8 February 2019
Terris presents an argument proposing that not even an ethics program in an organization can assure of a situation where everyone observes the best ethical practices. The author is correct to present a presupposition that even in the implementation of an ethics program, there has to be individual efforts that are not any less of trust, the goodwill, and the commitment to practicing these ethical behaviors.
Besides, it is in order and factual to criticize the installation of ethical programs based on the fact that it is impossible to have ethical officers in every department or section of a corporation.
Such an action could turn out to be costly yet even the officers in the ethics office could have questionable ethical behavior. Those outside the office may realize such faults and decide to follow suit and act in an unethical manner. Ethical practice is mainly a personal decision and not any amount of administrative action can bring ethical behavior in a person who has no intentions of practicing it.
Also, it could be difficult and awkward to try training people to practice ethical behavior. they may have differing attitudes and may even resist such actions. The bottom line is that some behavior and attitudes are mostly intrinsic. There is no amount of pressure that can trigger an individual into practicing it if they have not decided to do so.
The author also correctly faults these programs for failure to identify their real ethical issues and the points of weakness for a comprehensive program.
For instance, Lock head made poor priority in selecting the beneficiaries of the program. The program targeted mid-level executive officers who were majorly involved in managing people, checking their unethical behavior levels instead of working on their issues of authority and power, that are dire and a threat to the ethnical practice.
Also, an ethics program is likely to fail for failure of proper presentation with the top executives insisting on ethical behavior and continuously screening the juniors instead of focusing on their unethical behavior. Such a case would spark resistance and intentional frustration to the program despite the major investments and sacrifices.
Organizations have been seen to put some effort to ensure that the executives behave ethically. These efforts include training and monitoring of behavior. However, these efforts are not perfectly efficient to meet the objectives. The executives may attend all manner of trainings on ethical behavior. However, the trainings are on the ways these leaders shall check on the ethical behavior of their juniors and they fail to check on their behavior. Besides, when they are exposed to these efforts, it is easier for them to think that they are prioritized for being the most ethical employees in the organizations and therefore fail to check on their ethical behavior. In spite of these challenges, putting efforts towards executive is not a total waste of resources, neither is it a bad decision. These efforts could help in developing and changing the attitudes of the executives towards ethical considerations and make them to be keener on their juniors. In the process, they could also have an increased awareness on themselves and may watch their steps.
Ethical behavior and mindfulness in Higher level management in an organization may be improved in many ways. For example, the top leaders could be placed under an overall ethics office to which they shall be answerable. Such an office could be placed immediately below the top most office of the corporation so that no one is above it. The office could always keep the leadership on check. It could be given the authority to act against any unethical behavior of the top management officials. Alternatively, an organization could document the ethical requirements in a code of conduct for the organization which the leader signs against.
The leaders could also be subjected to continuous ethical performance assessment. The assessment could be in the form of the questionnaires or interviews. Alternatively, the organization could have a serious disciplinary committee that receives and deals with cases of unethical behavior. The committee could have a platform to receive any complaints or complements about the ethical behavior of the top officials. The committee should thereafter be very keen on how they approach the issues to ensure fairness for the parties. Thorough investigations must also be done before reaching any conclusions. Junior employees could also be asked to give their feedback on how they are treated by the high-end officials. Other stakeholders may also be welcomed to give their views on the ethical behavior of the officials through various platforms like free hotlines and social media.
It is risky at times for an institution to emphasize so much individual ethical performance, ignoring the aspect of group dynamics. The corporation could organize the employees into teams which shall be self-regulated with every member participating in the activities of the team. The team should check on each other’s performance on ethics. The teams could have a leader that facilitates and regulates the behavior of everyone. The leader also could be directly connected to the management or the ethics office where reports of the performance could be made. Also, teams could be assessed in a special way and presented as if in competition. In the spirit of competition, most of the employees would work towards making their team proud. Also in these teams, the members could motivate one another and also correct each other. The groups would also have guidance and counselling sessions to offer lessons and guidance on how to behave ethically. Groups could also be granted the mandate to employ disciplinary actions for any unethical behavior.
Besides, the employees could be placed under mentors. The mentors should be persons on record for demonstrating high ethical behavior for the whole time they gain the experience. The groups could also be sent on benchmarking projects and activities where they go on missions to learn how identified corporations go through their ethical behavior standards. The comparisons for the best practices would go a long way in imitating what successful companies have on the ethical behavior. Also, in these groups, the members could establish a code of conduct to be religiously followed by all members and any deviance faced with severe consequences. The company could also pair employees to have each act as the check for the other. The grouping should be done with regard to performance. In this concept, a person with good ethical performance could be paired with a moderate or poor performer for guidance and mentorship. By the end of the exercise, the poor or fairer performer could be boosted and guided by the better performer.
Demirtas, O., & Akdogan, A. A. (2015). The effect of ethical leadership behavior on ethical climate, turnover intention, and affective commitment. Journal of Business Ethics, 130(1), 59-67.
Calvano, L.,& Wang, L. C., (2015). Is business ethics education effective? An analysis of gender, personal ethical perspectives, and moral judgment. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(4), 591-602.
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