Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines
Though we do all not get to live up to our dreams in the grandest way, my preferred field would be the performing arts. Moreover, if I entertained my wildest notions, I would want to work for Cirque du Soleil. They combine the hilarity, spirit, and fun of a circus with the elegance and art of adult theater. Not only that, but they provide worldly opportunities for performers while remaining highly ethical in the face of many similarly profitable corporations. In the face of social pressure, rather than fold, they rise to the occasion, allowing the public to influence their ethics positively. They are a company that continuously allows positive ethics to exemplify how an organization should conduct themselves, both toward their employees, the community, and legally.
External pressures often have the power to corrupt, or even break an organization, especially when large sums of money are involved. In the case of Cirque du Soleil, the opposite has happened several times beginning with the organization’s conception. After the band of street performers became a viable business, they decided to set up a permanent residence in Quebec. Rather than build their school and two other facilities in the business district, where tax rates are cut for organizations such as themselves, they decided to build in the poorest neighborhood they could find in order to jumpstart the economy, providing jobs and business. According to, “Cirque Du Soleil: An Innovative Culture of Entertainment,” founder, Guy Laliberte made this decision because as a poor street performer himself, he wanted to give back to the poor community he came from .
Cirque du Soleil continued giving back, spreading ethical awareness throughout the world as their company grew both in size and monetary value. Within its first few years of life, the show was able to travel the globe. Coming from France himself and having started the show as a lowely street performer, Laliberte knows something of poverty and struggle. He felt it his organiations ethical responsibility not only to take care of its employees, but also to take care of those who were in a position he once knew himself. Slowly the show began reaching out to impoverished neighborhoods in areas when they would set up camp for months at a time. Their aim was to teach disadvantaged youth performance skills that may keep them away from violent gang activities. Some of the children became interested and have even managed to return to the facilities in Quebec, having successfully auditioned to join the ensemble . This act alone is more than most organizations attempt, but Cirque still did not feel as though it was doing its part. And so, in 1995, Cirque du Soleil merged its resources with Jeunesse du Monde in an effort to create a social skills program for disadvantaged youth, a program that could set up permanent residence in areas where resources were needed most. Today, Cirque du Monde is located in over 50 locations on five continents, and is dedicated to helping impoverished children make the best of themselves .
As Cirque du Soleil gained fame and wealth there were several opportunities for the company to abandon their ethical post in an effort to make more money. For example, when the world economy began to decline, tickets to a show like Cirque were seen as a luxury. Expenses to put on such a show are high and the company momentarily struggled to decide how the would pay to continue performing around the world. Most companies, traditional circuses for example, would begin downsizing shows and firing employees in order to save money, but this was not Laliberte’s way. Instead, he decided Cirque would become more socially responsible in an effort to save money; nobody would lose their job . Employees did not receive raises during the severest part of the economic crisis, but they remained employed. Furthermore, Cirque took the crisis as a time to convert their facilities to a more eco-friendly residence in an effort to save money. The roof of Quebec’s facility now captures rain water, converting it into drinkable water. They have downsized the bottles of water they buy from over 1 million a year, to just 150, and they grow over 80% of the vegetable used in the kitchens for most of the year, as well .
These issues are all relevant to organizational and personal decisions. They reflect a deep ethical awareness at Cirque du Soleil’s core. Though the company has somehow managed to remain a multimillion-dollar titan throughout the world’s economic crisis, they have not lost sight of those in need. They have still strived to help those who need it most while taking care of their own employees. Most organizations would fire employees in order to ensure upper management would continue receiving raises. Laliberte, used to poverty, refused a pay raise for six years on behalf of keeping all of the employees under the care of Cirque du Soleil . These actions would make me feel not only proud, but also safe while working under such an organization. I would know I would have a job, but I would also know I was representing and helping an organization that cared about me, my colleagues, and those in need. Fortunately for Cirque du Soleil, and perhaps because they have treaded so much more carefully than other organizations, they have had no issues with illegal or unethical endeavors. There was an unfortunate incident in Las Vegas involving the death of a performer, but the organization itself was not found at fault, and it is miraculously the only death that has taken place during a show or a practice throughout the organization’s history.
In sum, Cirque du Soleil’s practices are very ethical. Social pressures that would typically cause other organizations to act unethically only brought out the best in Cirque, its performers, and its management. They do their best to help the disadvantaged by bringing jobs to impoverished areas, and poor children social skills and performance arts. They even try to be eco-friendly in order to save money and the environment. Their decisions reflect deep ethical principles that would make anybody working for them feel secure with their job.
References
Ghawazzi, I. A., Martinalli-Lee, T., & Marie, P. (2014). Cirque Du Soleil: An Innovative Culture of Entertainment. Allied Academics International Conference, (pp. 15-39). Nashville.
Leslie, D., & Rantisi, N. M. (2012). Creativity and Place in the Evolution of a Cultural Industry: In the Case of Cirque Du Soleil. Urban Studies, 1771-1778.
Rivard, J., Bourgeault, G., & Mercer, C. (2010). Cirque du Monde in Mexico City: breathing new life into action for young people in difficult situations. International Social Science Journal, 181-194.
