Managing ethics in your professional life

By Pri Notowidigdo

JAKARTA (JP): We frequently find ourselves facing ethical dilemmas -- situations concerning right and wrong where values are in conflict.

As a student, you may have seen a friend cheating and wondered what to do. Which is the more important value -- being loyal to a friend, or reporting someone to the teacher because he was cheating?

In a work setting, perhaps you were tempted to buy some stocks because of insider information telling you that the stocks will increase in value.

You know that this is wrong because the information is not public knowledge and you have access to privileged information. You tell yourself that you are a professional in this regard. Yet, the temptations of easy financial gain and improving the quality of life for you and your family are big. Which is more important -- professionalism or family duty?

These examples represent values in conflict. Both are ethical dilemmas. Depending on how you define ethics, these dilemmas can either cause great conflict or they can be managed.

If ethics is defined as a set of moral principles or values, this then becomes highly personal and relative. I have my moral principles, you have yours, and neither of us should try to impose our ethics on each other.

Another more practical definition is ethics as the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group. In this regard, we expect work organizations to govern work- related conduct. If we use this definition, ethics then becomes an extension of good management.

Leaders identify appropriate and inappropriate conduct, and they convey their expectations to employees through codes of ethics, training programs, and other communication mechanisms.

Whether we prefer to admit it or not, our ethical conduct is influenced (and, to a large degree, controlled) by our environment. In work settings, leaders, managers, and the entire cultural context are an important source of this influence and guidance.

Deciding what's right then represents an essential part of organizational ethics. Doing what's right becomes a tremendous challenge because individuals and groups have to make decisions in a highly complex context. Roles and norms, authority and power relationships, competitive pressures, profit motives, and organizational structures all come into play.

Why do most business people do the right thing most of the time? Why do they persist in believing that good ethics is good business? Because they're people first, who value their good reputations and the opinions of their friends, family, and the community. They're guided by a "moral compass" that points them in an ethical direction, as well as a financial compass that points them towards consideration of the costs and benefits of a decision.

People are interconnected in the work place. This means that work is an important source of meaning in people's lives. Intuition and spiritual values are valued alongside analytical skills. Business is no longer just about products and bottom-line profits. The words "products" and "profits" join with words like "meaning" and "values".

Experts in business ethics offer a number of approaches to help guide you in deciding what's right. Below are a number of practical questions to ask yourself:

* Have I got all the facts? It is too easy to jump to solutions before you have all the facts.

* What are the ethical issues? Don't jump to solutions without first identifying the issues or points of conflict in the dilemma.

* Who would be affected by what I do? Being able to see the situation through others' eyes is a key moral reasoning skill. You have to think beyond the facts provided in a case in order to identify all affected parties.

* What would be the consequences? Think about the potential consequences for each of the parties. Who would be harmed by a particular decision or action? What are the long-term, short- term, symbolic, and secrecy consequences ?

* What are my obligations? These include promise-keeping and trust, which are important values in superior-subordinate relationships.

* What do I think of my character and integrity? If you would be embarrassed to have someone read about your activities in the newspaper -- or be uncomfortable telling your parents, spouse, or children -- you probably should rethink your decision.

* Are there other options to consider? There may be more than just two alternatives.

* How do I really feel about this situation? If your intuition is bothering you, it probably means that something isn't right.

Thinking about the what, the why, and the how of business ethics will be a good step forward towards effectively managing ethics in your professional life.

The writer is an executive search consultant for Amrop International, member firm of The Amrop Hever Group - Global Executive Search. (e-mail: jakarta@amrophever.com)