The new system in a day-care center is producing biased results--setting off an alarm when some dark-skinned parents enter the lobby. The director of the center must decide whether improving security is worth the possible legal ramifications. This fictional case study by Mary C. Gentile, David Danks, and Maralee Harrell features expert commentary by Joseph Steinberg, Cedric L. Alexander.
The new system in a day-care center is producing biased results--setting off an alarm when some dark-skinned parents enter the lobby. The director of the center must decide whether improving security is worth the possible legal ramifications. This fictional case study by Mary C. Gentile, David Danks, and Maralee Harrell features expert commentary by Joseph Steinberg, Cedric L. Alexander.
The new system in a day-care center is producing biased results--setting off an alarm when some dark-skinned parents enter the lobby. The director of the center must decide whether improving security is worth the possible legal ramifications. This fictional case study by Mary C. Gentile, David Danks, and Maralee Harrell features expert commentary by Joseph Steinberg, Cedric L. Alexander.
In early 2006, Helen Drinan, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Caritas Christi Health Care System (CCHCS), Boston, received two sexual harassment charges against the organization's CEO and President, Robert Haddad. While she knew she was legally charged with acting, she faced a complicated situation: one, the hospital system was owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Boston with Cardinal O'Malley as the Chairman of the Board for the system; and two, these charges came after the priest molestation cases which rocked the Catholic Church of Boston. In Case A, Drinan presented the well-documented results from an independent investigator into the sexual harassment charges against Haddad. Although Drinan's investigator presented clear evidence as to Haddad's guilt, the Cardinal decided to launch a second investigation, using the Church's lawyers. Drinan, interpreting this action as a delaying or avoidance tactic, decided that she must act. But, what should she say, to whom and how should she frame this critical conversation? In Case B, students read the letter Drinan sent to O'Malley, voicing her values. There is an extensive Epilogue that the instructor can report from or hand out to students that brings the case to a conclusion.
Recent events such as the global financial crisis and the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have undermined confidence in the ethics of business institutions. Instilling company values is more important than ever, yet a values-driven culture cannot be created with rules and mission statements alone. This article, in seeking an approach to ethics and compliance that engages both employees and leaders, proposes a five-step Giving Voice to Values (GVV) approach that includes reframing key questions in conflict situations, pre-scripting responses to value conflicts, and peer coaching.
A business leader cannot create a values-driven culture with rules and mission statements alone. Using techniques such as pre-scripting, rehearsal and peer coaching, leaders can learn to listen and employees can learn to speak, thus creating a circle of practice that removes values from the realm of aspiration and positions them squarely within the realm of everyday business practice. Readers will learn how to accomplish this important goal in this article.
Just promoted from the accounting group at headquarters, Jonathan is now the controller for a regional sales unit of a consumer electronics company-and he realizes in short order that the next quarter's sales are being reported early to boost bonus compensation. The group manager's silence suggests that this sort of thing has probably happened before. This may seem like a mundane accounting matter, but the consequences-in terms of carrying costs, distorted forecasting, compromised ethical culture, and even legal ramifications-are very serious. And except in extraordinarily well-run corporations, managers face situations like this all the time. You know something's wrong. You know you need to make it stop. But you don't necessarily know when to speak up, how to speak up, and, most important, how to be effective. Drawing on the author's research over the past four years, this article walks you through the rationalizations commonly used to justify unethical behavior-everything from "this is just how things work in our industry" to "it's not your job to fix this; stick to your knitting." It also gives concrete advice about how to raise your voice effectively. For example, treat the conflict as a business matter. Nobody wants to hear a self-righteous little speech about honesty, so get your facts in order and present them effectively. You should also challenge the rationalizations. If this is "just how things work," ask whether the organization is comfortable going public with the practice. All managers should know how to respond constructively to ethical issues, and senior managers must be able to change the cultural norms that gave rise to bad judgment in the first place.