I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me: “doesn’t the situation determine the ethics?
I was stunned! So here’s a definition that I found on situational ethics.
Situational ethics = a system of ethics in which moral judgments are thought to depend on the context in which they are to be made, rather than on general moral principles.
Do moral/ethical judgments depend on the context? I choose to believe that that each situation does not dictate the ethics, but rather gives one the opportunity to find a way to make values relevant in that situation.
It’s like every great teacher in history. You name them, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Jesus, Buddha, etc. They didn’t dilute the values/morals/ ethics of their message, rather they found ways to make them applicable in the hearers’ experience.
Isn’t this what ethics and ethics training is all about? Not find ways to “tweek” them to make them fit a certain situation. Isn’t this what is referred to as rationalization? Isn’t this self-justification?
We need to be very careful here, on a number of levels. For example, what does your ethics training promote, subjective or objective ethics? Subjective/situational ethics is a powder keg that could blow up in your face.
Which does your ethics training promote, whether consciously or subconsciously?
fbucaro
Like you, business ethics and ethical leadership expert, Frank Bucaro has seen the challenges and problems of corporate leadership, particularly over the past few years in regards to poor decision-making, SEC violations, and record breaking financial settlements in a number of different industries.
With over two decades of executive training, speaking, writing and with real life experiences, his view and approach to ethics in the workplace is uniquely different. He emphasizes that ethics is a moment-to-moment choice and has little to do with position, titles, personalities or education. Ethics is everybody’s responsibility from the top down.
His goal is to help organizations to:
a. Strengthen their ethics training initiatives in order to significantly decrease the odds of an ethical/compliance violation.
b. Energize, train and motivate employees to understand the value of consistent “high road” behavior as a business advantage.
c. Support individuals and thereby the organization by contributing to its success by quality, ongoing values based leadership development.
Frank is known for his very practical, slightly irreverent, yet somewhat humorous approach to ethics and leadership development. His conversational style and real life stories connect with his audience in a personal, intense and practical level.
Companies such as Bayer Healthcare, BP, ReMax International, EnMax Energy, Danone, etc. have partnered with Frank when they want to proactively stress the message, tools, insights and practical applications that good ethics IS good for business!
