Transcript Business Ethics for the Office

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Agenda: Day One
8:30-8:45
Icebreaker: Interesting Introductions
8:45-9:00
Session One: Course Overview
9:00-9:45
Session Two: What are Ethics?
9:45-10:00
Session Three: Taking Your Moral Temperature, Part One
10:00-10:15
Session Four: Why Bother with Ethics?
10:15-10:30
Break
10:30-11:00
Session Five: Kohlberg’s Six Stages
11:00-11:45
Session Six: Some Objective Ways of Looking at the World
11:45-12:00
Morning Wrap-Up
12:00-1:00
Lunch
1:00-1:15
Energizer: In and Out
1:15-2:00
Session Seven: What Does Ethical Mean?
2:00-2:15
Break
2:15-3:00
Session Eight: Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas
3:00-3:15
Session Nine: Pitfalls and Excuses
3:15-4:15
Session Ten: Developing an Office Code of Ethics
4:15-4:30
Day One Wrap-Up
Session One:
Course Overview
Learning Objectives (I)
• Understand the difference between ethics and
morals
• Understand the value of ethics
• Identify some of your values and moral principles
• Be familiar with some philosophical approaches
to ethical decisions
• Identify some ways to improve ethics in your
office
Session One:
Course Overview
Learning Objectives (II)
• Know what is required to start developing an
office code of ethics
• Know some ways to avoid ethical dilemmas
• Have some tools to help you make better
decisions
• Be familiar with some common ethical
dilemmas
Session Two:
What are Ethics?
Defining Ethics and Morals (I)
• Ethics: “The moral principles governing
or influencing conduct.”
• Morals: “Standards of behavior, or
principles of right and wrong.”
From the Oxford English Dictionary
Session Two:
What are Ethics?
Defining Ethics and Morals (II)
• An ethical decision is one that fits
within our standards of behavior, our
sense of right and wrong.
• The problem is that everyone sees
right and wrong in different ways.
Session Two:
What are Ethics?
Values Identification
Step One: Identifying Your Values
1. Choose the ten values that are most
important to you as a person.
2. Then, narrow the list down to five.
3. Finally, reduce the list to three values.
Session Two:
What are Ethics?
Bringing It All Together (I)
Step Two: Defining Your Values
• Example: Being productive.
• For me, being productive means
feeling good about what I have
accomplished at the end of the day.
Session Two:
What are Ethics?
Bringing It All Together (II)
Step Three: Putting It All Together
In my life, I would like get the most out of each day by
being as productive as possible. For me, being
productive means feeling good about what I have
accomplished at the end of the day. It is important to
me to do this in a way that allows me to make enough
money that I feel secure and able to get the things that
I both need and want. As well, I need to feel challenged
in my life. I like overcoming new problems and having
new experiences.
Session Three: Taking Your Moral
Temperature, Part One (I)
Consider how you would handle each
situation.
1. Your supervisor is home sick. He called you
to ask you to tell anyone that asks that he
is on a business day trip.
2. You have found out that a particular team
in your company will be laid off in six
months. Your best friend is on that team.
Session Three: Taking Your Moral
Temperature, Part One (II)
Consider how you would handle each
situation.
3. One of your clients offered you free tickets
to a major gala coming up. Your company
prohibits accepting gifts.
4. Two people on your team are having an
affair. They’re both married and company
policy prohibits inter-office dating.
Session Four:
Why Bother with Ethics?
• Customers choose ethics.
• Customers appreciate ethics.
• Employees are more loyal to an ethical
company.
• Ethical companies are more productive.
• An ethical office means lower legal costs.
Session Five:
Kohlberg’s Six Stages
The Six Stages and Three Levels (I)
Session Five:
Kohlberg’s Six Stages
The Six Stages and Three Levels (II)
Different Levels for Different Situations
• A person can be at different stages at the
same time.
• For example, let’s say that Bob is
committing minor theft at the office but
he recently refrained from cheating on
his spouse.
