the ethical manager

8/2/2019 The Ethical Manager

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The Ethical Manager

WHAT IS AN ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR:

The ethical behaviour of a manager is that behaviour which aligns with legal, moral,

societal, spiritual and human values. All actions which go against these values will be

regarded as unethical.

Ethical behavior used to be taken for granted in the business world but not anymore.Practically every week some new ethics scandal hits the headlines, further souringAmericans on the business community. That's just the way things are today,unfortunately.Our nation's newfound sensitivity toward ethical behavior will in time bring about manybeneficial changes in the business arena. But in the meantime business professionalshad better redouble their efforts to work in a responsible and ethical manner. This is justas true for middle managers as it is for top executives, entrepreneurs, and Wall Streetfinanciers.The ethics of management is tied closely to the pursuit of worker motivation, valueacquisition and learning principles. Management must serve the company. Ethicalmanagers must never serve themselves or their own personal agendas. To increaseethics in management, managers can nurture and foster their teams and workers byimproving performance through the use of learning and value acquisition tools such asseminars, tuition reimbursement for outside courses relating to work and jobperformance, and encouraging workers to gain transferable skills which will benefit theircareers. Ethical managers do not practice negative power and realize that educating aworkforce can only help meet the company's objectives and goals.

But what exactly constitutes ethical behavior for managers beyond obeying the law andfollowing corporate policy?In a nutshell, there are two good reasons for you, as a manager, to build your ethicalknow-how:

1. To protect yourself from making a decision that could get you or your company intotrouble.

2. To make yourself more marketable. A good grasp of the subject is likely to becomemore and more in demand as organisations become increasingly interested in ethics.


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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ETHICAL MANAGERLet's consider several dimensions of ethical management that are often overlooked. theethical manager:

Looks out for the interests of others, including customers, employees, and minoritymembers of our society (ethnic minorities, older workers, and the physicallyhandicapped. Values employees as people as well as workers. Respect is given to the wholeperson, including his or her family responsibilities, community involvement, andreligious beliefs. Doesn't tell people what they want to hear. The whole truth comes out even whenit hurts. Doesn't play psychological games with others, such as blame-shifting, practicingone-upmanship, or playing favorites. Values people over pragmatism, recognizing that how things are achieved is justas important as what is achieved. Focuses on the ultimate objective or mission (ends) more than rules andregulations (means). Is committed to ideals beyond self, such as honesty, fair play, and quality work.

To say the least, pursuing these ideals is no easy undertaking given the extraordinarypressures faced by supervisors in today's complex society. Profits must be maintained;federal government mandates, such as affirmative action, must be satisfied; and peopleboth above and below the supervisor must be kept happy. What's a supervisor to do in the face of all these conflicting demands? How can ethicalresponsiveness be maintained that goes beyond merely obeying the law?Pursuing these ideals is no easy undertaking, given the extraordinary pressures facedby supervisors.All managers must opt for the ethical paradigm and acquire qualities commonly

practised by good managers. The following are some of the qualities commonlypossessed by ethical managers:

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY:Honesty is still the best policy which must be practised by all good managers. Honestmanagers are those who whole heartedly commit themselves towards positive


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organisational goals, take care of the interest of employees, and provide excellentgoods and services to their customers. Honesty is a highly desirable quality. Ironically,even employers who are not themselves seek for honest people. A manager mustmaintain his/her integrity by working hard, taking care of organisational resources, andprotecting the interests of all stake holders.

PROFESSIONALISM:Closely related to honesty and integrity is a quality called professionalism. Thoughdifficult to define, it may be described as a work behaviour of a person which aligns withthe rules and regulations of the organisation and ones profession. Maintaining secrecy,loyalty to ones employer, refraining from actions which may harm the company aperson is working for etc are some of the traits of a professional person.

HUMANITY:

Treating all human beings with dignity and respect and living as a good global citizen bycontributing to the welfare of humanity and safeguarding environment falls underhumanity. A humane manager is a person who believes that one of the purpose ofhis/her life is to help others without seeking a reward in return.

SPIRITUALITY:Spirituality is ones belief in something bigger and nobler than oneself. All motivationtheories have at a greater length discussed human needs and its relations with humanmotives. However very few has been written about spiritual needs of human being. Ibelieve that the highest level of human needs is not self actualisation but attainingspiritual enrichment and satisfaction. This is at the top of the five human needs

mentioned by Abraham Maslow in his famous Needs Hierarchy motivation theory.Spirituality is a state of mind which enables us to get connected to the greatest powerthrough deeds. Spiritual deeds will include non for profits projects like philanthropicalworks etc.

The core of good management is ethics, However, sadly todays managers face adilemma of how to succeed without indulging in foul play and unfair means. Ratherblindly following the crowd good managers can carve their own and a better niche bypractising managerial ethics. If all managers become ethical, it will lead to ethicalorganisations catapulting a universal society based on good moral values and soundbusiness ethics.

FIVE GUIDING ETHICAL PRINCIPLESLet's consider five principles of ethics that have great potential for guiding supervisorybehavior along positive, productive channels:


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The mission principle. Stick to the basic mission of your organization (service,quality, value to the customer, etc.) as a day-in, day-out guide to decisionmaking.The consistency principle. Demand the same fair, objective standards from

every employee.

The constituency principle. Consider the needs and rights of as many groups aspossible in decision making.The proactive principle. Go above and beyond the minimum expectation or rulein taking action. Strive to find ways to deliver as much as you can to others overtime.The holism principle. Keep the big picture in mind at all times: the personal sideof employees in addition to the professional; the service side of business along

with the profit side; the needs of the minority as well as the majority.

With these five principles in mind, the ethically minded manager can follow a simpleacronym--WORTH--despite the hustle-bustle of the workday:Work toward the needs of others.Operate within the spirit of the law.Respect the whole person.Tell the whole truth.

Help the organization deliver maximum value to its constituents. Do you have much WORTH as a manager? If so, help to increase the WORTH of thoseyou work with. Business needs WORTHwhile supervisors today more than ever. It's allup to you.

the ethical manager

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