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Ethical organizations don’t just happen. You have to build them. And the place to begin is by
creating an ethical organizational culture. You will have to make clear to everyone in your
organization that moral priorities are as important as financial priorities. Everyone in the
organization will understand that finances are critical to survival, and so no one is likely to
make the case that ethics should trump every other consideration. But an ethical culture starts
with holding moral values at least as high as financial concerns.
This will mean that you will need to establish a history of making ethical choices. Think about the
people you admire; what most probably come to mind are the important decisions that that person has
made over time. Ethical organizations have staff who are committed to, and who admire, their
organization because of the visible commitment, over time, that is captured in the history of moral
choices that the leaders of the organization make. Building that history will take time, but it is
the most powerful way to establish an ethical organizational culture.
Of course, you will also need to set out the ground rules for how you want people to operate and
how you want them to make the decisions assigned to them. You will need to have ethics rules and
standards of ethical behavior. You will need a policy document that makes clear the values of the
organization and that can grow as you discover more about the ethical issues that your organization
faces.
Many organizations today are offering, or requiring, ethics training. The research results are
inconclusive at this time as to whether this works and, if so, to what end. But it does highlight
the leadership’s commitment to making moral choices, and makes it less likely that employees who
violate standards can say, “Oh, I didn’t realize that that was unacceptable.” But don’t assume that
your organization is ethical because all of your employees have passed an ethics test.
For decades, health care organizations have made good use of “ethical consults.” They will usually
have ethics “officers” who are available to answer questions and to help decision makers think
through complex situations. Often, they will have an ethics council to review certain kinds of
decisions before they are made, or other kinds of decisions after they are made. Having some kind
of in-house consultation or, in the case of a smaller organization, on-going access to such help,
will emphasize leadership’s commitment, and will, if done properly, create coherence within the
organization’s ethical culture.
As kids, we all were told by our friends that we shouldn’t “tell on each other.” But an ethical
organization, by necessity, has to be a mature organization, which faces its tough choices, rather
than avoids them. Consequently, you will probably want to institute some kind of reporting system
so that your staff will have someplace to go in order to report, with varying degrees of
confidentiality, mistakes or missteps that they observe. Understanding the various problems that
such a process identifies and the actions you take in response will contribute to the growth in the
ethical culture that we have emphasized above.
At the highest level of commitment to moral decision making is a “Values Identification Audit”
(VIDA), a coordinated and thorough planning process wherein the organization identifies its values
and seeks to anticipate the difficult decisions that it will confront. This could be done when you
review your “aspirational statements,” like your Mission and your Vision. (If you don’t have those
statements, or if you haven’t revisited them recently, then that would be the logical first place
from which to start this process.)
A VIDA starts with a Statement of Values. Here is ours at the UIC School of Public Health:
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SPH Statement of Values
We are a community of scholars, students and staff dedicated to creating a
healthy society. In achieving this goal, we are committed to:
COMMUNITY, the basic unit of analysis for public health,
enabling communities to address their own problems, share skills, lower barriers to
action, and act as a catalyst for progress.
KNOWLEDGE, the pursuit, development and dissemination of which
will improve the health of the public.
PROFESSIONALISM, acting with integrity and collegiality in
learning, teaching, research and public service.
STEWARDSHIP, of natural, human and financial resources.
IDEALISM, whether secularly or spiritually motivated.
CARING, promoting compassion for and action on behalf of
others.
JUSTICE, whereby everyone is given access to the resources
necessary to live a humane life and necessary to fulfill his or her full
potential.
DIVERSITY, celebrating unique contributions to the fabric of
our community.
RESPECT, for the members of this community and for those whom
our efforts are intended to serve.
HUMILITY, as we set our goals, as we work together to achieve
them, and as we address the inevitable conflicts produced by those joint
efforts.
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The American Medical Association has a much smaller list:
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Core Values
1. Leadership
2. Excellence
3. Integrity and Ethical Behavior
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The Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce has a more elaborate statement:
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What are the ideals that guide how we accomplish our
mission?
Relationship Management
Adaptability
Collaboration
Diversity
Honesty
Inclusion
Integrity
Openness
Respect worth of individuals
Team Results
Tolerance
Results Oriented
Advocate for continuous improvement
Attack goals with vigorous pursuit
Efficiency
Innovation
Member driven
Productivity
Well-defined goals
High Ethical Standards
Accountability
Do things right / Do the right things
Positive leadership
Responsibility
Knowledge of Chamber Business
Entrepreneurial
Relevant subject matter experts
Technology proficient
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But you really need to go beyond, what a colleague of mine calls, “a statement of easy virtues.”
The ethical success of your organization will be determined by the decisions that you and your
staff make over time. At this early stage, while you are doing the VIDA, you should try to
anticipate the tough conflicts that you are likely to face. No one knows for sure what they will do
in any novel situation until that situation is real. But a lot can be gained in thinking through
some of this ahead of time, and then committing to a continuous re-examination of one’s Statement
of Values and Anticipated Conflicts.
Doing a Values Identification Audit is not a “once and for all” project, but an on-going
commitment. Therefore, the best way to evaluate its success is through soliciting periodic input
from the people involved. Think of this as an ethical report card issued to the organization by its
managers, its staff, its external partners, and its stakeholders.
A VIDA will take a lot of work, but it can provide quite a few benefits. As we discussed in earlier
articles in our ethics series, one ought not to establish an ethical organization in order to reap
benefits, but there are benefits to be had. This is the subject of our next discussion.
© Daniel Swartzman
2010
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