The role of ethics to management and

managers
Organizations and professions promote standards for governing the employer and
employees, and the standards include a code of conduct in order to guide the behavior of its
members.  Forming the code, different ethical beliefs exist between or among individuals
and are caused as a result of the values, practices, and policies.  According to BUS 5115
learning guide, ethics referred to any standards which help in the day to day conduct(s) of
employees, employers, and people connected to the organization. 

Organizations place a considerable amount of trust in their management and managers

because they have a responsibility in applying and upholding standard ethical behavior, so
one of the manager’s primary responsibilities is to behave in an appropriate manner to
subordinates.  In order to do that, managers are to have full knowledge of the organization’s
codes of conduct (Universal Class, n.d.).

Does management, in my view, help

shape the values and ethics of an
organization?
Yes, in my view, management helps shape the values and ethics of an organization. 
Managers who consistently apply a company's 'Code of Conduct' or a similar program, along
with other known and documented expectations of behavior, provide a foundation of moral
conduct and trust in their relationships with stakeholders.  The managers' roles and
responsibilities can be clearly spelled out in the Code of Conduct.  For instance, ethically
unsound practices are not acceptable by the organization and a violation of any of the Code
of Conduct may lead to penalties.  As such, anyone who either conducts or witnesses such
an act has a responsibility to report it through the appropriate channels, and that usually the
upper management.

What about an organization’s sustainability efforts and commitment?

Human actions can deplete natural resources, and without the application of environmental
sustainability methods, long-term viability can be compromised (Gillaspy, n.d.).  Therefore,
one of the main focuses of today’s organization is to practice environmental sustainability
because environmental sustainability helps organizations meet their present needs without
destroying the future needs.  

Companies that practice sustainability helps in preserving the natural environment.  It is not
only important for an organization to conserve natural resources in order for it to meet its
future needs, but it is also the duty of an organization to conserve natural resources as part
of its Corporate Social Responsibility.  Many companies now even report on their Triple
Bottom Line i.e. the social, environmental, and financial, so it is clear that sustainability goes
beyond environmental protection.   
On whom does the responsibility to
consider sustainability fall?
The life we live in must help in maintaining and protecting our natural resources like air,
forest, minerals, soil, water, wetlands, etc (Ethics Unwrapped, n.d.).  As humans, we are to
ensure that we preserve the environment in order to meet our future needs.  Each of us has
a moral obligation to preserve our natural resources, so it is not just the duty of an
organization to protect the environment.  Organizations whose activities can depict the
natural resources must ensure they put measures in place to practices environment
reclamation.

Is employee behavior, ethical or not, a by-product of the organization's ethical climate?

Organizations and professions often set Code of Conducts which should help in guiding the
behavior of members in the profession or organization.  For instance, medical doctors are
charged with the responsibility of saving lives and engineers are to ensure that safety,
health, and the welfare of people is key in their professional duties. 

In my opinion, it is not always true that an employee's ethical behavior is a by-product of the
ethical climate because, for instance, there are some medical doctors who will work above
and beyond on the contrary of their code of the organization.  On the other hand, there are
engineers who can construct standard roads, bridges, and buildings that can serve as death
traps to people if maximizing profit is the main objective. 

What ideally is the manager's role in helping to create and maintain organizational integrity?

Managers are expected to acknowledge their role in shaping organizational ethics and seize
this opportunity to create a climate that can strengthen the relationships and reputations on
which their companies’ success depends (Paine,1994).  Managers should be role models for
maintaining integrity.  The managers must ensure that executives adhere to organizational
integrity in performing their duties.  Executives who ignore ethics run the risk of personal and
corporate liability in today’s increasingly tough legal environment.

Using your professional experience as a backdrop, provide examples of managers who have
demonstrated ethical behavior (or not) and discuss how this affected the organization, the
employees, etc

Workplace ethics refers to the set of values, moral values, moral principles, and standards
that employers and employees are required to follow in a workplace (Formplus Blog, 2020)). 
It involves a set of rules and regulations that need to be followed by all staff of the
workplace.  Examples of manager’s ethical behaviors in the workplace include: obeying the
company's rules, effective communication with subordinates, taking responsibility,
accountability, professionalism, trust, and mutual respect for your colleagues at work. These
ethical behaviors of managers will ensure maximum productivity output at work.

There are consequences.  For example, organizations I co-founded are built purposefully
specifically to do one thing, not another.  Team members who are part of the organizations
chose to be there because they are missions aligned.  It is unethical for members of the
team to have a conflict of interest and hiding it from others, and also, it’s not professional to
not perform assigned tasks.  Neglecting to tell others about conflicting dealings or
performance reduction where others have to pick up slacks creates a non-conducive
environment where trust is lacking.  As consequences, internal untrustworthy environments
extend beyond the organization and reflect the organizations’ professionalism and ethics.
References
Ethics Unwrapped (n.d.). Ethics Defined: Sustainability. Retrieved from
https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/sustainability

Formplus Blog (June 23, 2020). 23 Ethical & Unethical Behavior Examples in Workplace.
Retrieved from https://www.formpl.us/blog/workplace-ethics

Gillaspy, R. (n.d.). Environmental Sustainability: Definition and Application. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/environmental-sustainability-definition-and-
application.html

Lynn S. Pain, L. S. (March, 1994). Managing for Organizational Integrity. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/1994/03/managing-for-organizational-integrity

Universal Class (n.d.). Your Legal and Ethical Responsibilities as a Manager in Workplace.
Retrieved from https://www.universalclass.com/articles/business/your-legal-and-ethical-
responsibilities-as-a-manager.htm