©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Business Ethics and Leadership Fostering a Culture of High Business Ethics and Integrity Presented by: Elise M. Farnham CPCU, ARM, AIM, CPIW President, Illumine Consulting
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting The Birth of Business Ethics Traditionally the domain of philosophers, academics and social critics Focused on Philosophical analysis Anthologies Case studies Social responsibility
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting So, what is business ethics? Coming to know what is right or wrong in the workplace and doing what’s right, in the context of Products and services Relationships to stakeholders Two broad areas: Management mischief Moral mazes
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Organization Values When culture clashes with compliance When employees’ values differ from corporate values Photo courtesy E. Farnham
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Benefits of Managing Ethics… Help avoid E&O Managed values impact the entire organization Promote good will Strengthens the bottom line Ensure that policies are legal
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Additional benefits… Improve society Help maintain a moral course Cultivates teamwork and productivity Support employee growth and meaning It’s the right thing to do…
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting How to describe an ethical organization? “It is truly enough said that a corporation has no conscience. But a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.” Henry David Thoreau American naturalist and writer
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Where do I start? “All organizations have ethics programs, but most do not know that they do.” Stephen Brenner Professor, article in “Journal of Business Ethics”
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Credos v. Codes Thou shalt’s v. Thou shalt not’s
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Managing Ethics in the Workplace It’s a process Focus on encouraging preferred behavior (prevention) Find ways to avoid dilemmas Group resource Diverse design team Learn and value forgiveness Make decisions public, as appropriate Communicate continually
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting The Best Ethics Trainer “We start our training even in our job ads, but the best trainer is the behavior of our leaders.” Bill Goodman, Chief HR Officer, Aveda
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Dilemma: Clashing of Values Truth vs. Loyalty Individual vs. Community Short-term vs. Long-term Justice vs. Mercy Photo Courtesy IMSI
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting Resolving Ethical Dilemmas Test for relevant information decision makers consequences fairness values universal appeal perception of others Photo Courtesy IMSI
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting The Influential Leader Study at Holiday Inn The greater the number of positive responses to, “My manager delivers on promises” and “My manager practices what he preaches.” The more profitable the property “Leaders with character develop cultures of character…” Carol and Robert Turknett Decent People, Decent Company
©2008, all rights reserved Elise Farnham dba Illumine Consulting References and Resources “Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics Toolkit for Managers” htm htm The Josephson Institute of Ethics U. S. Sentencing Commission The Ethics Resource Center