Leadership and Avoiding Organizational Toxicity - Term Paper Example

Ethics in an Organization Introduction Ethics originate from “ethos”, which means character or custom (Brown & Trevino, 2007). The term is concerned with prescribing and describing behaviors and moral requirements. Ethics can further be described as moral principles and code of values which guide and organization or an individual with respect to what is right. It is also a continuous reaffirmation and discovery and evaluation of own principles and values (Brown & Trevino, 2007). Breach in ethical conduct and principles leads to toxicity within an organization. This paper addresses the role of the chief ethics officer and parameters to prevent organization toxicity in the job description. The paper also presents ethical guidelines that prevent toxicity. In addition, internal controls for identification and removing unethical practices are described. Finally, the paper addresses the level of leadership, and qualities required to ensure successful implementation of ethical code of conducts. Chief Ethics Officer Job Description and Parameters to Prevent Toxicity Recently, many organizations have made decisions to appoint ethics officer (Bazerman, 2008). Chief ethics officers are tasked with enforcing the ethical code of conducts for an organization. They oversee an array of ethical and regulatory matters. They also coordinate and launch initiatives that ensure the objectives and culture of the organizations are aligned with accepted and acknowledged ethical practices and values. Ethical issues frequently occur in the modern day organization, and effective ethics officers should develop solutions to deal with these issues (Yukl, 2008). It is the duty of the chief ethical officer to see that the ethical code of conduct is followed to the last detail. Despite being a critical role of the chief ethics officer, it is also necessary to see that this code of conduct is effectively communicated amongst all employees. In order to do this, the chief ethical officer must bear in mind the expected values and standards of the organization. It is also imperative, for the officer to find the right means of encouraging all employees to follow the above standards. Additionally, it is important to have a mechanism that will serve to show whether these standards are being followed fully. In the event that misconduct occurs, the officer is expected to have the right manner to deal with the problem (Bazerman, 2008). For an organization to avoid toxicity, it is necessary for the chief ethical officer to collaborate with all the other members in implementation of the code of conduct (Bazerman, 2008). An effective ethics program involves all executives in all departments. In this respect, the ethics officer should communicate often with all board members with regards to all ethical issues and concerns. Communication is also essential with all employees. The chief ethical officer should also be open and readily available to address any ethics concerns. The ethics officer must be available on a day to day basis in order to work with employees. This will assist employees in making decisions which are lawful, ethical and fair. This is because it is most probable that none of the employees will have a basic training and education in practice of organizational ethics (Yukl, 2008). Another pertinent role is that of improving the perception and reputation of the company with regulators, employees and the general public. In addition, the ethics officer should implement and infrastructure for managing and reporting ethical issues. The officer should also be accountable for all program activities that relate to the ethical relationships with the customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, contractors and all other shareholders. The officer is also accountable for the organization-wide confidential reporting program (an example being a Hotline) (Bazerman, 2008). This program allows the customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders to report any violations of ethics-related guidelines and policy without fear of discrimination or retaliation. The officer is also tasked with administering and establishing a long-term strategy that seeks to improve the ethical profile of the organization and business conduct issues. The officer should also be able to integrate new acquisitions of ethical practices into those of the parent organization. In addition, the ethics officer should make regular reports to the audit committee, senior management and other committees of the board of directors, with regards to ethics policies and ethics program. The officer should be able to discipline any member who breaks the code of conduct, without impartiality (Kannair, 2007). Level of leadership Required Ethics is at the heart of the leadership roles (Brown & Trevino, 2007). Leaders are a crucial source or ethical guidance. The leader is also imperative in developments occurring in an organization. Brown and Trevino (2006) utilize the social learning theory to explain the role of leader in maintaining organizations ethics. The authors noted that followers look to the leader as their role model. Ethical leaders increase their legitimacy by treating all employees in a fair manner. A leader’s character influences the ethical performance. Ethical leader is an ascetic construct, where the leader is a purposeful, self-controlled person (Brown & Trevino, 2007). Henceforth, being ethical can be viewed as a personal quality which is tied to characteristic habits. The traits that are most often attributed to ethical leaders are trustworthiness, honesty and integrity (Yukl, 2008). Trust is associated with constituency, credibility and predictability in relationships. An honest leader inspires trust from followers, and