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 Ignorance isn't bliss.
Luck isn't an ethics culture.
Regulations, legal compliance, corporate
governance, ethics culture --- if these are words that make you uneasy, you
are not alone! Directors and officers have responsibilities that are now
under public attention. Smart boards and smart officers are staying
ahead of the pack!
If you are just getting started in earnest on establishing a great
corporate culture, here is a laundry list of items to consider..
Your Sample "To Do" Ethics Culture List
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With your business ethics consultant's help,
establish the business ethics and compliance goals that will energize
corporate governance.
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Then top management, working with the board of
directors, establish the corporate values. Success in the business world
depends on the organization's ability to establish a core set of
abilities that differentiate it from others. A set of differentiating
abilities establishes a unique competitive advantage. In some cases, the
perceived ethics of the company is a differentiating ability that is
attractive and clinches the sale or deal. Perceived ethics are
built on the actual and perceived corporate values.
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A Mission Statement, a Vision Statement, and a Core
Set of Values that Will Not Be Compromised lead to an
Ethics Code.
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With your ethics consultant, educate executives.
Provide ethics not law: ethics training grounded in the fields of ethics
and organizational structures.
A company with an ethics counselor has Five Advantages over
the competition.
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Motivate all top executives to understand that
"Ethics drives superior business performance!"
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Establish an ethics culture as a part of corporate
governance. A culture, not a set of words in a desk drawer.
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Establish a compliance system as a part of
corporate governance. A system, not a list of laws to follow.
But compliance needs a Code of Conduct as a centerpiece of reference.
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Staff an ethics officer position. It may be
only a contracted part time, but retained on an annual basis,
consultant, who is retained to be "on call." It must be someone
who is skilled and who knows your top executives.
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Install a helpline to report ethical concerns
anonymously.
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Train all employees. Ethics training for
everyone is a necessary part of a great ethics culture. But
the training probably should not be the same for everyone. Company
officers need training in making decisions at the strategic level. Line
employees need simple ethics tools to use in everyday company life if
you want your ethics plan to be followed. New employees usually
need training at the 60/90/180 day points that two year employees do not
need. Training all your employees, giving them budget conscious amounts
of training appropriate to their job is a long term project. Treat it as
such. (See Tiered Training, which we believe in
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Do an ethics audit, and follow it up with needed
preventative maintenance. If an ethics culture and compliance system is
working like it should, you hardly know it is there. Still, it is
necessary to do preventative maintenance on your ethics compliance
culture and system -- Like any working part of your company, the ethics
culture needs maintenance. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines,
organizations are expected to conduct periodic risk assessments and
measure the effectiveness of their compliance and ethics initiatives.
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Improve the crisis management plan. As part of your
crisis management plan, provide that ethics input will be available for
your decision making and your public media response in the emergency you
hope will not arise.
You need a live and operating legal and ethics compliance culture and
system (not just checklists) in place! It boils down to two
questions, and two answers:
- What do you need to do?
Implement Ethics! (Definition: 1. To put into practical
effect; carry out. 2. To supply with implements.
- What can
do for you?
Supply you with what you need to "implement" ethics.
Plan to stay ahead of the pack.
Don't let the company ethics culture just happen by
accident! Good ethics cultures must be consciously built. Do a
corporate ethics audit to check your present ethics culture, systems in
place, and system compliance. Do it yourself or have an outside ethics
expert (that could be us) Inspect and review what you do now. Then, to
the extent you find deficiencies --- take care of them.
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