Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. General Omar N. Bradley
Use the Google search engine and do an inquiry of the word ‘ethics.’ What are your results? I recently conducted a quick query and received over 109,000,000 hits . . . over 109 MILLION! Look at some of the authors’ titles; Foundational Issues in Information Ethics, Ethical Behavior for Today’s Workplace, Ethics of Electronic Information in the 21st Century, Teaching Marketing Ethics in the 21st Century, If Good Ethics is Good Business, What’s the Problem? Articles address educators, businesses, the science community, the military, and the religious community. They address ethics issues within organizational divisions such as purchasing, marketing, finance, accounting, auditing. They talk about a code of business ethics, personal ethics, medical ethics, and Christian ethics. Writers challenge readers to ensure ethics and compliance programs are an integral part of the organization’s culture. The list goes on and on.
The Dilemma
There is not an organization or group untouched by writers concerned with issues of ethics. Yet with all this talk about its importance, we are still riddled with scandals in business, government, and the church. ENRON and TYCO, Nixon and Clinton, Ted Haggard and Catholic priests are but a few of the hundreds of examples where leaders failed ethically.
We are becoming, we think, a more enlightened generation. Information is readily available and there are so many resources at our fingertips to help us in our personal and professional lives. Why then is ethics still such a hot topic?
Look around your own organization . . . what do you see? Even though ethical behavior, honesty, and integrity are issues organizations routinely identify as top priorities, are all the activities of your organization’s members ethical? Even if you are a leader in a religious organization, are all your actions and the actions of your team members “above board?”
We may have the highest of intentions, but unless we are consciously aware of how we should act in situations that could cause us to compromise, we can become one of the statistics. The Conference Board, a membership organization providing management education to seasoned executives, published the following quote; “Unless ethical considerations are a part of every manager’s thought process . . . both the corporation and individual executives will fail to exercise the level of responsibility which good business and the law demands.” Let me rephrase this for Christian leaders, “Unless biblically ethical considerations are a part of every believer’s thought processes . . . both the church and the individual will fail to exercise the level of responsibility which the world expects and the Lord demands.”
Have we moved past the need for ethical guidelines?
Ira Lipman, Chairman of the Board and President of Guardsmark, Inc., discussed business ethics in the 21st century during a 2002 address at Bentley College. He noted that throughout history, principles of business ethics have developed in reaction to unfair practices, for example the rule of Hammurabi in ancient Babylon and God’s requirement for accurate weights and measurements as cited in the Book of Deuteronomy. Lipman, however, challenges us to move ahead of the curve and take a more proactive approach to ethics, striving to address foreseeable challenges before they arise. This commitment to ethics, which should be engraved in our hearts, is the foundation for excellence and still very relevant.
There is debate by some that ethics in the 21st century is evolving past what we previously expected. Ronald Duska supported this notion in his article, Aristotle: A Pre-modern Post-Modern? Implications for Business Ethics. He writes, “What the Postmodernists tell us is that disagreement among ethical theorists over issues is not a scandal . . . According to Postmoderns, there are no right views, just a number of perspectives. Deontological (ethical theory dealing with duties and rights) and utilitarian approaches are simply different overarching perspectives to be applied to other differing value perspectives.” He goes on to say that the business ethicist in a postmodern world cannot simply be an applier of principles but must first seek out and then seek to understand the perspectives of all, the marginalized as well as those in the mainstream. Only after all the various perspectives are understood can a judicious evaluation be determined that will contribute to human well being.
Duska’s perspective appears to mirror the concept of understanding the whole picture before making decisions and implementing actions. The conflict arises, however, if the situation could result in unethical behavior, choosing the ‘lesser evil.’ Lipman makes this challenging statement; “How do we develop sound judgment? It is learned from years of experience based on the values instilled by family, school, religion, and in other ways. Many of us believe that acting ethically carries out the will of a higher power. . . This environment can easily produce a young job-seeker with no background in ethics, regardless of his/her educational level or accomplishments.” Joanne B. Ciulla, in her book titled Ethics, the Heart of Leadership, makes a similar declaration; “What business ethics advocates is that people apply in the workplace those commonsensical rules and standards learned at home, from the lectern, and from the pulpit.”
Two thoughts quickly come to mind. First, we know the higher power is God. He established a code of ethics for us. Our responsibility is to “not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds (on a daily basis). Then (we) you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
Second, we have entered a post-modern, post-Christian era. As such, the number of job seekers who have no concept of biblical truth, biblical values and ethics, is increasing. Many of us have read the data presented by George Barna. Following WW2, most Americans knew about God, knew the concept of sin, and knew something needed to be done to go to heaven. Now there are many who don’t know who Jesus is, why Easter and Christmas are celebrated, and do not have a concept of God or sin and why they need forgiveness. An increasing number do not believe there is one true God and, if there is, there are probably many ways to get to him in heaven when they die. As such, with no exposure to biblical teachings, their values and ethics are typically not in alignment with your organization’s Judeo-Christian values. How then do organizations ensure there is a congruence of values among all its members?
