Where Principles meet Practice

Bringing Values to Life

When people are asked what integrity means, they often mention rules, procedures, compliance, or codes of conduct. That is hardly surprising. Organisations invest considerable time and effort in developing policies, establishing frameworks, and maintaining oversight. The Netherlands Red Cross is no exception. Procedures and rules are important because they clarify what we can expect of one another and provide guidance when difficult situations arise.

Yet, however important rules may be, they have their limitations. Strong systems and structures can support ethical behaviour, but ultimately the question remains how people choose to work within those structures. For me, that is where the real conversation about integrity begins. Integrity is not demonstrated in a policy document; it is revealed in the choices people make and the behaviours they display every day.

Integrity as an Ongoing Conversation

The Red Cross is built on a unique foundation. For more than 160 years, staff and volunteers around the world have been guided by the same seven Fundamental Principles: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality.

However, these principles only become meaningful when they are translated into practice. That is why we have a Code of Conduct that turns these principles into clear expectations for behaviour. What do we expect of one another? What do we expect of our partners? How should we treat one another? What does respect look like in everyday practice?

Integrity does not emerge simply because people have read a code of conduct. It develops when people continue to reflect together on what those principles mean in their day-to-day work. That is why it is so important to keep conversations about behaviour, dilemmas and expectations alive and to make them part of everyday working life.

We do this in a variety of ways. Each year we run an integrity cycle, a key element of which is our integrity survey, through which we gather experiences and signals from across the organisation. We also facilitate ethical reflection sessions with the Governing Board and the Management Team and discuss integrity-related issues with our integrity team. In addition, we consciously create opportunities throughout the year to keep integrity on the agenda, including a monthly poll that encourages staff and volunteers to reflect on familiar situations from practice.

We also offer dilemma workshops that provide participants with a structured framework for navigating the complex situations they may encounter. Naturally, we also have confidential counsellors, reporting channels and clear procedures for situations in which people wish to raise concerns or seek advice.

In my role as an Integrity Advisor, I have found that the most valuable conversations rarely revolve around rules. More often, they centre on uncertainty. Should I have acted differently? Do I need to challenge a colleague about something? Am I allowed to question a decision made by my manager? It is in these conversations that awareness develops. Not because there is always a single right answer, but because people learn how to weigh competing considerations thoughtfully and consciously.

Leaders have a particular responsibility in this regard. People naturally look to those who set direction. Does a manager genuinely listen when an employee raises a difficult issue? Is a challenging question welcomed or brushed aside? Is a leader willing to acknowledge that a decision, in hindsight, was not the right one? From these everyday interactions, people draw conclusions about whether it is safe to speak up and whether they can trust those around them.

Trust Is Not a Given

For an organisation such as the Red Cross, trust may well be our most valuable asset. The trust of the people who rely on our support. Of the people who choose to join us as volunteers or employees because they have confidence in our mission and the way we carry it out. Donors and funders support our work because they trust us to use the resources entrusted to us responsibly. This trust cannot be demanded. It can only be earned. Day after day.

That is why integrity is far more than an element of risk management. It is a prerequisite for credibility. People judge organisations not only by the results they achieve, but also by the way those results are achieved. Trust also plays an important role when organisations face difficult dilemmas. Imagine a situation in which a crisis creates greater demand for emergency accommodation than available capacity can meet. The human instinct is often to help as many people as possible. At the same time, the Red Cross has clear humanitarian standards relating to safety, dignity and the quality of support provided. What choice do you make? Do you accommodate more people, knowing that you will be unable to meet all of those standards? Or do you maintain those standards, knowing that not everyone can be helped immediately?

It is in situations like these that integrity becomes visible. Not as a choice between right and wrong, but as the careful balancing of values that all matter.

What AI Is Teaching Us

Many organisations are exploring how artificial intelligence can improve processes and support decision-making. Yet perhaps the most important question is not what the technology can do, but how we choose to use it. No matter how sophisticated systems become, they do not remove our responsibility for making decisions. Technology can support us, but people determine which values guide its use. 

That is precisely why new technologies do not change the essence of integrity. Ultimately, people remain responsible for the choices they make and the consequences that follow. AI is therefore not merely a technological challenge; it is also a matter of leadership and integrity.

Ultimately, an organisation is shaped by the way its people bring its values to life through their behaviour, their decisions and the conversations they have with one another every day.

Between principles and practice, there is always a choice. Integrity is what we do with that choice.