It's not often I get asked about the bearing that organisation design has on the ethical operation of an organisation. But it's a topic I'm now thinking about. I took a look at the Institute of Business Ethics Briefing on Ethical Concerns and Lapses 2014. 478 were reported during the year, and I'm guessing there were others that went unreported. (There's also a short webcast on it ).
It's interesting that the IBE defines business ethics as 'the values, principles and standards that govern how an organisation conducts its business'. This definition seems to be focused towards a moral obligation for individuals to behave in a 'good' way within certain parameters. It seems to focus on the individual, for example, requiring him or her to sign a 'Code' or subscribe to given values. But where 'concerns or lapses' (what a delightful phrase to hide things behind) occur it is often because of one or more of three things. The organisation design and infrastructure:
- is non-supportive of an individual choosing to be ethical
- is not picking up when breaches occur
- is preventing the right thing happening