0:06Skip to 0 minutes and 6 secondsOK so welcome everybody to week one of the course.

My name's Maria
Coulter and I'm going to be the course leader for the course over the next five weeks. I just wanted to give you
a bit of background about myself first of all. I'm a chartered quantity surveyor project manager and risk
manager and I worked in the industry for over 20 years before transferring over to the training and
development side of things so I do know and understand the challenges that you face on a day to day basis in
the industry. So what about ethics? So ethics and being ethical are something that's talked about universally but
what does it mean and why does it actually matter?
0:48Skip to 0 minutes and 48 secondsSo over the next five weeks we're going to be breaking this down so
that you understand what it is to be ethical in our industry and it isn't just about being legal and the following
of codes and procedures that we have to adhere to but it's also about our everyday behaviour and that's
something really important that we want to get across. So as I said I've been in the industry for over 20 years
and I've experienced unethical behaviour but I didn't actually realise that it was unethical at the time. which is
part of the challenge that we have.
1:21Skip to 1 minute and 21 secondsSo in this course we're going to be starting with understanding
ourselves, first of all and what drives our behaviour and that includes our values. We'll also be having to look
at what we need to do from a legal perspective and the codes and procedures that we have to follow as
professions in the industry as well. We're going to have case studies and we're going to have good examples
but there will also be bad examples and there will be ethical dilemmas for you to work through as well. I think
it's important to remember that it's not just black and white ethics is very much shades of gray as well.
1:57Skip to 1 minute and 57 secondsThis course really matters to me because it goes deeper than just the
basic principles of ethics. It looks at the importance of understanding ourselves first and what drives our
behaviour so I'm really excited to be the course leader and I'll look forward to interacting with you over the
next five weeks. We've got some really good people involved in the course and we've got some some great
interviews coming up as well.
You’ll discover the difference between being legal, compliant, and ethical.
Learn practical strategies for handling ethical dilemmas, putting them into
practice and reflecting on your choices. Gain insight on the contents of
ethical policies and procedures. There will be ‘good’ and ‘bad’ case studies
showing positive and negative ethical behaviour in the construction industry.
You will also discover how the industry’s boom and bust nature impacts on
ethical behaviours and practices. Finally exploring what more could be done
by individuals and organisations, and the behaviours you will stop, start and
continue as a result of doing this course.

What does ethics mean to you?

Before the formal learning begins, take a moment to consider the
question:

What does ethics mean to you?

Post a response and discuss your opinions with others in the discussion area
below. Remember, you can follow and like comments posted by educators,
contributors and fellow learners to help you keep track of the conversations
that interest you most. You should find three people on the course who have
put interesting comments down and follow them. You can post and also reply
to others posts.

We’ll then go on to look at some formal definitions of ethics for comparison.

Week 1 aims

This week you’ll be introduced to some formal definitions of ethics,

typical compliance areas this relates to in the construction industry, &
discover where your own personal ethics come from.

You will cover:

1. Definition of ethics & compliance areas

 2. What drives your moral compass
3. The reasons why we make the ethical decisions we do

By the end of this week you should be able to:

1. Define what ethics are

2. Understand the drivers of ethical behavior
3. Begin to uncover what drives your own decision making

Defining ethics - being ethical is a piece of cake

Cwshtje: Is being ethical a piece of cake?

For those who don’t have English as a first language, the phrase ‘a piece of
cake’ refers to something being easy to do. In other words, is being ethical an
easy thing to do?

According to Paul Nash, President of CIOB, to be a professional in

construction and the built environment is to be ethical. When it comes to
explaining what ethics are however, people use different words and themes.
Just like in the cake, there are many different layers inside this topic.

“When we talk about ethics it’s a bit like talking about love. We all have a
good idea what we are talking about but perhaps have trouble articulating
exactly what it means for us” (Bibb, 2008)

Why can ethics seem to be personal, and differ between people?

In the Oxford Dictionary Ethics is defined as: “Moral principles that govern a
person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity”.

Within this statement it implies that someone is deciding what’s moral. When
this definition is broken down it becomes clear that behaviour is the key to
being ethical.
 1. Morals - are the principles of right / wrong behaviour
2. Principles - are beliefs governing our behaviour
3. Behaviour – the act or conduct of a person

Therefore the question must be asked, what influences a person’s behaviour?

Behaviours are affected by many layers of influence. It may be obvious from
the picture that it’s a rainbow cake above, but you wouldn’t know this until
you sliced into it that there are many layers inside. It’s the same with ethics,
and the following layers are what influence behaviour and drive your moral
compass:

1. Childhood upbringing
2. Beliefs including religious beliefs
3. Culture
4. Values
5. Later life experiences
6. Discussion with others

A sense of what is right and wrong is learned from parents or carers. Beliefs
are rules held to be true, again influenced by parents, carers or a person of
influence such as a teacher. A single situation can be believed to be good or
bad, positive or negative by different people. For example, a person may
believe life is unfair or hard based on what they’ve been told or experienced.
Another may believe that everyone is equal and should be treated the same.
Such beliefs influence ethical behaviour.

Religion can impact significantly on beliefs and ethical behaviour. If you are
religious, you may have a set of instilled beliefs governing your behaviour.

Culture is a set of learned beliefs, traditions and guides for behaviour, shared
among members of a group or society. Where you are from will impact your
behaviour and decisions. As does the culture of where you work, which can
also conflict with personal core beliefs.
Values are the things a person believes to be important in the way they live or
work. For example some are more affected by fairness, honesty, stability,
freedom, relationships than others. Values motivate your behaviour. What
you observe and your personal beliefs will generate emotion & thought. This
in turn influences what you do next, your decisions, your statements, your
actions.