I appreciated what Barbara Strassberg stated; “Whether or not we trust God depends on our untestable faith; whether or not we trust human beings and can be trusted ourselves depends on our testable beliefs. Trust takes us to the realm of postmodern ethics, which demands from us responsibility for our choices and accountability for all of the consequences of our actions, including the unintended but predictable ones.” Including the unintended but predictable! How do we guard ourselves against the predictable unintended unethical actions?
Strategies to Implement
Whether you are a leader in a religious organization or a leader in a secular (non-religious) organization, the following principles will benefit you and the organization as it strives to conduct itself in an ethical manner.
Much is being written about organizations implementing ethics programs. Although ethical behavior, honesty and integrity are top priorities for your organization, the mere intent does not ensure you have eliminated the environment that allows or encourages unethical behavior. This, as Cynthia Vallario writes, is particularly true when constant pressure to perform and meet objectives drive members’ behavior. The culture of your organization may create risks. Because of pressure, even good people may act unethically when their breaking point is reached.
Even the most ‘moral’ individual is tempted. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, the Apostle Paul is giving the Christians in the church at Corinth some correction and encouragement when he writes, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” We can expect to be tempted to act unethically. However, not only has God promised not to allow us to “be pushed passed our limit” (Message), he provides a way we can endure or escape the temptation without sinning.
There are practical measures organizations can take to assist its members to conduct themselves in an ethical manner. First, it is important that a code of ethics be written. These clear guidelines establish a standard of expectation that helps set the culture of the organization – it helps remove ambiguity and clarify acceptable behavior. This process must be orchestrated by the leaders so their values are indelibly imprinted in the code. As part of this process, it is important members at every level of the organization have opportunity to participate. David Fairhurst suggests members are given adequate time to understand the organization’s ethics statement and compare them with their own values to ensure there is alignment. It is then members engage and take ownership.
Second, design and implement an on-going ethics-training program. Similar to other on-going training in your organization, it is necessary to remind members periodically of the code of ethics and the expectations of appropriate behavior.
Third, establish oversight, accountability. You may need an ethics officer at your organization. Keith Darcy, executive director of the Ethics and Compliance Officer Association, contends, “Culture is not a six-month rollout or the ‘fad du jour;’ the scandals haven’t stopped.” Whether or not this position is part of your organization, the need of accountability cannot be over-emphasized. In addition, this individual must have autonomy, be strategically relevant and independent to be effective, ideally reporting to the CEO or audit committee.
Fourth, support and reward ethical behavior in the workplace, do not just punish violators. Besides communicating to all employees a positive message, it emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior. In conjunction with a system of support and reward, it is critical that, as Danley recommends, expectations, goals, or expected performance is not set at a level that requires “bending the rules.”
I would add one additional comment; ensure there is no inconsistency of ethical standards requirements from the lowest paid worker to the highest paid executive. Any discrepancy will destroy the credibility of leadership by destroying trust.
Final Thoughts
As leaders, we are responsible for our own behavior as well as setting the example that inspires others to behave ethically. We must, as Danley writes, “be consistent in our responses to everyday events, dilemmas, and challenges, and base our actions on the standard of ethics that we have developed.” Besides being consistent, leaders must lead with integrity. Lorna Storr stresses that, “Integrity in all things precedes all else. The open demonstration of integrity is essential (in leadership); followers must be wholeheartedly convinced of their leaders’ integrity . . . Leaders with integrity inspire confidence in others . . . it is the most critical factor in building a committed team . . . Because leaders with integrity can be trusted to do what they say they are going to do.” As Northouse posits, “Ethics is central to leadership because of the nature of the process of influence, the need to engage followers to accomplish mutual goals, and the impact leaders have on establishing the organization’s values.”
There is no way we can anticipate all the different types of situations and dilemmas we will face as leaders in our organizations. Each day we are called on to make decisions and are presented with situations that require us to take action. We are responsible for our choices and accountable for all the consequences of our actions, including the unintended but predictable ones. This should give us reason to consider whether our decision is ethical – “is God’s will, his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
One last suggestion; I would encourage you to purchase Os Guinness’ study titled, When No One Sees, The Importance of Character in an Age of Image. It will challenge the way you think.