The Ethical Manager

WHAT IS AN ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR:

The ethical behaviour of a manager is that behaviour which aligns with legal, moral, societal, spiritual and human values. All actions which go against these values will be regarded as unethical.

Ethical behavior used to be taken for granted in the business world but not anymore. Practically every week some new ethics scandal hits the headlines, further souring Americans on the business community. That's just the way things are today, unfortunately. Our nation's newfound sensitivity toward ethical behavior will in time bring about many beneficial changes in the business arena. But in the meantime business professionals had better redouble their efforts to work in a responsible and ethical manner. This is just as true for middle managers as it is for top executives, entrepreneurs, and Wall Street financiers. The ethics of management is tied closely to the pursuit of worker motivation, value acquisition and learning principles. Management must serve the company. Ethical managers must never serve themselves or their own personal agendas. To increase ethics in management, managers can nurture and foster their teams and workers by improving performance through the use of learning and value acquisition tools such as seminars, tuition reimbursement for outside courses relating to work and job performance, and encouraging workers to gain transferable skills which will benefit their careers. Ethical managers do not practice negative power and realize that educating a workforce can only help meet the company's objectives and goals. But what exactly constitutes ethical behavior for managers beyond obeying the law and following corporate policy? In a nutshell, there are two good reasons for you, as a manager, to build your ethical know-how: 1. To protect yourself from making a decision that could get you or your company into trouble. 2. To make yourself more marketable. A good grasp of the subject is likely to become more and more in demand as organisations become increasingly interested in ethics.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ETHICAL MANAGER Let's consider several dimensions of ethical management that are often overlooked. the ethical manager: Looks out for the interests of others, including customers, employees, and minority members of our society (ethnic minorities, older workers, and the physically handicapped. Values employees as people as well as workers. Respect is given to the whole person, including his or her family responsibilities, community involvement, and religious beliefs. Doesn't tell people what they want to hear. The whole truth comes out even when it hurts. Doesn't play psychological games with others, such as blame-shifting, practicing one-upmanship, or playing favorites. Values people over pragmatism, recognizing that how things are achieved is just as important as what is achieved. Focuses on the ultimate objective or mission (ends) more than rules and regulations (means). Is committed to ideals beyond self, such as honesty, fair play, and quality work. To say the least, pursuing these ideals is no easy undertaking given the extraordinary pressures faced by supervisors in today's complex society. Profits must be maintained; federal government mandates, such as affirmative action, must be satisfied; and people both above and below the supervisor must be kept happy. What's a supervisor to do in the face of all these conflicting demands? How can ethical responsiveness be maintained that goes beyond merely obeying the law? Pursuing these ideals is no easy undertaking, given the extraordinary pressures faced by supervisors. All managers must opt for the ethical paradigm and acquire qualities commonly practised by good managers. The following are some of the qualities commonly possessed by ethical managers:

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY: Honesty is still the best policy which must be practised by all good managers. Honest managers are those who whole heartedly commit themselves towards positive

organisational goals, take care of the interest of employees, and provide excellent goods and services to their customers. Honesty is a highly desirable quality. Ironically, even employers who are not themselves seek for honest people. A manager must maintain his/her integrity by working hard, taking care of organisational resources, and protecting the interests of all stake holders.

PROFESSIONALISM: Closely related to honesty and integrity is a quality called professionalism. Though difficult to define, it may be described as a work behaviour of a person which aligns with the rules and regulations of the organisation and ones profession. Maintaining secrecy, loyalty to ones employer, refraining from actions which may harm the company a person is working for etc are some of the traits of a professional person.

HUMANITY: Treating all human beings with dignity and respect and living as a good global citizen by contributing to the welfare of humanity and safeguarding environment falls under humanity. A humane manager is a person who believes that one of the purpose of his/her life is to help others without seeking a reward in return. SPIRITUALITY: Spirituality is ones belief in something bigger and nobler than oneself. All motivation theories have at a greater length discussed human needs and its relations with human motives. However very few has been written about spiritual needs of human being. I believe that the highest level of human needs is not self actualisation but attaining spiritual enrichment and satisfaction. This is at the top of the five human needs mentioned by Abraham Maslow in his famous Needs Hierarchy motivation theory. Spirituality is a state of mind which enables us to get connected to the greatest power through deeds. Spiritual deeds will include non for profits projects like philanthropical works etc. The core of good management is ethics, However, sadly todays managers face a dilemma of how to succeed without indulging in foul play and unfair means. Rather blindly following the crowd good managers can carve their own and a better niche by practising managerial ethics. If all managers become ethical, it will lead to ethical organisations catapulting a universal society based on good moral values and sound business ethics. FIVE GUIDING ETHICAL PRINCIPLES Let's consider five principles of ethics that have great potential for guiding supervisory behavior along positive, productive channels:

The mission principle. Stick to the basic mission of your organization (service, quality, value to the customer, etc.) as a day-in, day-out guide to decision making. The consistency principle. Demand the same fair, objective standards from every employee. The constituency principle. Consider the needs and rights of as many groups as possible in decision making. The proactive principle. Go above and beyond the minimum expectation or rule in taking action. Strive to find ways to deliver as much as you can to others over time. The holism principle. Keep the big picture in mind at all times: the personal side of employees in addition to the professional; the service side of business along with the profit side; the needs of the minority as well as the majority. With these five principles in mind, the ethically minded manager can follow a simple acronym--WORTH--despite the hustle-bustle of the workday: Work toward the needs of others. Operate within the spirit of the law. Respect the whole person. Tell the whole truth. Help the organization deliver maximum value to its constituents. Do you have much WORTH as a manager? If so, help to increase the WORTH of those you work with. Business needs WORTHwhile supervisors today more than ever. It's all up to you.