this can encourage followers to take responsibility. A leader who constantly changes his behavior is perceived by employees to be unreliable, unpredictable, and thus unworthy of trusting (Kannair, 2007). A leader who does not practice the values that he promotes is also viewed to be dishonest. Other characteristic behaviors required to ensure ethical code of conduct implementation include humbleness, taking responsibility, fairness, straightforwardness and courage (Kannair, 2007). Integrity is also a key element that defines an ethical leader who can perform in eliminating toxicity in an organization (Brown & Trevino, 2007). Leaders who demonstrate integrity are able to learn from mistakes and always in a process of self-improvement. They are also honest with themselves and other. They lead by example and expect of others as they expect of themselves. They take the responsibility of being judgmental about important decisions. An integrity-oriented approach combines obedience of the code of conduct with an emphasis on the managerial responsibility for ethical behavior. Such an approach and strategy defines the organization aspirations, guiding values and patterns of conduct and thought. When these are integrated and implemented into routine organizational activities, ethical lapses are prevented. Ethical values are also general principles that guide action of an ethical leader in ensuring success and implementation of an ethical code of conduct (Kannair, 2007). A leader needs to embrace a more complex code of ethical conduct compared to what one learned in adolescence and childhood. On the basis of the value theory, there are five values that are crucial for ethical leaders. These include pride, prudence, patience, persistence and perspective (5Ps) (Brown & Trevino, 2007). On pride, when a leader lacks self-esteem, the leader will hardly receive respect and esteem from employees. Ethical leaders exude healthy pride, and not vanity. The two have a thin dividing line, attributable to a strong egotistic tendency in human beings (Yukl, 2008). Ethical leaders are aware that inordinate self-love is not a virtue. Patience is another value key to an ethical leader. When implementing ethical strategies that will enable the organization to reach its objectives, a leader is faced with obstacles from external and internal environment, in addition to lack of commitment and reluctance from followers (Brown & Trevino, 2006). Since it takes time to overcome such barriers, it is important for a leader to have patience. Prudence requires for an ethical leader to exercise sound judgment while carrying out practical affairs. It is a measure of moral virtues and it provides a model of ethically sound actions. A leader who develops the habit of exercising fortitude and prudence is not inclined to resort to toxic practices even when things do not go as planned. Perspective is understood as a capacity to perceive what is truly imperative in any given situation. Perspective refers to the leader’s striving for goals, and the continued quest to carry out all the necessary steps needed to achieve them. This entails sacrifices and personal risks. Persistence is bent on overcoming “practice” of justifying unethical conducts when a leader feels overwhelmed by increasing pressures, owing to a sense of duty to others (Yukl, 2008). Ethical guidelines to prevent toxicity In order for an organization to prevent toxicity in terms of ethics, it is imperative that ethical guidelines are developed, and followed, failure to which should be followed by disciplinary action (Hopen, 2009). These guidelines can be founded on several principles. The first principle is where members act as faithful agents of their employers or clients, where members avoid conflict of interest and maintain confidentiality. With regards to this principle, several guidelines can be developed. To begin with, members should act with justice and fairness to all parties when carrying out their duties. Members should not use any confidential information for their personal gain. Members should also not divulge confidential information, to another client or employee, unless permission is granted by the client (Hopen, 2009). When a conflict of interest arises, the members are supposed to reveal the conflict to the client or employer without delay, including interests held by close relatives, associates and companions (Kannair, 2007). Members should also not engage in outside activities that are likely to affect the employer’s business. The next principle is that organization members are expected to keep themselves informed; hence maintain their competence, in addition to striving to advance the body of knowledge in which they practice. The guidelines stemming from this principle are that members must ensure that their competence is maintained throughout their careers. This can be realized by remaining abreast of knowledge and developments in the member’s area of expertise (Hopen, 2009). This will require a personal commitment to continuing education and ongoing professional development. In addition to maintaining and improving their own competence, members should strive to contribute to the advancement in knowledge within their areas of specialization. Within the practice framework of their profession, members are required to participate in availing opportunities to enhance professional development of their colleagues and subordinates. The third principle is that members should conduct themselves with courtesy, fairness and good faith towards their colleagues, clients and others. They are also expected to give credit where it is due and give fair and honest professional comment. Several ethical guidelines stem from this principle. Members should not injure the character of other members due to malice; therefore, they