“Ethical and moral issues – what’s your deal-breaking point?”
Last nights London Evening Standard had a story on page 1 about “toxic and destructive” management culture. The story (accessed here: http://tiny.cc/sqd6aw) goes on to describe a 30-something who had quit his job with Goldman Sachs because of a collapse of its “moral fibre”. He said it, “veered so far from the place I joined right out of college that I can no longer, in good conscience, say that I identify with what it stands for”.
This week, I too had a similar conscience gripper! I had occasion to interact with a new organisation (to me) over this past 10 days or so. It all started well enough, I saw an offering I liked, read the fine detail very carefully indeed, spoke to the key decision-maker, submitted relevant paperwork …. and waited. I thought it very strange when I heard nothing in return, so I followed up with a quick e-mail, only to be told: “sorry, we’ve decided that’s now restricted.”
Some might say it’s a sad indictment of organisational values and ethics, two areas I’ve spent my whole professional life championing because they are so dear to my heart in organisational terms!
Bluntly, these two episodes, although different in substance, are what give management a bad name and it is inexcusable. Organisation development should, if nothing else, root that out of the system once and for all. It’s a philosophy that Aresko is founded upon.
Both were examples of unethical behaviour and one, particularly, produced a profound moment for me personally when I thought: “that sort of management is a deal breaker for me actually.”
So what have you encountered in your professional life that has so starkly produced a deal breaking moment for you and was it a moral or ethical management issue? Did you feel strongly enough about it to vote with your heart or your head and let’s discuss:
“Ethical and moral issues – what’s your deal-breaking point?”
Aresko 
madameestsortie
/ March 15, 2012I used to work in an organisation (which shall remain nameless, for legal reasons…) which refused to green-light a project to find out what staff thought about communications, how they wanted to be communicated with and what motivated their passion for delivering services because “in 18 months time they won’t be our staff any more” (due to nationally-driven transfer to a neighbouring ‘sister’ organisation. It was at that point that I dis-engaged.
Peggy Edwards
/ March 15, 2012Uhmm intersting one. Yes I would consider leaving and organisation if I felt it was behaving unethically. I have a code of conduct that actually requires me to raise these issues and act upon them. I know very soon I will be challenged by managers in my organisation over a significant change which we are required by law to undertake, I know there will be procrastination and even dispute, but for me this will be a line in the sand. If we don’t do the right thing I will be dusting off my CV.