If you think your ethics If you think your ethics are nobody's are nobody's

business...think again!business...think again!

Sandra Rothenberg

Thinking About EthicsThinking About Ethics

UtilitarianismUtilitarianism

Act so as to produce the greatest ratio of good/evil

Look at the costs and benefits of alternatives, sum them, and chose the option with the greatest benefit

RightsRights

Are Rights Violated?Kant’s Categorical Imperatives

Provides Foundation for Duties, Moral Rights

Universality – Would I want everyone to behave according to that rule?

Reversibility – Would I want that rule to apply to me?

Treat individuals as autonomous ends, and so never solely as means. Respecting their autonomy to chose

JusticeJustice

Are Rewards and Punishments Fairly Distributed?

◦DISTRIBUTIVE, RETRIBUTIVE, COMPENSATORY , PROCEDURAL Rawl’s Theory of Justice

◦What would be fair principles if we didn’t know what our station in society would be?◦We would adopt two principles:

Each person has an equal right to the same basic liberties Social and economic inequalities are arranged so that they

are both◦ to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged persons◦attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of

fair equality of opportunity

But Wait…one more thingBut Wait…one more thing

Carol Gilligan◦She argued that men are likely to consider moral issues in terms of justice rules, and individual rights.

◦Women tend to consider such issues in terms of relationships, caring, and compassion.

Ethic of CareEthic of Care

An ethic of care and responsibility develops from an individual's feeling of interconnectedness with others.

Emphasis on responsibilities to others.

Character Development:Character Development: Virtue Ethics Virtue Ethics

Key focus: what kind of person should I be?◦Moral character more important than right action

◦Virtue permits successful, rewarding, good lives

◦Assumption: virtuous character leads to right action

9 Steps to Sound Ethical Decision 9 Steps to Sound Ethical Decision MakingMakingGather the FactsDefine the Ethical IssuesIdentify the Affected PartiesIdentify the OptionsIdentify the Consequences (Utility)Identify the Obligations (Rights, Justice,

Care)Consider Your Character & IntegrityCheck Your GutThink Creatively About Other Potential

Actions

It’s a Good ThingIt’s a Good Thing

Sam Waksal, founder and CEO if Imclone calls his broker (Peter Bavanovic) to sell his shares in the company◦Talks to assistant (Douglas Faneuil) instead

Douglas calls Peter and tells him about itPeter leaves a message with Martha

indicating that the stock may start trading downwards

Peter tells Douglas to tell Martha Stewart what is happening if she calls

Martha calls the NY office and tells Douglas to sell

Creating a Culture of Integrity

Sources: Lynn Sharp Paine, “Managing for Organizational Integrity,” Harvard Business Review, March/April 1994, pp. 106-117 and Gary Weaver and Linda Klebe Trevino, “Compliance and Values Oriented Ethics Programs: Influences on

Employees’ Attitudes and Behavior,” Business Ethics Quarterly, 9(1999), pp. 315-335.

Compliance-based programsCompliance-based programs

• Rooted in avoiding legal sanctions.• Companies will establish rules and

guidelines for employees to follow.• Emphasizes threat of detection and

punishment.• Assumes employees are driven by self-

interest.• Research evidence shows that employees

do care about moral correctness of their actions.

Sources: Lynn Sharp Paine, “Managing for Organizational Integrity,” Harvard Business Review, March/April 1994, pp. 106-117 and Gary Weaver and Linda Klebe Trevino, “Compliance and Values Oriented Ethics Programs: Influences on

Employees’ Attitudes and Behavior,” Business Ethics Quarterly, 9(1999), pp. 315-335.

Integrity-based ethics programsIntegrity-based ethics programs

• Combine a concern for the law with an emphasis on employee responsibility for ethical conduct.

• Establish a climate of self-governance for employees based on general principles as guidelines.

• Employees told to act with integrity and conduct business dealings in an environment of honesty and fairness.

• Employees are thought of as social beings, concerned for the well-being of others.

• Researchers found that these programs fostered lower observed unethical conduct.

Contributing to a Culture of Contributing to a Culture of IntegrityIntegrity

The language of ethical decision-making is used

Structural supports and procedures that facilitate ethical decision making have been developed

A culture of openness, responsibility, and commitment to multiple business goals has been created and sustained

Employee development is valued

Source: Kayes, Stirling, and Neilsen, Building Organizational Integrity, Business Horizons, 2007, Vol. 50.

