Everything
I Need to Know About Ethics…
One of my most
favorite prints is both posted and commented by Susan (2008) and titled, “All I
Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. Every time I read it, I smile.
Robert Fulghum, the author of the piece, observes if we take but a few of the
listed lessons: playing fair, sharing with others, living a balanced life,
cleaning up our own messes, and not taking from others; the lessons hold true
regardless of our advancing age (as cited in Susan, 2008). Fulghum asks us to
posit a world in which warm cookies and milk, with a nap to follow, is not only
acceptable, it’s embraced (Susan, 2008). How many different cultures allow for
just such a break? What if governments across the globe had at the core of
their value system the basic of idea of cleaning up and leaving things as they
were found or perhaps better than when found (Susan, 2008)? Could such simple
lessons hold the key to reversing such trends and opinions as cited by Pastin
(2013), including an underwhelming 21% of those surveyed who characterize “business
executive as having “high” ethical standards”? If the answer is “Yes”; then,
what can business schools do to help?
Podolny
(2009) pens society’s “intense rage… against big business… investment banks,
credit-rating agencies”, central banks, and many prominent institutions upon which
economies rely; including “business schools” (p. 62). Whereas courses ranging
from arts to religion allow for the development of “critical thinking and moral
reasoning”; business schools, in particular the studies required for the
successful attainment of an MBA, have not only contributed to the “self-serving
decisions” made by many of its graduates, they present a harm to society
(Podolny, 2009, p. 63). How did such a prestigious degree arrive at today’s
reputation? In an overly simplified answer, they forgot the simple lessons.
While focusing on many of the ins and outs of statistics and economics, they
forgot, or simply were no longer taught the “aware of wonder” (Susan, 2008).
Fair play was replaced by the need to secure higher pay, at almost any cost.
Apologies for harm and a willingness to clean up one’s own mess gave way to
professions without ideals. In short, business students were taught and
subsequently unleashed on society, with a focus that asked, “What can I do to
make the most money?” instead of teaching and releasing professionals who
sought that which they could do to change the world for the better (Podolny,
2009, p. 65). In order to address this trend, business schools must begin to
adhere to the simple message from the “Dick-and-Jane books… LOOK” (Susan,
2008):
·
LOOK at teaching ethics and values with
statistics and economic
·
LOOK at society’s view of right and wrong versus
that of the school
·
LOOK at more than offering one ethics’ course
·
LOOK at continuing education in ethics
·
LOOK at long-term goals not “short-term drivers”
such as rankings
·
LOOK at moral consequences of actions
·
LOOK at the school’s value system against that
of society
·
LOOK at the core components of leadership: “principles,
ethics, and attention to detail” – do students exhibit these traits?
·
LOOK at the benefits of team teaching where “hard”
and “soft” controls put forward materials for each class
·
LOOK at and consider Quality over Quantity when
research opportunities present
As
long as the focus is on mass producing MBA graduates with a prime directive of
making the most money, business schools will continue to fall short and will
forever be associated by society to the corporate greed and destruction that
has harmed so many (Podolny, 2009). The situation has garnered enough attention
that experts are beginning to call for the formation of a “code of conduct for
MBAs” with a loss of credentials as the ultimate price to be paid for unethical
behavior (Podolny, 2009, p. 67). Sounds promising. After all, returning to the
sand box for a moment, when we did not share, wasn’t a discipline imposed? When
we hurt someone, wasn’t a punishment expected? When we did not play fair, or
cheated, were we not so lectured and warned? In a corporate world filled with
pitfalls that can lead to self-interest, harm to others, and a lack of fair
play, shouldn’t business schools be preparing students for that which “really
goes on inside companies” and equip them with the proper knowledge and skills
to reach ethical decisions, that, if asked, our kindergarten teacher would
approve (Podolny, 2009)?
References
LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden: Blackwell
Publishing.
Pastin, M. (2013, Nov. 11). The
Different Ways People Handle Ethical Issues in the Workplace.
In
The Management Blog Bloomberg Business. Retrieved
from
Podolny, J.M. (2009, June). The
Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School.
Harvard Business Review, 87(6),
62-67.
Susan. (2008, Dec. 11). All I
Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. [Web log
comment].
Coronado Common Sense. Retrieved from
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