Session Five:
Kohlberg’s Six Stages
Identifying Stages
1. Jacob was out gambling and lost a significant
amount of money.
2. Mohammed is a judge in a court system
where he must be re-elected every year. He
recently had to make a decision in a case of
theft: life sentence or execution?
3. Mona recently witnessed another company
employee taking food from the vending
machine without paying.
Session Six: Some Objective Ways
of Looking at the World
An Introduction to Philosophy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Golden Rule
The Golden Mean
Utilitarianism
The Categorical Imperative
Utopianism
Session Six: Some Objective Ways
of Looking at the World
Applying Philosophical Approaches (I)
1. Your chief engineer has just discovered a
potentially major problem with your
latest SUV, the Rollover.
2. You’ve just had an opportunity to
outsource production of your Rollover
SUV to a small offshore company with a
questionable reputation.
Session Six: Some Objective Ways
of Looking at the World
Applying Philosophical Approaches (II)
3. Your assistant has just confessed to
pilfering $500 from the company’s petty
cash fund.
4. You were cleaning up your son’s room
and you found a book from a school he
attended several years ago.
5. You’re walking down the road when you
spot a mugging taking place.
Session Seven:
What Does Ethical Mean?
Merck Pharmaceuticals (I)
• A scientist for Merck Pharmaceuticals
discovered that one of the company’s bestselling veterinary drugs, Ivermectin, might
cure river blindness.
• There were several problems with this
discovery.
• Despite the challenges, Merck developed the
drug at their own cost.
Session Seven:
What Does Ethical Mean?
Merck Pharmaceuticals (II)
• They also worked with various agencies to get
the treatment to those in need.
• They have also given Mectizan to millions to
prevent another prevalent disease, elephantiasis.
• Merck has made no direct profit from this 20year effort.
• They have mandated that they will continue to
donate their product.
Session Seven:
What Does Ethical Mean?
Decision Analysis
•
•
•
•
Perspective One: A Merck Stockholder
Perspective Two: A Merck Employee
Perspective Three: A Drug Recipient
Perspective Four: Philosophical
Session Eight:
Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas
Some Easy Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make sure ethical expectations are clear.
Don’t just say yes.
Learn to say no.
Don’t be the frog.
Don’t be nosy.
Lead by example.
Session Eight:
Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas
Case Studies
1. You are the assistant to the operating manager of a
pencil manufacturing company. Your policy is to always
take a message and tell the caller she is unavailable.
2. Your newest advertising client has a reputation for
being very generous. Unfortunately, your company
prohibits you from accepting these types of gifts.
3. You are the administrative assistant for the marketing
department. You’re not used to dealing with
confidential information.
Session Nine:
Pitfalls and Excuses
• The decision is just too difficult. I’m not going
to do anything.
• There’s nothing I can do.
• My job is too important to make any other
decision.
• I was just following orders.
• I have to remain loyal.
• I didn’t have time to make the right decision.
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Are You Ready? (I)
• If you choose to develop an office code of
ethics, it must be more than just a statement.
• You must be prepared to change some of the
ways you do business.
• You must be prepared to commit to those
ethics for a code to succeed.
• You must be willing to look for staff who
commit to these ethics.
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Are You Ready? (II)
Benefits of a code of ethics:
• Happier employees
• More consistent decisions
• More committed employees
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Sample Codes of Ethics (I)
The Ten Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image –
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your
God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Sample Codes of Ethics (II)
The Ten Commandments ctd.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you
shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male
servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his
donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Sample Codes of Ethics (III)
Rotary Four-Way Test
Of the things we think, say, or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER
FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Sample Codes of Ethics (IV)
Minnesota Principles
• Proposition #1: Stimulating economic growth is the
particular contribution of business to the larger society.
• Proposition #2: Business activities must be characterized
by fairness.
• Proposition #3: Business activities must be characterized
by honesty.
• Proposition #4: Business activities must be characterized
by respect for human dignity.
• Proposition #5: Business activities must be characterized
by respect for the environment.
