can trust you to be careful and help
maintain facilities and company resources.
Improving Integrity at work

• Be a team player
• Report unethical behavior
• Be willing to take hard work
• Do not abuse your power (Office)
Discussion Question
Discuss actions that you will take when you discover that your boss at
work is in the habit of taking fuel from company vehicles for personal
use?
Discussion Question

Identify and discuss a situation that once happened to you where your
name was seriously implicated in a malicious gossiping. How did you
resolve this and what steps did you take to restore your integrity?
Integrity In Personal Life
Examples of showing Integrity in Personal Life
• Speak kind of others even in their absence
• Avoid gossiping
• Don’t lie, be transparent in your conduct
• Be dependable/truthful, faithful
• Avoid extra marital affairs
• Keep your word and carry through on promises
• Listen to your partner
• Be honest about your feelings
• Admit when you make a mistake
• Apologize when you hurt another person
• Return extra change if a cashier gives too much back
Academic Integrity
• Do not plagiarize someone else's words, ideas, or data. Always cite your
sources. Never purchase, copy, or download essays
• Do not copy. This means don’t copy assignments, exam answers, lab reports,
theses, journal articles, or computer code
• Do not fabricate data, citations, or experimental results
• Do not use unauthorized aids or assistance in an exam, test, or other form of
academic work
• Know where the boundaries are set in group-work projects. Do not
collaborate on the writing of a paper when each member of the group is
required to submit her/his own individual paper unless otherwise instructed
Academic Integrity
• Do not falsify or alter a record, health slip, or grade, or permit another
person to do so
• Avoid even the suspicion of collusion. Do not allow any possibility that
someone else could copy your work or assignments or exams. You do
not want to be accused of abetting someone else’s academic
misconduct
• Do not allow others to diminish the value of your honest efforts and
achievements. Report any case of academic misconduct you observe
• Do not deny others the possibility of using academic materials either
by misplacing, defacing, destroying or stealing library materials,
altering computer data, or providing other students with false or
misleading data
Academic Integrity
• Avoid impersonation. This means that you should not allow another
person to assume your identity to write a test, computer quiz or
assignment; nor should you assume the identity of another. Nor
should you sign attendance sheets on behalf of another student.
Discussion Question

An examination paper has leaked from your