Why your Organization may need an Ethics Consultant.
“I believe that every large institution, whether it’s company, a government or a university needs to have a conscience. The conscience won’t have the answer to every question, but the conscience is a voice that needs to be heard.” Brad Smith of Microsoft.
Why is it, that the concept of conscience is rarely referenced or emphasized?
Thomas Aquinas defined conscience as an act of determining that which I ought to do or not to do or that I was right or wrong in performing that action.
Aquinas also stated there are two obligations in forming conscience.
1. Must be objectively educated.
2. Well informed.
Aquinas presumes three key concepts are integral in his definition:
1. Analyzing in advance of what one ought to do. This can only happen if one knows and has internalized in advance what one’s values, morals and ethics are, or what I call one’s “line in the sand.”
2. Taking the time, energy and effort to seriously reflect and evaluate the consequences of one’s decision were worth it and if not, what to do in the future to avoid the same mistake.
3. Nowhere is it implied that one should try to avoid paying the price for the decision.
Therefore, what role should conscience play in resolving compliance/ethical issues?
Conscience development needs to be a non negotiable component activity of any ethics training initiative, any leadership development training for building and maintaining a corporate environment of trust.
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