The Ethically Responsible Organization

Om boken

Today's businesses have an obligation to conduct themselves in an ethical and responsible manner at all times. Unfortunately, many companies are willing to cut corners and do whatever it takes to make a profit, thus contributing to mistrust, misinformation, and less than full disclosures as a result of their unethical misconduct. This book takes the position that enough is enough and argues that all businesses can and must be ethically responsible no matter its size or whether it operates locally or globally. The book describes the features of an ethically responsible organization that is committed to always "doing the right things," which means they are committed to building, institutionalizing, and sustaining an ethically oriented organizational culture. Ethical responsibility means maintaining—even improving—your bottom line while setting a high bar for ethical standards and making a positive contribution to society. The book argues that organizations must ensure their culture has accountability, responsibility, and learning at its core, which means investing in developing all employees to be fully engaged in making ethical decisions and being ethical leaders. It discusses what it means to be an ethically responsible global business, leader, middle manager, and lower-level employee. The Ethically Responsible Organization provides a detailed look at the importance of preventive work to avoid ethical falls or scandals. It takes the position that if such a fall or scandal occurs, the company should seize the moment and learn from the experience by becoming a learning organization where continuous inquiry, diagnosis, reflection, learning, and self-correction are the keystones of operations. The book offers ideas on how organizations can reinforce and sustain themselves as ethically responsible businesses by taking a strategic approach to ethics that includes constant and consistent ethics training and education for all employees and partners. Ultimately, it seeks to increase understanding of why organizations stray from "doing the right things" and how a focus on being ethically responsible can position companies to avoid or quickly respond to ethical misconduct.