Association Management

September, 1997, pgs 29-36

Why Ethics ?

1. WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE DO BAD THINGS ?

• To meet goals or deadlines.

• Because of lack of organizational loyalty.

• Because of how "success" is measured.

• Because of specific incentives.

• They feel entitled.

• They believe that rules don’t apply to them.

• They believe that the act is not illegal or unethical.

• They believe that the activity is in the organization’s best interest.

• Peer pressure.

• A lack of resources.

• Because "the cause is just".

• Fear.

2. WHAT ARE YOUR ORGANIZATION’S VALUES ?

• Does your organization have clearly articulated vision and
  mission statements?

• Have you also articulated your organization’s values ?

• If you asked your staff, donors, members, suppliers, and other
  stakeholders what your organization stands for, what would they say ?

3. HAVE YOU ADEQUATELY ARTICULATED YOUR VALUES
INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY ?

• Do you have a written ethics code / credo ?

• Have staff and other stakeholders had an opportunity to provide
  input into the code / credo ?

• Is ethics a factor in hiring, promotion, and termination decisions ?

• Is ethics a component of regular training ?

• Do you regularly articulate your organization’s values through
  communication channels ?

• Do stakeholders’ values significantly differ from those of your organization ?

• Is there a large gap between your organization’s existing values and
  those to which you aspire ?

• Is there a difference between management and staff values ?

4. DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE WRITTEN ETHICS POLICIES,
PROCEDURES, OR STRUCTURES ?

• Do you have written policies that further reinforce your organization’s
  ethical values ?

• Do you have procedures in place that employees can follow when
  asking an ethics question or reporting an ethics concern ?

• Do you have an ethics management and reporting structure ?

5. TO WHOM IS YOUR ORGANIZATION ACCOUNTABLE ?

• Who are your stakeholders ?

• To whom does your organization owe specific obligations ?

• Who can hold your organization accountable ?

6. WHAT IS SUCCESS ?

• How is success defined within your organization ?

• What do stake holders, employees, board members, and donors
  perceive as success ?

• How do you measure success ?

• What incentives do you have in place ?

• What effect do such incentives have ?

7. IS ETHICS A LEADERSHIP ISSUE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION ?

• Does your organization’s leadership regularly communicate the
  importance of ethics to fulfill your mission ?

• How does your organization’s leadership walk its talk ?

• Does your leadership make ethics a priority issue when it is
  appropriate to do so ?