Building a Culture of Ethics
Being an ethical person is something I try to be all the time. I believe that honesty is the best policy. Because of this I am always blunt and will give a straight answer. I do not believe in dodging questions or giving vague answers. I try my best to be “on the record” at all times. I am the same person with everyone, never putting on an act to save face. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be too much for some, as they are not use to just getting open, honest answers. But, that does not make me want to change who I am, because that would not go along with the ethics I have established for myself. I believe in practicing what I preach.
The book mentioned how it is important for a company to establish an ethical culture in their organization. This is done in a several ways. The first way is for the management to be visible role models. People mimic what they see which is why this is an important step for management. This is walking the walk and talking the talk. The next way this is done is by communicating the expectations. I feel that laying out a clear list of expectations is a great way to do this. When I became president of my fraternity, I felt that the standards/expectations were unclear in the past. Due to this, I make a packet that laid out the expectations of each brother, each committee, and each committee chair. In addition, I laid out the expectations of myself. After this we had a meeting and each person signed a contract that acknowledged their position, duties, and expected behaviors. I really feel that this helped a lot. Not only was this step part of the communication process, but it also was a training of ethics. The training of the expected ethics is another step. The next step would be to provide rewards for ethical behavior and punish unethical ones. This is a hard step to do for me because I am managing my friends and while it is easy to praise them, it is harder for me to punish because friends have a hard time realizing that the punishments we hand out are strictly as managers and not as friends. Often it is taken to be personal and that is not the case. Lastly, you need to provide protective mechanisms. This allows employees to report incidents or discuss dilemmas is a safe way. In our fraternity we have a committee devoted to doing just this and it is very effective.
Working to create an ethical culture is very valuable, but takes quite a bit of effort.
I totally agree with what you have said in this blog post! I think it is critical for each employee/member/person should know their expectations for their job. I think it important for both sides, employee so they know what to do, employers so they have standards to evaluate. I also like what you said about trying to punish your friends. It really is tough, but as someone in that position you sometimes have to be the bad guy! Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteMurphey, to be honest I wish I could be more like you in this sense. I have a very tender heart and I dont like upsetting people so I tend to sugar coat things. I would never lie to someone, but I try to make harsh situations easier, which isnt always best. Because I dont tend to tell people straight up how things are, people often use me as a door mat and walk all over me because they know I wont stand up to them. Kinda pathetic, I know. But I really like what you did as the president of your fraternity. I think it takes a special person to stand up and stand strong for your beliefs which can so often be covered up in organizations such as fraternities and sororities. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Murphey, honesty is one of the greatest traits that someone can possess. No one wants a person that is dishonest. I think it is very important to walk the walk and talking the talk like you said. If you can't do both of these then you should really reconsider your life and figure out how to do both.
ReplyDeleteMurphey,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about staying true to what you believe in. Being honest and up front with people can gain you a lot of respect and for the people who dont appreciate it, well to bad for them. I'm in a fraternity myself and i believe that everybody has a responsibility to do the right thing and to be punished when they do the wrong thing. Even though it might be tough, you are not only making them a better person but making the fraternity a better place to be.