Integrity at Work: The Dividends of Ethics

Integrity at Work: The Dividends of Ethics

We are all aware of ethical business behavior when we see it, and can usually spot that turn off to the "high road" where integrity in the workplace is lost. So why does questionable conduct continue to snare so many experienced and skilled executives, if most of us have no trouble identifying the ethical operating standards of modern business?

Fallout from corrupt business choices is surrounds us, as the media is full of examples: insider trading, congressional bribes and banking scandals, to name a few. Enron and Worldcom bankrupted businesses and devastated families. And yet, many businesses continue to struggle to translate organizational integrity into corresponding actions and behaviors.

While we live in a climate where profit is king, an emphasis on profit as the sole yardstick for success can create significant challenges in the areas of personal accountability, sustainable corporate values and ethical leadership. When these basic tenets of organizational identity are carried out with a wink and a nod, conflicts in the interpretation of "doing the right thing" are bound to occur.

If ethics in external business practice is a hazy area for an organization, you can be sure the same subjective attitude is being applied internally. If not checked, an environment of selective opportunism will soon define every aspect of internal operations: motivation of employees, recognition systems, promotion criteria, loyalty of workforce and longevity of tenure. This type of unraveling will not sustain company growth for long. The behaviors listed below are readily identified in companies which lack clarity around the concepts of organizational values and ethics:

Exclusionary cultural norms; old boy networks that include only the familiar.

Promotions based on relationships, rather than skill level or productivity.

One-upmanship and ultra competitive environments.

Over-zealous rationalizing to defend questionable decisions.

Driving company vehicles for non-business reasons.

Padding expense accounts.

Excessive socializing during business hours rather than attending to company business.

Employee theft.

When people decide that breaking the rules is acceptable as long as individual agendas are served, a profit is made and no one finds out about it, a business turns a corner that is hard to correct. At the very least, employees will not do their best for an organization that they do not respect. At the very worst, employees will begin to incorporate the behavior internally, which they have witnessed being executed externally.

So how does a business sustain an ethical culture while keeping an eye on the bottom line? Continue reading Integrity at Work to find out.

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