Question

You are opening your own small business and want to establish a culture of ethical behavior. What are some procedures you should implement to support an ethics culture?

Answer 1

Answer-

The ethical business culture is a system of principles and norms that aim to find a fair balance between all the parts that make up an organization. These values ​​imply respect for rights through a code of ethics that serves to promote a good working environment and combat corruption, abuse and defamation. Nowadays the organizational ethical culture has become one of the main areas towards which human resources has directed special attention. For members of any organization, ethical culture is key to fostering commitment, teamwork and professional respect. Presented as a relevant influence on the behavior of workers in response to the ethical culture that is provided, ethical standards along with the principles and values ​​are responsible for providing the company with its own identity that in turn publicly reflects its commitment with society. Having an organizational culture that emphasizes ethical behavior can reduce the bad behavior of organizations. Research shows that if an organization develops a culture that emphasizes doing the right thing, even when it is expensive, it comes down to whether leaders, starting with the CEO, consider the ethical consequences of their actions. Leaders with a moral compass set the tone when it comes to ethical dilemmas.

* Some procedures or steps that must be implemented to support an ethical culture are the following:

1.-Be a role model and be visible. Its employees consider the behavior of senior management as a model of acceptable behavior in the workplace. When it is observed that senior management (by its subordinates) takes the ethical path, it sends a positive message to all employees.

2.-Communicate ethical expectations. Ethical ambiguities can be reduced by creating and disseminating a code of organizational ethics. You must indicate the main values ​​of the organization and the ethical rules that employees are expected to follow. However, remember that a code of ethics has no value if senior management does not model ethical behaviors.

3.-Offer ethics training. Organize seminars, workshops and similar ethical training programs. Use these training sessions to reinforce the organization's standards of conduct, to clarify what practices are allowed and which are not, and to address possible ethical dilemmas.

4.-Visibly reward ethical acts and punish unethical ones. Performance evaluations of managers must include a point-by-point evaluation of how their decisions compare with the code of ethics of the organization. Evaluations should include the means used to achieve the objectives, as well as the ends themselves. People who act ethically must be visibly rewarded for their behavior. Just as important, unethical acts must be punished.

5.-Provide protection mechanisms. The organization needs to provide formal mechanisms for employees to discuss ethical dilemmas and report unethical behaviors without fear of reprimands. This could include the creation of ethical advisors, ombudsmen or ethical officials.

* How to achieve ethical culture?

At the same time, culture and organizational ethics provide tolerance for the risk of innovation by giving equal importance to the means that are used as much as to the result that is expected to be achieved. Here are some practices to optimize ethics within the organizational culture:

• That employees observe the behavior of their superiors as a parameter that defines the appropriate behavior, so it must send a positive message.

• Conduct seminars or workshops that provide comprehensive training about ethics in the work environment.

• Communicate fundamental ethical values ​​and norms through an institutional level code.

• Evaluate the performance of each area. Decision-making regarding the company's code of ethics must be justified in detail to achieve the best possible feedback.

Finally, it is recommended to form a committee specially trained to deal with any difficulties that may arise regarding the breach of the previously established values ​​and norms. Considering that companies are a micro example of society, business ethics must be built on fundamental ethical values ​​that foster organizational reputation and image, but also peaceful and productive coexistence. A company that is perceived as lacking integrity or operating in an unethical, immoral or irresponsible manner soon loses the support of customers, suppliers and the community in general.

Explanation:

Strengthening the above a little, we can conclude that:

Similarly, more and more employees place the company's culture as a priority over salary and benefits. For organizations, research has shown that companies with stronger ethical cultures have shown a reduction in employee misconduct. Here are 4 other ways that companies can create an ethical culture in the workplace:

1.-Define values. The main thing when starting this task is to think about the image you want to convey to your organization and outside of it, how you would like to be perceived by your customers, suppliers and your competition.

2.-Make values ​​a code of ethics. Keep in mind that this is not a work regulation, but rather it defines how a collaborator should act, how managers should act. Even that code includes some guidelines that involve suppliers because it is part of this philosophy.

3.-Communication. Since a code is defined, it is necessary to know how to do it so that it reaches all employees, collaborators, customers, and so on. The best way is to consult an expert to implement a dissemination strategy to reach all the people you require.

4.-We must make an ethics committee. These committees are very common in Mexican companies and can maintain a relationship with all areas of the company. It should help define and permeate those values, not as a sanctioning body but as the ethics officer.

These are some of the dimensions involved that appear as meaningful for the management of an organizational ethical culture and go beyond the necessary protocols and codes of ethics. The invitation is to build a renewed organizational culture in tune with the new times and enriching the common good. Companies that do not have an ethical culture often fail, disappointing both customers and workers. There are different approaches that can be taken in organizations to demonstrate an optimal ethical culture and social responsibility, such as intolerance to discrimination; the promotion of environmental care; and a policy of tolerance and respect among professionals.

To achieve a satisfactory business ethic culture, the authorities of each organization must define strategies and codes to promote it. The directors and authorities of each organization should set an example through appropriate behavior, so as to send a positive message to the workers and also to the company's customers.