Later life experiences also impact on your ethics, particularly if you are faced
with ethical dilemmas, as learning is gained from experience. Beliefs and
values change with reflection on experience, and values can change with
progress through life, such as when children are born.

Discussion with others is a form of reflection which encourages development

of understanding and sense of what is right and what is wrong. As
professionals on this course, you are participating in a discussion which will
play an influence on your ethical decision making. How much that influences
is personal.

For each individual, the layers of the cake vary; the first four are core to us all
in some shape or form. The last two you may never have experienced or
discussed before.

In the following weeks of this course, you will take steps to understand your
personal values, your organisations, and values in the professional context. A
professional operates in a world of people with whom they work, colleagues
and other specialists, people whom they serve, such as clients and the public.
All of these layers put together drive your moral compass and ethical choices,
and can be summed up as a blend of:

1. Your personal moral compass, or who you are when no one is looking
(covered in week 2 & 3)
2. Obeying laws, rules and codes of conduct (covered in weeks 3 & 4)
3. Following social norms (week 3 & 4)
This is where the dilemmas can sometimes occur if a person is in a position
where they are going against their moral compass but obeying laws, rules,
codes of conduct or following social norms.

Let's talk about ethics

How often is ethics discussed in your work or studies?

The previous article highlights that having conversations about ethics,
reflection on experience, and knowledge of personal and professional
values can play a significant role in influencing the behaviour of people
and the industry.

Discuss below, how easy / difficult did you find the question what does ethics
mean to you in the previous step and when did you last have a conversation
about ethics?

Add your thoughts to the discussion below and respond to at least one other
comment to generate debate. You can also like comments you find interesting
or that resonate with you.

Tools to support constructors with ethics

CIOB has been developing tools for industry in order to raise awareness
of ethical issues, and help industry manage risks. In business, ethical
issues falls into two categories: personal and professional ethics. Most of
the theories focus on the ethics of an individual, yet in business there is a
collective responsibility with the company being the ‘individual’.
Increasingly, businesses are expected to behave in a responsible manner
beyond just their regulatory and commercial requirements.

It is only is the past three decades that business and ethics have been
associated together, underlining the importance of business to society as well
as to the client, the project team and the environment. Professional ethics can
be led by the business, and in construction are also led by professional
membership bodies who hold their members to account through a code of
ethics.

Tool kits on ethics are often based on five mechanisms:

1. What leaders pay attention to, measure, and control on a regular basis.
2. How leaders react to critical incidents and organisational crises.
3. How leaders allocate resources, rewards and status.
4. Deliberate role modelling, teaching and coaching.
5. How leaders recruit, select, promote and communicate.

Your experiences

Research by CIOB in 2013 found that 48% of construction professionals

feel that corruption is commonplace within the UK construction
industry.

Ethics in construction covers areas such as:

1. Bribery
2. Corruption
3. Procurement/tendering practices
4. Workers’ rights
5. Conflict of interest
6. Collusion
7. Corporate social responsibility

What do you think is the most important ethical issue for the industry to
address in your country, and why?
Share in the discussion below and respond to at least one other comment.
Remember to state which country you’re in.

Question 1

Morals are concerned with:

the principles of a rule or belief

the principles of right and just behaviour

the principles of right and wrong behaviour

Correct
Principles are described as:

a moral compass governing your behaviour

a moral rule governing your behaviour

a rule or belief governing your behaviour

Correct
Ethics are described as:

moral procedures that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an

activity

moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of

an activity
moral behaviour that govern a person’s procedures or the conducting of an
activity

Correct
Question 4

The four core layers to our moral compass are:

childhood upbringing, beliefs, culture and values

Childhood upbringing, beliefs, values, discussion with others

beliefs, culture, values and later life experiences

Correct
Question 5

Ethical dilemmas can occur when:

you are in a position where you are going against your moral compass but
following social norms

You are obeying laws, rules and codes of conduct

you are going against your moral compass but obeying laws, rules, codes
of conduct or following social norms

Correct

Summary of week 1

Having reached the end of Week 1, you should now be able to:
 1. Define ethics
2. Describe what can influence ethical decisions
3. Begin to explore your personal moral compass

Discuss below:
What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned this week?

Homework
In Week 2 you will explore the concept of values

Prior to this it would be useful to keep a diary of how you are spending your
time between now and Week 2. If you are unable to do a whole week then
what does a typical working day look like? Think about both work tasks and
home life and other activities you do. What does a typical week & weekend
look like? Just note down the activities and time spent on them, it doesn’t
have to take too long.

As part of Week 2 we will look at identifying what your values are and how
your time diary links to this.

Discuss below:
What do you spend most of your time doing?

Here is what you’ve told us you learned:

Ethics to me means behaving not only in accordance with the law and regulations but
also in a respectful manner to others that i meet and interact with. It is the little voice
inside that guides you to the right thing to do

Attitudes and ignorance must be understood for professions to have an ethical

approach to mitigate against harm and do the right thing ‘doing good for others whilst
doing good for oneself. As we find in construction there is excellence and there are
many buildings and people that attest to this, consequently we must strive to make
these ceilings of today the floors of tomorrow. There is a lot of work to be done in this
area but it requires leadership, strategies, and practices, from government and
industries working together.

There’s more depth to this subject that I may have first thought. No bad thing though as
it is giving me a good opportunity to reflect and approach this course as a Deep Work
opportunity to develop and flex my mind.

Ethics isn’t top of the agenda, and it’s rarely a direct topic of conversation, but there are
plenty of occasions where we’re discussing what the ‘right thing to do’ is. This is the
simplest way of ensuring we remain ethically-aware as a company, and while cash is
king, we never on compromise ethical practice when it is discussed. There is often a
new ethical initiative sent round from our central team, and i have been gladdened by
the seriousness with which people have addressed and explored issues relating to the
recent information on modern slavery.