In Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics, by James Paul Gee, the reader learns about his definition of Discourse. Discourse, with a capital D, is defined by Gee as a combination of what one is saying, doing, being, valuing, and believing. Gee’s definition does include the commonly accepted definition of discourse with a lowercase d, but it is only a part of what makes up true Discourse. A person’s beliefs and values strongly influence the way they will speak and do things. As Gee himself puts it, “Discourses are ways of being in the world; they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, glances, body positions, and clothes.”(277) With this in mind, it is important for a job seeker to choose a career path that aligns with their values and beliefs, as well as for employers to be sure they are hiring people with shared values that line up with the company’s mission. 

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It’s easy to think that just choosing a lucrative career path and making a good amount of money is enough for most people to be content. Money is an essential component for daily functionality, but at what cost? Think of the impact on someone who doesn’t believe in what they are doing. A person would constantly have to make do and pretend they agree with what they are doing in order to say the right things on the job. For an extreme example, imagine a vegan working in a slaughterhouse because the pay is great.  Think of the square peg in a round hole analogy: The only way to get it in is to really force it with a hammer. The edges break and it’s still not a very good fit.

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That person would have to pretend he believed in what he was doing every day and use a large amount of mushfake in his daily conversations and actions. Mushfake is another term used by Gee, borrowed from prison-speak, meaning to make do with what sub-par items in one’s inventory in an attempt to accomplish a goal. Think “MacGyver” here: he could make a small explosive device out of bubble gum, a piece of wire, and some duct tape. These results are not realistic if relied upon too heavily. One will find embarrassing results if mushfake becomes a large part of their daily routine. The end result would probably be an unhappy worker that doesn’t feel satisfied with him or herself. From another perspective, it is beneficial for employers to consider the shared values of their employees and concentrate on those. While an employer cannot expect all of its employees to share every one of their views and beliefs, their primary set of shared values, their Discourses, can often share common principles. Capitalizing on these is the key.

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Almost twenty years ago, an Organizational Dynamics article titled Getting value from shared values, by Paul McDonald and Jeffrey Gandz was published, exploring the importance of shared values in the workplace. In their research, they interviewed forty-five senior executives and management consultants with questions prompting responses toward the significance of shared values. The notion of shared values in this article were clearly defined by all participants. The responses were overwhelmingly positive toward an active stance on shared values. The article states “With only one exception, all respondents spoke with genuine interest and enthusiasm.” Some executives’ quotes when asked about their firms’ shared values are “the only glue we have” and “our overall sense of definition”

A deeper analysis of the research found that a firm’s major shared values can be put into one of four major categories: relationship oriented, change-oriented, task-oriented, and status quo. It is easy to see that an employee who will be a great fit and be successful in one type of organization will struggle in another. The following excerpt from the article does a great job of explaining the four groups of shared values:

Let’s revisit the vegan working at the slaughterhouse. Their values, as compared to their employer’s, would fall into line with none of these categories in their current role. Now put them at an organic farm. That farm’s and the employee’s values would very likely be shared, creating a common Discourse between employer and employee. 

A specific example of the recognition of shared values in the workplace is Giving Voice to Values, or GVV. A 2005 People + Strategy  article by Mary Gentile, PhD. entitled Building Effective Skills to Identify Shared Values, introduces the concept of GVV. Gentile points out how society is becoming increasingly polarized, and that attempts to bridge the social gaps often actually result in an entrenchment of our own views. She elaborates by telling the reader how our calls for widely accepted values like fairness or compassion can actually come off as accusations, dividing people even further, rather than uniting them with a common ground. This can be seen every day in political conversation. Just watch Fox News for ten minutes, then switch to CNN for ten minutes. There seems to be little tolerance for others’ viewpoints. Both sources have their own viewpoints, which is fine. It’s one of the best things about this country. However, each network makes it sound as if the other’s beliefs, values, and words are always one hundred percent wrong. The politicians feed the divisiveness, things seem to escalate and finger pointing is usually the end result. 

Now onto Gentile’s explanation of how GVV, as development for leadership is based on common values shared by most people. She stresses the idea that these values would be acted upon by multitudes of people if they felt there was a good chance of it succeeding. In Gentile’s own words: “GVV is about building our moral competence and comfort; it is about normalizing this process and building a habit of constructive voice. ” The GVV approach is successfully being utilized in various professional and educational settings. She points out how implementing GVV not only promotes employees’ ability to act upon their values, but is also effective in allowing professional leadership to actually acknowledge concerns of the employees. Gentile concludes her insightful article by stressing the importance of anticipation of effective action, rather than hushing the opposition or using punishment, being the main ingredient to getting past polarization and getting to the point of leadership being focused on values. 

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When boiled right down, Gee’s Discourse is the direct result of an individual’s shared values with his or her community. The primary Discourse of an individual can make him or her a great fit for one employer, and a terrible fit for another. Their life experience, including cultural beliefs, educational background, and personal values all help to structure this Discourse. The way they speak, dress, and use body language all correlate to this primary Discourse and display a set of personal values. A Catholic from Maine, a Jew from New York, and a Muslim from California can all have a similar set of shared values. Religion and location aside, they can all have the same basic beliefs and things they would like to see changed. Although their primary Discourse, at first glance, may not appear to be very similar, their shared values can make them part of a greater Discourse community. When employees and employers both consider these shared values, it is mutually beneficial. Businesses are more productive. Employees are happier and more comfortable, both with what they do and who they do it with. These factors feed off of one another and can help make a positive environment for all involved. 

Works Cited

Gee, Stuart. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics. ” Writing about Writing, 3rd Edition,  2017, pp. 274-296. 
 

Gentile, Mary C. “Building Effective Skills to Identify Shared Values. ” People & Strategy, 
Summer 2019, p. 6+. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A596402474/AONE?u=maine_usm&sid=AONE&xi d=db767ed7

McDonald, Paul, and Jeffrey Gandz. “Getting value from shared values. ” Organizational  Dynamics, Winter 1992, p. 64+. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A12026611/AONE?u=maine_usm&sid=AONE&xid

About the Author My name is Joe SImao, Dad of two amazing little dudes, husband of one amazingly patient (most of the time) woman, and field service engineer of medical devices. I hail from Berwick , Maine and grew up in Auburn, ME. I have lived in Danbury, CT, New York City, and Minneapolis, but when we had children we decided it was time to come back to “the way life should be”. I’ve enjoyed writing much more than I thought I would throughout this College Writing 100 level class. Thanks for reading!