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Sample Codes of Ethics (V)
U.S. Bank Ethical Principles
• Uncompromising Integrity
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Good Citizenship
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Sample Codes of Ethics (VI)
Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics
1. A robot may not injure a human being or,
through inaction, allow a human being to come
to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human
beings except where such orders would conflict
with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long
as such protection does not conflict with the
First or Second Law.
Session Ten:
Developing an Office Code of Ethics
Your Code of Ethics
• Develop a basic code of ethics that you could
all live by, focusing on a few key values.
• Make sure that guidelines are applicable to
everyone in the group.
• Write principles in everyday language.
• Make sure that guidelines stay within the
law.
Session Eleven:
22 Keys to an Ethical Office
The 22 Keys (I)
1. See things as they are, not as you want them to be.
2. Lead by setting an example of good ethical conduct
and good ethical problem solving skills.
3. Never give the impression that you don’t care that
improper actions are taking place.
4. Commit to being involved in the process.
5. Anticipate ethical conflicts.
6. Communicate well.
7. Establish the language of ethics with those in
your office.
Session Eleven:
22 Keys to an Ethical Office
The 22 Keys (II)
8. Expect people to have different standards.
9. Remember that people are normally not as
ethical as they think they are.
10. Define ethical expectations early in the
relationship.
11. Support your boss’s efforts to uphold high
standards for ethical conduct, communicate
about ethics, and solve ethical dilemmas.
12. Be patient with each other.
Session Eleven:
22 Keys to an Ethical Office
The 22 Keys (III)
13. Be consistent. Be predictable.
14. Pay attention to details.
15. Nurture the communication process with
your boss.
16. Ask lots of questions.
17. Be organized. Stay focused.
18. Learn to dodge the ethical traps of
overthinking and cynicism.
Session Eleven:
22 Keys to an Ethical Office
The 22 Keys (IV)
19. Remember that virtue is its own good
reward.
20. Protect your key assets.
21. Speak up whenever you feel more unethical
behaviors are slipping in, or when you sense
your collective ethics are getting sloppy, or
when you think convenience is becoming
more important than character.
22. Challenge yourself. Keep learning.
Session Eleven:
22 Keys to an Ethical Office
Pre-Assignment Review
• Look at your pre-assignment.
• Identify the areas of concern (typically
questions answered with “yes”).
• Choose two or three keys that you think
could help those areas of concern.
• Devise a plan to improve that issue.
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Model Overview (I)
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Model Overview (II)
Another Perspective
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase One (I)
Stage One: Perception
• Is there a problem?
• Where is the problem?
• Whose problem is it?
• What are the symptoms?
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase One (II)
Purpose of the Perception Phase
Steps in the Perception Phase
• To surface an issue.
• To make it okay to discuss it
(legitimize).
• To air different points of
view.
• To avoid perception wars.
• To get group agreement to
work on the problem.
• Legitimize the problem.
• Asking, “How does the
problem feel?” and,
“What’s the real problem?”
• Identifying the best, worst,
and most probable
situation.
• Identifying whose problem
it is.
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase One (III)
Definition
• State the problem as a question.
• Steps in this phase include identifying:
– What is the problem?
– What is not the problem?
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase One (IV)
Stage Three: Analysis
• Ask basic questions
• Break it down into smaller pieces
• Use force field analysis (see next slide)
• Move from generalizations to examples
• Ask the expert
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase One (V)
Force Field Analysis Example
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Two (I)
Creative Thinking Methods: Brainstorming
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Two (II)
Creative Thinking Methods: Checkerboard
Main Issue
Create safe passage
between building and
parking/bus stop
Possible Specific Solutions
Have security escort
Rearrange shifts so
night staff to their cars that people come and
or bus stop
go during daylight
hours
Set up a buddy system
with employees
People missing work in Set up 50% of staff
snowstorm
with ability to work
from home during
storms
Arrange for temporary Provide incentives for
shelters so that staff
employees to put
can stay overnight
winter tires on their
vehicles and learn safe
winter driving
Threat of strike is
rumored
Approach union and
ask to speak with
them
Set up contract
negotiations well
before contract
expires
Set up contingency
plan to ensure
business continuity in
the event of a strike
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Two (III)
Creative Thinking Methods: Research/Report
• Look at what others have done.