What you can do: Bystander What you can do: Bystander AwarenessAwareness

A bystander could be anyone who sees or otherwise becomes aware of behavior that appears worthy of comment or action. ◦Encouraging the positive: to foster productive

behavior from all managers and employees, and other members of the organization; to improve morale and collegiality; to build community and foster inclusion

◦Discouraging the negative: to curtail discriminatory, destructive, and illegal behavior.

Source: Maureen Scully and Mary Rowe, Bystander Training within Organizations, Journal of the International Ombudsman Association, 2009, 2 (1),

Why Bystanders?Why Bystanders?

There are often more bystanders to affirm excellent performance than there are supervisors.

Responsible bystander may be able to react immediately, when action is safe and appropriate. ◦ May be more effective in affirming good behavior or

discouraging unacceptable behavior than delayed action. ◦ May be more cost-effective than are delayed responses.

People planning unethical action do not usually share their plans with formal supervisors.◦ They may boast or give clues to friends and co-workers.

The Cost of InactionThe Cost of Inaction

◦People are affected by the actions of those around them

◦Negative effects of observing unethical behavior Those who observed sexual harassment, all have lower work and life satisfaction. For women, also affects on job behaviors and psychological wellbeing.◦The costs of observing, and thus not addressing, unethical behavior

are HIGHER for women! (but also negative for men)

◦Collegiality, and even happiness, may be as contagious as the negative emotions.

Source: Miner-Rubino, K., Beyond targets: Vicarious exposure to hostility towards women in the workplace, University of Michigan, 2004 and Schneider, K, Bystander stress: The effect of organizational

tolerance of sexual harassment on victims' coworkers, 1996

Role of BystanderRole of Bystander

InclusionDiscoveryCooling Things DownHeating Things UpBody Language/Signaling

A Bystander is Not...A Bystander is Not...JudgeAvengerRescuerEnforcerFixerKnow-it-allFinal authorityHero/heroine

Bystander is….Bystander is….Witness ConcernedListener LearnerFacilitator MediatorObserver Peace-MakerOnlooker HelperFriend Peer

What is Bystander Action?What is Bystander Action?

PraisingInterruptingShifting ConversationRaising QuestionsUsing HumorDemonstrating Concern

What it TakesWhat it Takes

Moral CourageTactfulnessWillingness to take RisksAwareness of one’s own power or

privilege

Understanding When Not to ActUnderstanding When Not to Act

Waiting for teachable momentsNot diluting your messageReduce embarrassmentPicking the right battlesToo high of a risk

◦ He’s Assertive and she’s out of control Both male and female evaluators conferred lower status on angry

female professionals than on angry male. Women's emotional reactions were attributed to internal

characteristics (e.g., “she is an angry person,”“she is out of control”), men's emotional reactions were attributed to external circumstances.

◦ Negative evaluation of women who violate specific norms for behavior

Source: Brescoll, V. L.; Uhlmann, E.. Can an Angry Woman Get Ahead? Status Conferral, Gender, and Expression of Emotion in the Workplace. Psychological Science Mar2008, Vol. 19 Issue 3

Causes of Moral MutenessCauses of Moral Muteness

Moral talk is viewed as creating these negative effects...

because of these assumedattributes of moral talk

Threat to Harmony Moral talk is intrusive and confrontational and invites cycles of mutual recrimination.

Threat to Efficiency Moral talk assumes distracting moralistic forms (praising, blaming, ideological) and is simplistic, inflexible, soft and inexact.

Threat to Image of Power and Effect

Moral talk is too esoteric and idealistic and lacks rigor and force.

Source: The Moral Muteness of Managers. California Management Review, Fall 1989.

Reducing Bystander InactionReducing Bystander Inaction

Practice interventions in a safe spaceThink through various scenarios in advanceExpand menu of possible resources/responsesUnderstand cultural differences in appropriate

interventionsLearn from others’ experiments Take personal ownership for the situation, instead of

just sitting backBecome self-aware and understand the norms you and

your organization want to upholdMake bystander action more expected and legitimate

For the Leader – Creating the For the Leader – Creating the CultureCulture

Increase detection of unethical activitiesHelping people understand the gravity of

unethical behaviorIncreasing perceptions of responsibility

◦Being a role modelTeaching people how to be a bystanderProvide opportunities for practice