I used to carpool to and from work for more than two years. One of my regular co-passengers was an engineer. One evening on our way home, we passed a building that had burned to the ground. The roof and walls were gone, reduced to ashes, but the posts were still standing, blackened yet seemingly solid. Curious, I asked him if the building could be reconstructed using the same posts. He shook his head and explained that the integrity of the posts was already compromised. I didn’t press further, but in my mind, I was thinking, What does he mean? They look fine to me. They’re just discolored.

That moment gave me a clearer picture of what integrity truly is. For the longest time, I thought of integrity simply as being honest and trustworthy—a surface-level definition. With the scandals we see today, not just in government but in the corporate world as well, integrity has once again become a much-talked-about topic. But what does it truly mean? In our organization alone, when integrity was the theme of our meeting last month, three hours weren’t even enough to fully exchange views on it. Emotions filled the room. Each speaker shared profound, personal, and convincing definitions and examples. Yet one thing was certain in that place and time: the call for integrity was resounding, urgent, and undeniable.

The state of being whole and undivided; the state of being incorruptible and unimpaired; the commitment to do what is right even if nobody is looking; and the adherence to a set of moral principles and values are, I think, the closest phrases to define integrity. In a world full of deception, fraud, and dishonesty—often to exploit markets for personal and short-term gains—integrity has become the unsung foundation of organizational sustainability. It is what the market seeks and asks for. It is an undeniable component of brand-building and goodwill toward customers and other stakeholders.

A car manufacturer that voluntarily recalls questionable units instead of downplaying the issue cements its image in the global market as an organization that takes responsibility, is transparent with its customers, and serves as a catalyst for continuous improvement. On the other hand, an aerospace company lost public trust when it allegedly concealed changes to aircraft safety features from both regulators and pilots, resulting in fatal crashes. Accusations of a cultural shift toward prioritizing profits were widespread. This led to diminished public confidence, backlogs, financial losses, and lawsuits from both the government and the public.

Organizations are defined by how they do things. When competitive advantages are equal, integrity becomes the core differentiator. It is an intangible asset. Those who keep their principles intact instead of cutting corners remain resilient and guarantee sustainability despite pressure and challenges. Public trust and reputation are earned through the consistent practice of integrity. Once broken, rebuilding is almost impossible. As a friend once said, “You cannot rebuild a reliable structure on compromised and burned posts.”