• Do some research and prepare a report.
• What lessons can you learn from this
information?
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Two (IV)
Evaluation
• Sort solutions by category.
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages to
each solution.
• Identify what you like and don’t like
about each idea.
• Number your ideas in order.
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Two (V)
Decision Making
• Get a consensus from the group.
• Don’t limit yourself to one option.
• Eliminate solutions that the group
absolutely won’t consider.
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Two (VI)
Decision Making ctd.
• Try to focus on agreements during
voting.
• Use straw voting.
• Try negative voting.
• Back off!
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Three (I)
Planning
• What needs to be done?
• Who will do it?
• What resources will we need?
• How much time will it take?
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
Phase Three (II)
Implementation
• Figure out what you are going to do
• Do it!
• React to what happened/get feedback
• Can use a Solution Planning Worksheet
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
The Problem Solving Toolkit (I)
The Lasso
• Tighten up our definition of the problem
• “How can we improve communication in our
group?”
• What do we mean by communication?
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
The Problem Solving Toolkit (II)
Is/Is Not
• “The telephone system isn’t working.”
• What is working?
• What isn’t working?
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
The Problem Solving Toolkit (III)
• Graphics
• Basic questions (Who, what, where,
when, why, how?)
• Establish criteria
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
The Problem Solving Toolkit (IV)
Force Field Analysis
Restraining Forces
• Boss is angry
• John is behind with his work
• Parking spots all gone
Sustaining Forces
• Gets to sleep an extra 15 minutes
• Takes the kids to the babysitter
• Misses traffic on way to work
Session Twelve:
Basic Decision Making Tools
The Problem Solving Toolkit (V)
Legitimizing Problems and Positions
Session Thirteen:
Ethical Decision Making Tools
Three Types of Tools (I)
Basic Principles
• Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
• Make sure you have all the information.
• Look at the problem through various
principles.
Session Thirteen:
Ethical Decision Making Tools
Three Types of Tools (II)
Ethical Priorities
• Take care of yourself.
• Take care of your company.
• Take care of your supervisor.
Session Thirteen:
Ethical Decision Making Tools
Three Types of Tools (III)
The Smell Test
• How would I explain this decision to my
children?
• How would I feel if this decision were
reported on the news?
• Can I live with this decision? Will it keep
me up at night?
• How would my mother feel about this
decision?
Session Thirteen:
Ethical Decision Making Tools
Three Types of Tools (IV)
The Potter Box
Session Thirteen:
Ethical Decision Making Tools
Three Types of Tools (V)
The Kidder Process
Recognize that
there is a moral
dilemma.
Determine the
actor.
Gather the
relevant facts.
Test for right
versus wrong
issues.
Make the
decision.
Investigate the
trilemma
options.
Apply the
resolution
principles.
Test for right
versus right
paradigms.
Revisit and
reflect on the
decision.
Session Thirteen:
Ethical Decision Making Tools
Case Study
It Just Doesn’t Add Up
• You are the assistant for the president of your
company’s marketing department.
• One of the major stipulations of the company’s
code of ethics is that staff are not allowed to
accept freebies from their clients.
• You noticed an entry in your boss’s calendar for a
gala sponsored by one of the company’s clients.
• What do you do?
Session Fourteen:
Dilemmas with Company Policy (I)
• Let’s say that you’re an insurance broker.
• Your company’s operations manual states that
you must always provide the customer with
the lowest quote you have obtained.
• You know that the company that always offers
the lowest quote has some negative points.
• Your company’s policy and the insurance
company’s policy forbids you from telling
customers this.
Session Fourteen:
Dilemmas with Company Policy (II)
• Most people would see two solutions to this
problem:
– Find another job
– Learn to live with the policy
• Third option: be the catalyst for change!
