Managing ethics in your professional life
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)