Developing an Ethical Code
A code of ethics (otherwise an ethical policy, code of conduct, statement of business practice or a set of business principles) can be a management tool for establishing and articulating the corporate values, responsibilities, obligations, and ethical ambitions of an organisation and the way it functions. It provides guidance to employees on how to handle situations which pose a dilemma between alternative right courses of action, or when faced with pressure to consider right and wrong.
No two codes will be the same. They must reflect the concerns of the employees of the particular organisation and the context of the relationships and business environment in which it operates.
This workshop will examine how an organisation should go about establishing an ethical code that will achieve ‘buy-in’ from all stakeholders, from the Senior Management Team to the most junior member of staff.
Aim:
To introduce delegates to a planning framework that will help them to develop an ethical code of practice for their organisation that will achieve buy-in from all levels of staff.
Objectives:
By the end of this workshop delegates will be able to:
- State the purpose of an ethical code and the implications of not having one
- List at least 6 positive benefits of having an ethical code, relating these to the real life context of their work environment
- Describe 8 key steps in developing an ethical code programme
- Identify likely pitfalls to effective implementation of an ethical code programme and describe ways to circumvent these
- Devise ways of making the code ‘stick’ within the context of their organizations
Methods:
This one day workshop will involve active discussions around ways of planning, implementing and embedding an ethical code programme in the context of their own organizations.
