Promoting an Ethical and Socially Responsible Organization

    Promoting an ethical and socially responsible organization

                                             Christopher Fletcher 102449

                                             Columbia Southern University

                                                        August 2015

Purpose

     The concept of this research paper will describe what it is that leaders can implement within an organization to promote an ethical and socially responsible organization while explaining the link between business ethics and organizational performances.  In addition, it will explain why leaders should or should not invest in the time necessary to motivate employees.

Introduction

     Most organization’s ethical posture are based on the type of leaders that are within the company, their values, belief, and principles are among some of the main qualities that help guide the organization in the right direction.  “Usually, an organization’s ethics are only as good as its leaders’. To create an organizational culture that promotes ethical conduct and personal responsibility, leaders need to serve as role models for others” (Porter, MBA (2014, Jan 16) Take It From the Top: How Leaders Foster an Ethical Culture (or Not).  The leadership’s view on ethics are then reinforced by the supervisors, they relay the importance of ethics to the employees.

Ethics within an organization also starts with the type of people that the leaders hire, because ethics are based on one’s values, beliefs, and the type of environment that each individual was raised in “Character evaluation should be a part of the hiring, retention, and promotion practices” (Bannon, Ford, and Meltzer, How to Instill a strong ethical culture, 2010).   Because leader tend to differ, each one bring along their own concepts of what is right and what is wrong based on how they perceive the situation.  All decisions that are made, for better or worse is pretty much a trial and error where the leader is taking a chance hoping for the best outcome. These decisions become more complicated when the pressures of the business world. These pressures affect every level within the organization surrounding us from all angles. (I.e. productivity, competition, and bosses) at times the decisions a leader make become conflicting with their values and beliefs because of many of those pressures. This sometimes make the leader second guess his or herself, questioning their social responsibility?  Whether or not the decision he or she made was ethical one.

Because of enforced government regulations and past company scandals, companies have made changes in how they operate ethically. Proper business ethics within a company will define the culture of the company and provide structure and values i.e. loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honesty, integrity, and personal courage (LDRSHIP) the Army values, as well as decision making. The company’s view point in regards to how employees adhere to the rules that govern the organizations ethics policy will help drive the business “Employees gain a sense of “how we do things around here,” which is then integrated into daily activities” (Bannon 2010).  The world of business have learned from the mistakes of companies in the past, therefore a many companies have designed training geared towards values, as well as programs that help develop employees  knowledge of their organization’s ethical understanding that will allow appropriate decision even making when faced with challenges.

Training is always good for leaders to instill where the organization stands on ethical policies and procedures.  Internal Surveys and development programs can be put in places to ensure the awareness piece is present within the company.  This will assist in setting the presence for the organizations culture, which will in turn build trust amongst the customers “The organizational theory of corporate social responsibility revolves around the discretionary, ethical, legal and economic expectations placed on businesses by society, according to the Reference For Business website. Ethics, in this case, pertains to the perceived duty of businesses to adhere faithfully to all federal and state laws and avoid activity that undermines the welfare of investors, consumers and employees in the pursuit of profit” (Lister, 2015), How Organization Theory of Ethical and Social Responsibility Affects the Workplace.