Spot Ethics Problems Before They Happen

BEH co-editor Chris MacDonald was recently interviewed by the International Association of Business Communicators about the relationship between ethics and corporate communications, in particular with regard to avoiding but then when necessary dealing with ethical lapses. Here’s a snipped. The full PDF is downloadable (free, ungated) at the link below.

…A key risk factor is when an organization tacitly accepts or even encourages rationalizations. People often rationalize their behavior when they bend or break rules, and there’s a lot of research showing that the ability to rationalize—to tell yourself a little story that makes you feel better, that gives your conscience an excuse—is actually at the root of a lot of unethical behavior. So if the organization tolerates people saying things like, “Oh, everybody does that” or “no one really gets hurt” or “it’s no big deal if it’s just this once,” they’re opening themselves up for trouble. Some organizations seem to let rationalizations run rampant, and it’s a huge risk…

To download the full PDF, click here: How to Spot Ethics Problems Before They Happen*

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*Note: this short interview is reproduced here with the kind permission of Communication World Magazine.