Ethics and Values in Human Resource Management: Using Strategic Planning with an Ethical Foundation to Positively Affect Retention

Employee turnover rates continue to cause concern for employers as today's workforce becomes more mobile and flexible in their career choices. This is true for large corporations, small business owners, government and non-governmental agencies, for profit and non-profits alike. It is also true for the Air National Guard, a Reserve Component of the Air Force that is finding it increasingly difficult to hold onto its military members after spending countless money and time training them to meet today's demands of military life. This research paper employs a case study to determine how a strategic planning initiative that emphasizes ethical practices will factor into one's decision to remain in the Air National Guard. A comparative analysis of historical and contemporary retention theories is included to determine the relationship between and among the various influencing factors particularly as they relate to what the Air Force refers to as Core Values, its approach to ethics in the military. A strategic planning model entitled Prometheus was introduced to a 650 member organization. This model emphasizes a foundation in ethics and begins with the creation of the organization's "Guiding Precepts" followed by the formation of teams to address those issues most critical to the success of the military organization. After six months of implementation, a retention survey was administered asking specific questions about what factors contribute most to their decisions to remain in the unit. The results revealed a high correlation with high standards of conduct and Air Force Core Values. Among 35 Influencing Factors that were rated, ethical conducted scored in the Top 10 while 30 percent of respondents indicated that the strategic planning initiative influenced their desire to remain in the unit. This case study demonstrates that members of an Air National Guard unit value a strategic planning process that introduces high ethical standards, and they attribute those standards to positively influencing their decision to remain in their unit.