– Bring ethical issues to the attention of your
supervisor
– Before you meet, try to come up with some
ways that the dilemma can be resolved
Session Fifteen:
Dilemmas with Co-Workers
Potential Dilemmas
• You’ve found out something that a coworker should know, but you can’t tell
him/her.
• Your co-worker asks you to do something
unethical.
• You see a co-worker doing something
unethical.
Session Fifteen:
Dilemmas with Co-Workers
Case Studies (I)
• You find out that there’s a 75% chance that your best
friend will be laid off in the next six months.
• You notice that some crucial numbers are missing
right before delivering a report.
• You recently see one of your colleagues pulling code
from a competitor’s application.
• You’ve heard through the grapevine that a colleague
was convicted of driving under the influence, lost his
license for a week, and was unable to work.
Session Fifteen:
Dilemmas with Co-Workers
Case Studies (II)
Discussion Questions
• What is the main issue?
• What values come into play when making a decision?
• What tools would you use to solve the problem?
• What potential solutions do you see?
• Are there any possible problems with your solutions?
• How would you implement those solutions?
Session Sixteen:
Dilemmas with Clients
Potential Dilemmas
• Clients can request that we do something
unethical for a number of reasons (including
unintentionally).
• These are the types of decisions that require
you to be ethically fit.
• Know where your line is (and your
company’s line).
• Have a mental process in place.
Session Sixteen:
Dilemmas with Clients
Making Connections
• Role play the situation.
• Continue beyond the information
that has been given.
• Make a decision.
Session Seventeen:
Dilemmas and Supervisors
Dilemmas with Your Supervisor (I)
Types of Issues
• Your manager asks you to do something
unethical.
• You see your manager doing something
unethical.
• Your manager ignores or tolerates
unethical behavior.
Session Seventeen:
Dilemmas and Supervisors
Dilemmas with Your Supervisor (II)
Plan A
• Say, “I’m not really comfortable doing that.”
• Your supervisor may not have been aware that
his/her request was unethical, and they may
retract the request.
• This simple process works in many cases.
Session Seventeen:
Dilemmas and Supervisors
Dilemmas with Your Supervisor (III)
Plan B
• Have a sit-down meeting at the
appropriate time and place.
• Paraphrase your supervisor’s request.
• If the supervisor doesn’t retract his/her
request, say no again.
Session Seventeen:
Dilemmas and Supervisors
Dilemmas with Your Supervisor (IV)
Plan C
• Reconsider the situation and your
commitment.
• Talk to another supervisor or to your Human
Resources department.
• Document everything.
• Get a lawyer and escalate further.
Session Seventeen:
Dilemmas and Supervisors
Dilemmas as a Supervisor (I)
• The burden of ethics often falls most heavily
on those in power.
• Supervisors also have the responsibility of
setting a good ethical example for their
employees.
• Supervisors are often less closely
policed than lower-level staff.
Session Seventeen:
Dilemmas and Supervisors
Dilemmas as a Supervisor (II)
Common Dilemmas
• Proper use of an expense account
• Information about layoffs or other
changes that they cannot share with staff
• Difficulty in applying rules consistently
• Self-policing
Session Eighteen: What to Do
When You Make a Mistake
Accept reality.
Ask yourself, what
did I learn from
this experience?
Forgive yourself.
Get on with your
life.
Reconnect.
Boost your selfesteem.
Session Nineteen: Taking Your
Moral Temperature, Part Two (I)
Consider how you would handle each
situation.
1. Your supervisor is home sick. He called you
to ask you to tell anyone that asks that he
is on a business day trip.
2. You have found out that a particular team
in your company will be laid off in six
months. Your best friend is on that team.
Session Nineteen: Taking Your
Moral Temperature, Part Two (II)
Consider how you would handle each
situation.
3. One of your clients offered you free tickets
to a major gala coming up. Your company
prohibits accepting gifts.
4. Two people on your team are having an
affair. They’re both married and company
policy prohibits inter-office dating.