Abstract
Demonstrating personal and professional conduct that is deemed ethical is important for every individual, regardless of experience, knowledge, or position of power. This chapter establishes a definition of ethics and distinguishes between ethics and morals. Different ethical approaches and viewpoints are discussed and tailored to professional environments. This chapter also examines ethical leadership and discusses its different application to the modern workplace. The chapter concludes by exploring the relationship between ethics and cultural differences and assesses the differences between effective cross-cultural adaptation and cultural appropriation.
TopIntroduction
Famed author Mark Twain (1940) wrote: “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare.” If you consistently read news headlines about the actions of large companies in recent years, you might be inclined to agree with Twain’s sentiment. From the Facebook “Cambridge Analytica” saga to the Theranos scandal with Elizabeth Holmes, few topics get more comprehensive coverage than ethical transgressions by well-known figures and large corporations. However, despite the fierce media attention these cases garner, the most common ethical issues employees face in the workplace happen on a smaller, more granular level. The Global Business Ethics Survey (2021) conducted by the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) found that 49% of U.S. employees have witnessed misconduct that violated their organization’s ethical standards. Also, according to the survey, even though the rates of reporting misconduct have risen to an all-time high of 86%, retaliation rates have also increased, with 79% of U.S. employees reporting retaliation.
Instilling a culture of support for ethical behavior is an increasingly important part of the 21st-century workplace. Recent research indicates that companies across different industries are increasing both mandatory and voluntary training in the field of ethics and compliance for executives and employees (Hauser, 2020). The growing prevalence of ethics compliance training programs also comes at a time when ethnic diversity is transforming the American workforce. From 1979 to 2019, the share of U.S. workers who are nonwhite, Latino or both increased from 23% to 40% (Wingfield, 2022). The impact of this demographic shift goes far beyond the ethnic make-up of an organization, it is also transforming the type of climate employees want to work in. In a study of over 1,000 U.S. workers aged 21-34, researchers found that the use of culturally respectful communication and engagement by company leaders was the most significant correlating factor with job satisfaction (LaGree, et al., 2021). This body of evidence indicates that for organizations to continue to attract and keep the best employees, leaders must prioritize an updated and culturally responsive view of ethical conduct in the workplace.
The increasing spotlight on ethics in diversifying workplace environments necessitates that future generations of leaders and professionals be well-versed in examples, theories, and concepts related to ethics in professional environments. This takes on greater importance as a greater variety of cultural values are infused into what were once more demographically homogenous workplaces. This chapter will define and explain what “ethics” are, examine the historical development of the term, and evaluate different approaches and viewpoints. The objectives of the chapter are:
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Understand the differences between ethics and morals.
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Explain different views that seek to define what is ethical and unethical.
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Examine how an assortment of ethical approaches affect workplace communication.
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Understand the connection between ethics and cultural values.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Deontology: An approach to ethics which posits that the outcome of a belief, action, or norm is used to determine whether it is ethical, not the nature of the action itself.
Ethical Leadership: A theory of leadership that prioritizes clear guidelines for acceptable behavior, model ideal behaviors to set a visible example for others, use ethical behaviors in the assessment of employee performance, and criticize or punish unethical behavior.
John Rawls’ Original Position: A concept that argues ethical and just actions are produced from a fair and impartial point of view where all individuals exist in a free and equal state and act behind a “veil of ignorance” to ensure self-interest – or the interests of certain parties – is eliminated from consideration.
Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative: A three-part maxim which holds that individuals ought to be guided by a specific set of principles when taking part in an action.
Cultural Appropriation: The use of a culture’s symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies by members of another culture.
Consequentialism: An approach to ethics which asserts that the outcome of a belief, action, or norm is used to determine whether it is ethical, not the nature of the action itself.
Virtue Ethics: An approach to ethics that emphasizes moral character as the primary determination for ethical actions or behaviors.
Ethics: Concerned with what we ought to do, how we ought to live, and how we ought to organize our communities
Cross-Cultural Adaptation: The process of change over time that takes place within individuals who have completed their primary socialization process in one culture and then come into continuous, prolonged first-hand contact with a new and unfamiliar culture.