Ethics Management Programs

Typically, ethics programs convey corporate values, often using codes and policies to guide decisions and behaviour and can include extensive training and evaluating, depending on the organization. They provide guidance in ethical dilemmas. Balancing competing values and reconciling them is a basic purpose of an ethics management program.

There are numerous benefits in formally managing ethics as a program rather than as a one-shot effort when it appears to be needed. Ethics programs:

• Establish organizational roles to manage ethics.
• Schedule ongoing assessment of ethics requirements.
• Establish required operating values and behaviours.
• Align organizational behaviours with operating values.
• Develop awareness and sensitivity to ethical issues.
• Integrate ethical guidelines to decision-making.
• Structure mechanisms to resolving ethical dilemmas.
• Facilitate ongoing evaluation and updates to the program.
• Help convince employees that attention to ethics is not just a knee-jerk reaction done to get out of trouble or improve public image.