Balancing Employee Voice, Coaching, and Termination: An Ignatian Lens on Managing with Respect and Dignity

Abstract

In attending a Jesuit university as a Management and Leadership major, I have wondered: How do Ignatian principles, such as maintaining respect and dignity for others, intersect with managerial roles in the real world? This led to my research questions 1) Where do employee voice and coaching intersect with Ignatian management and leadership principles? 2) Would managers’ use of Ignatian principles within a performance improvement process either prevent the need to terminate an employee or at least create a termination process that helps employees to experience a sense of respect and dignity? 3) Are managers who received a Jesuit education more likely to terminate employees with respect and dignity than those who have not? I began with a literature review, developed these research questions and an interview script, and then interviewed five managers. I focused on the limited management literature that analyzes Ignatian values and principles within management and leadership. I identified overlaps with the employee voice literature. Thus suggesting that when managers provide coaching, performance management, and consider alternatives such as reassignment before reaching the decision to terminate, an employee can experience more positive outcomes related to their well-being and fair treatment. Additionally, manager interviews suggested that their exposure to Ignatian values has, to some extent, informed their management values and priorities. These findings provide current and future managers with an insight on how to incorporate Ignatian principles into their termination process in order to help employees leave the organization knowing their respect and dignity were prioritized