Ethics in the Workplace
Summary of Integrity as a Governing Ethics
The topic area focuses on the integrity strategy as the primary driving force for the organization. According to the article, a strategy grounded on integrity holds the organization to a higher standard. Under the approach, the management of the given organization relies on the concept of self-governance in ensuring an environment of integrity is created within the firm (Paine, 1994). Also, it has a set of guiding principles that inform their activities. According to the author, a strategy of integrity looks at ethics as the primary driving force of the enterprise. Ethical decision making affects all activities within the organization; it influences how the entity looks for opportunities, how the organizational systems are designed, and how decisions are made within the organization. According to the author, ethical values provide a common reference point and serve as a unifying force in various areas of the business and employee groups (Paine, 1994).
How Ethics can be incorporated into the Organization
Incorporating ethics into the organization should start from the top. The management needs to act as a role model and be visible for the rest of the team to learn and emulate them. Normally employees look at their leaders to learn and consider which behaviors are acceptable. The leadership also needs to communicate their expectations, and that can be done by having a code of ethics that provides more clarity on ethical ambiguities. The management can use the code of ethics to spell out the values and ethical rules that should be followed by the team. The other approach is also to offer ethical training for the staff, they can be in the form of seminars or workshops held periodically. The training sessions can be used by management to reinforce the organization’s standards and conduct. Lastly, the management can develop a rewarding ethical behavior by the team and punish unethical ones. That can be done using the periodic performance appraisals, which should include evaluations of how the actions measure up against certain laid down codes of ethics.
References
Paine, L.S. (1994). ‘Managing for Organizational Integrity.’ Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1994/03/managing-for-organizational-integrity