Arcilla, Khenn Joshua C.

MAR 203

Synthesis: Building an Organizational Ethics Culture

Building an organizational ethics culture requires deliberate efforts to cultivate shared
aspirations, attitudes, and values over time. An ethical disposition is developed over time, and
ethics is about engraving good habits of character. Virtue ethics emphasizes the sort of people
that we should strive to be, and if we focus on character building, a person will be consistently
honest. Creating an enabling culture involves deliberate interventions in the creation of ethical
individuals, whereas a normative ethics approach would focus on punitive action. 
  
There are two types of corporate cultures: compliance-based cultures and values-based
cultures. Compliance-based cultures emphasize obedience to the rules, and they empower legal
and audit offices to mandate and monitor compliance with the law and with internal codes. On
the other hand, values-based cultures reinforce a particular set of values rather than a particular
set of rules. These companies may have codes of conduct, but they are usually based on a set of
values, and it is assumed that the codes just provide examples of how the values are to be
applied. 
  
Leaders play a significant role in building an ethical culture. They must create a culture
according to an organization's vision of what it wants to be, and they must make available
"actualizing forces," such as teachers who give regular quizzes to develop study habits,
discipline, and supervisors who give clear and detailed feedback to improve performance.
Leaders should set the tone and make certain kinds of decisions for the organizations, and they
should put structures in place that will create a way of doing things modeling is never enough;
policies and administrative structures change behavior systematically and in the long term. 
  
To build an ethics culture, it is necessary to understand the vision, conduct an ethics
audit, enlist key leaders, create a code of ethics, provide initial and continuing ethics training,
engage in regular communications, enforce and take action, make and activate punitive
measures, allow for anonymous reporting, and provide rewards for ethical behavior. Building a
culture is about modeling, setting policies, administrative interventions, and ways of teaching. 
  
In conclusion, building an organizational ethics culture requires deliberate and sustained
efforts over time. It is necessary to focus on character building, establish values-based cultures,
put structures in place that will create a way of doing things, and engage leaders in the process.
By taking these steps, organizations can develop an ethical culture that promotes integrity,
honesty, and responsible conduct.