should be careful with the reputation of colleagues. Members are also not expected to express professional opinions, which reflect on the integrity or ability of another person or organization. In addition, members should practice restraint when commenting on the work of other members. Henceforth, members should not evaluate the work of others without their knowledge. The next principle regards clear presentation of possible consequences when professional judgments or decisions are disregarded or overruled. Members may find themselves in situations where their recommendations are being questioned by their clients, employers or other experts (Hopen, 2009). When the disagreement is between two members in the organization, the person who bears professional responsibility for the recommendations should ensure that the recommendations and facts are correct. It is imperative to note that a member has continuing obligations despite his/her recommendations being overruled by others. Where a non-member is questioning the recommendations, the member is the last line of defense with regards to public welfare. The other principle pertains to zero tolerance to destructive behavior. Common categories of misbehaviors that should not be tolerated include aggression, sexual harassment, discrimination, and incivility. Incivility refers to discourteous or rude actions, which violate norms for respect and disregard others. These may include sending inflammatory e-mails, making fun of peer, claiming credit for someone else’s work. Incivility decreases the employee job satisfaction, motivation, task performance, loyalty, willingness to cooperate and creativity. Aggression can be regarded to as consciously trying to hurt the organization, or others. Aggression has extensive damage to the organization, clients and other members. Sexual harassment is also a form of aggression, but in this case, directed at women. Quid pro quo harassment happens when women are targeted and coerced into providing sexual favors so as they can get promoted or keep their jobs (Hopen, 2009). Discrimination is where members of a selected group are put at a disadvantage. Thus, members must desist from stereotyping and practicing prejudice. The achievement of a person from any group should not be dismissed, and hiring and promotion should not be on the line of races, gender or any other discriminatory aspects. Internal controls for identifying and removing unethical practices Internal controls include detective, corrective and preventive controls (Hopen, 2009). In internal controls, the role of an ethical leader is establishing a “tone at the top”, and advancing an ethical business environment. This is by providing structures, feedback, in addition to discipline. In internal controls, the ethics officer has a role in assessing ethical risks that are specific to the operation of the organization, and developing a control system which addresses these risks that could hinder the organization from realizing its goals and objectives. In line with this, the ethics officer should establish and main control activities to address this ethical risks. The officer should also regularly monitor the control system and activities, so as to identify and realign any breakdowns in at timely manner. Internal controls pertain to methods and procedure designed to safeguard the ethical integrity of an organization (Hopen, 2009). It can be regarded to as a system of checks and balances. An organization should have a feedback mechanism that will ensure breach of ethical conducts is reported. Some members may be wary of reporting owing to the fear of victimization. Therefore, it is important to develop detective controls that will ensure anonymity: an effective, yet confidential “whistle-blowing mechanism”. Such an example includes a hotline number. Here, the members can reach the ethics officers and report and breach of conduct without fear of reappraisals. Another detective control is where you have every member to submit anonymous monthly review reports to the ethics officer. These reports should be about the ethical concerns of members, and where the members think there is a deficiency in terms of maintaining an ethical working environment. When a problem or contributory factor is reported, the ethics officer should undertake a rectifier mechanism under his/her mandate and effect change. This entails corrective controls. Preventive controls should then be designed to so as to prevent re-occurrence of these ethical breaches. Conclusion In conclusion, ethics is an integral component in the effective functioning of an organization. The chief ethics officer is tasked with enforcing ethical code of conducts in an organization. When ethical principles and code of conduct are breached, toxicity develops within the organization. Therefore, it is imperative to erect ethical guidelines geared at avoiding toxicity of an organization. Internal controls are also crucial in identifying a breach of ethical conducts, and generating solutions for these problems. Key characteristics and values are needed for an effective ethical leader in order to ensure success and implementation of an ethical code of conduct. Reference List Bazerman, M. H. (2008). Evaluating Your Business Ethics: A Harvard professor explains why good people do unethical things. Gallup Management Journal (pp. 1-5): Gallup Poll News Service. Brown, M. E., & Trevino, L. K. (2007). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595-616. Hopen, D. (2009). Guiding corporate behavior: A leadership obligation not a choice. Journal for Quality & Participation, 25, 15–19. Kannair, J. (2007). The Ethical Mind. Harvard Business Review, 85(3), 51-56. Yukl, G. (2008). Leadership in organizations, 6th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ. Read More