Ethics should not be about getting someone to adhere to or even articulate a particular code of conduct. Codes of conduct are simplified statements of ideals. Rarely are they able to sort out a true ethical dilemma which, by definition, requires one to violate one ideal in order to satisfy another.
Ethics is best "taught" as a form of complex critical thought. Ethical theories, principles and methods are tools for critical thinking just as the concepts of systems theory are tools for systems thinking. Formal ethics is a set of lenses, such as one might buy for a high end camera, inviting the viewer to see the same scene from different vantage points and perspectives. Good ethical thinkers are, just like any good critical thinker, able to ask good questions, reframe issues from multiple perspectives, apply a disciplined approach to problem analysis, and distinguish more refined solutions from less refined solutions. The more complex an issue, the more important it is not to fall back on oversimplified statements of ethical duty or simplisitic definitions of "right" and "wrong". Organizations need people at all levels who exhibit moral sensitivity and discernment, as well as the courage, confidence and integrity to act on their reflections. The basic skills of conflict resolution are also part and parcel of ethical dialogue and discernment.
I do agree that one cannot force ethical behavior; however, having taught courses in professional and applied ethics for 15 years, I find that people in organizations generally see themselves as ethical and want their organization to be ethically grounded as well. Few of us get out of bed in the morning and think to ourselves, "how can I be unethical today, create a bit more harm in the world, or lie, cheat and steal for personal gain or entertainment?" Some yes, most no. Yet, those of us who teach know only too well the abysmal job we are doing in K-12 teaching kids to think critically and well. Neuroscience is beginning to reveal the neural pathways of effective and ineffective moral thought - it is a neural skill set that can be enhanced, at least to a point, through practice - particularly in the early stages of development.
Moral principles underlie everything we do and the decisions we make. They enable human beings to live in community by serving as a basic framework for how persons are treated within the society, law, distribution of goods, civic responsibility, civil dialogue... Moral concepts are implicit in our values. How much autonomy or liberty is any one individual entitled? To whom must we be loyal? To what extent am I obligated to tell the truth? How do we define what is just or fair in a situation? How does one calculate the greater good? Will an action create more harm than benefit? What is the line between a right and a privilege? What do we owe the next generation? Where must a society limit an individual's self-interest in the interest of a common good that is sustainable and allows all participants an opportunity to contribute and to thrive?
Ethics is not a set of rules and codes but a set of questions that inform a way of life driven by sensitivity to the impact of one's decisions, a sense of personal responsibility for self and others, and the ability to think coherently and work collaboratively to address complex issues -- all of which have moral dimensions at their core. No inservice on the corporate code of conduct is going to do that. However, cultivating a morally competent character and culture within an organization is a reasonable place to start, which basically means not teaching people what to think, but how to think and in a way that encourages them to act consistent with their own good thought.
I don't particularly like the term training applied to ethics, but then I don't consider what I do teaching ethics per say either. I teach critical thought using ethics as the foundation and there is a knowledge base and skill set that I suppose you could say is trainable.
Deb Bennett-Woods, EdD, FACHE
Chair & Professor, Department of Health Care Ethics
Director, Center for Ethics and Leadership in the Health Professions
Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions
Regis University
3333 Regis Boulevard, Mail Code G-5
Denver, CO 80221-1099
Office: 303-458-4271
Jack Ring asks if ethics can be trained.
I think the answer depends on how you define "ethics." If all you mean by the term is conceptual mastery (i.e., the ability to articulate the behavioral code or standards that define the term and to correctly identify examples and non-examples of adherence to that code) then my answer is "Sure. That's easily and demonstrably accomplished."
However, if you mean that people can be taught to adhere to a particular code of behavior, then my answer is "No." The best you can hope for is that they can tell the difference between what is and what isn't "ethical" in terms of the prescribed code. Whether they do or don't adhere to that code is an entirely different matter.
People are "living control systems" (to use William T. Powers' term). They behave in ways that serve to keep their perceptions of targeted variables of their world aligned with the standards they hold for those variables (and that includes their own behavior). If their standards for their own behavior are aligned with this or that ethical code, then, for the most part, they will behave ethically. I say "for the most part" because the standards we hold for those variables we seek to control, including our own behavior, can come in conflict with one another. To illustrate: I might consider it "ethical" to not deceive my boss. I might also consider it "ethical" to always act in the best interests of my employer (not necessarily the same as my boss). I can easily envision – indeed, I have experienced – situations in which acting in the best interests of my employer entails deceiving or at least not informing my boss.
What I'm getting at is that there is a hierarchy of importance or value in any code of conduct – whether it's ethics or something else. Those hierarchies can and will vary from individual to individual, not just in terms of relative importance but also in terms of what is and isn't included.
So, in the end, you can and you can't "train ethics." What you can do is explore that issue and facilitate deeper personal understanding as well as the complexity of the issue. But, in the last analysis, we do or don't behave "ethically" as we each see fit and as the circumstances warrant. At least that's what I believe.
Regards,
Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC
1558 Coshocton Ave – Suite 303
Mount Vernon, OH 43050
www.nickols.us | fred@nickols.us
"Assistance at a Distance"
Are you sure ethics can be trained?
On Sep 25, 2011, at 1:20 PM, Leslie E. Sekerka wrote:
Invitation to Contribute: Ethics Training in Action
We are seeking scholars and practitioners from a variety of disciplines to explore the topic of ethics training in organizations. Selected contributions will be positioned as chapters in a book entitled Ethics Training in Action: Methods and Implications for Management. This edited volume will provide a cohesive perspective on organizational ethics training for researchers and teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is an academic book that focuses directly on the practical implications of ethics training (e.g., return on investment). We welcome theory, empirical research, and practitioner perspectives (no case studies please). This work is a part of the Ethics in Practice series by Information Age Publishing (IAP) (http://www.infoagepub.com/series/Ethics-in-Practice). Interested authors should submit a one paragraph topic proposal and their CV to Dr. Leslie E. Sekerka, Editor, at lesekerk@gmail.com by November 1, 2011. Feel free to email any inquiries or requests for additional information, and please excuse cross-postings.
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Leslie E. Sekerka, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Organizational Behavior
Director, Ethics in Action Research and Education Center
Menlo College, Atherton, CA - USA
Please visit our website at: http://www.sekerkaethicsinaction.com/