Quadrants of Ethics. A new approach of business ethics

 ARTIGO em português Quadrantes da Ética

Companies establishe code of ethics that are really only statement containing a list of what we can  and we can not do in the company. Many employees do not do things that confront the ethical code just to avoid being caught violating the ethical standards. In fact, as less necessary ethics codes are more ethical also are the involved groups.

Worse still, if the example that comes from top management does not comply to ethical standards. However, in many companies is not what occur, which causes a chain reaction where many people follow the leaders. Research carried out for evaluation of the main attributes of the CEOs indicated that integrity as prime requirement, standing out from everyone else.

Most of all the world´s problems are coming from ethical reasons. Ethics is strongly influenced by the moral and character, and these attributes in the people are very little sensitive to development through training, conversion, study or other factors. That is, we left our homes and families for the world, with the character and ​​moral values almost fully formed, and this will set the ethics we will practice in our lives.

The lack of ethics is to want to take advantage anyway, even if it harms others. We see ethical problems in many places. Some examples are in transit, at work, in schools and even in our homes.

Practiced in business, the business ethics is the result of the interaction of leaders and led in its internal relations (company) and external (markets, customers).

Leaders and representatives of the company have strong influence on business ethics and they form a group which we will simply refer as COMPANY. Companies without ethics can do anything to achieve their objectives, and to obtain profit anyway is their higher goal.

A second group is formed by the employees, and as they are the less ethical, more conduct codes will be needed to conduct frequent audits and ongoing monitoring.

Companies and employees will determine the business ethics and the ways how the company interacts with market, including customers, suppliers and others. Thus we have four different situations, as follows:

- Less ethical employees and unethical companies.

In this case we have the recipe for the worst ethics be practiced. In such case each group are strongly identified with another group, and then will be installed the ideal environment for corrupt organizations be established.

- More ethical employees and less ethical companies.

We have elements in this group for the company's environment be full of injustice and frustration. However, the presence of ethical employees minimizes some ethical problems that could occur.

- Less ethical employees and most ethical companies

In organizations with this caracteristics the management and leadership of the company can achieve great frustrations. Such firms often procrastinate measures they should but hardly take, suffering consequences such as loss of efficiency, fraud, embezzlement, shady deals, etc. In many cases, companies set up complex systems of audit, implement large manuals of conduct, make a lot of seminars and act strongly on the effects, but not act on the causes that lie in their own employees.

- Most ethical employees and most ethical companies

This is ideal world and it's goal to be pursued in the best companies. However, unfortunately there are few companies that have already achieved this status. Do you know any?

Of course in each of these four groups there are different degrees. Thinking about it, I decided to put on the X axis, the ethics of business and the Y axis, the ethics of employees, thus obtaining the four quadrants of ethics, an innovative new approach to ethics practiced in business.

arilopes@folha.com
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