The seismic shift in workplace culture and the nature of work caused by the pandemic is resetting how we think about the role of work in our lives and how we collectively organise.  A recent research study found that while working virtually collaboration within groups increased however organisational silos have gotten deeper and further apart. This might suggest that the human side of enterprise has strengthened while the efficiency of the whole has deteriorated. Also, the concept of work also as the best avenue for human flourishing has come under review.  The lockdown has provided ..read more

What would you do if you found a colleague’s behaviour unacceptable, even unethical? Most of us believe we will speak up; however, research shows we often fail to act on our ethical intent. The result is moral muteness, the gap between our ethical ambitions and behaviour.  Such a personal values gap emerges when organisational members experience their workplaces as unsafe places to raise concerns. It is often the root cause of employees’ cynicism around leaders’ authenticity in upholding espoused organisational values. Ethics research shows that when employees hear their leaders discuss e ..read more

This might seem a bit harsh, but it speaks to a growing world -wide organisational mantra.  Stanford professor, Robert Sutton’s book “The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t”  unearthed an increasing trend for major corporations to sign up to a “no asshole” rule.  Companies like Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Barclay’s Capital, IDEO and SPM Communications, although the last two prefer to call it “the ‘no jerks’ rule.” SPM founder, Suzanne Miller, won a national contest for women-owned business, in part because her company applies th ..read more

The ethical challenges for professionals Digital technologies have made us all global citizens, where, in real-time, we see how business impacts at local and global levels.  These impacts heighten our professional, ethical accountabilities to ensure such impacts are not diminishing human social progress. The human toll wrought by Covid-19 vividly demonstrated our shared humanity.  To ensure we create a better post-Covid world than the one that existed before, we must draw on our shared humanity and ability to reason. The pandemic exposed the shortfalls of our current leadership model ..read more

We live in an online world where anything inside an organisation can find itself thrown into the public arena and onto the world stage. One tweet by a long-suffering employee or a fellow employee, no longer wishing to be part of a problem situation, and the organisation becomes the latest victim of our cancel culture. Is it then timely to “reset” our attitudes and mindsets to employee feedback? Time to move beyond regulatory compliance to a proactive orientation that actively builds the inclusive cultures needed to manage risk in a dynamic digital environment? Using evidenced-based research, l ..read more

Behavioural economics, contrary to its academic name, is a very human subject. It’s about the why and how of our everyday decisions – why we do and what we do.   As such, behavioural economics provides powerful tools for leaders to help shape organisational design decisions to prompt more ethical behaviours. These tools enable leaders to use insights into human behaviour to create environments more likely to result in ethical behaviour as a norm, rather than relying solely on policies and procedures and the personal character of individuals. Behavioural economics points to a people-centre ..read more

Field research finds time and time again that how managers behave has more significance on how employees behave and their willingness to accept ethical accountabilities than EXCO teams or CEOs. Such managerial influence brings important ethical responsibilities often not made explicit to newly appointed managers and team leaders. Reflecting on your managerial style is the first step to improving your ethical skill development and can begin by reflecting on these four indicators from ethics field research. Positive responses will indicate you are actively addressing the ethical dimension of man ..read more

Why do the banks, and so many others, continue to get publicly scrutinised for unacceptable behaviour? Why do they fail to satisfy the demands of the stakeholder economy and continue to get it wrong? Is it because they confuse ethics with morality? The Definition of Morals and Ethics   Morals are about how you define for yourself what is right and wrong in a personal realm. Time and time again, ‘good’ people doing ‘bad’ things still believe themselves to be good people. It’s simply no longer good enough. You are what you do, not what you think. Actions are what people judge you on, not yo ..read more

Digital transformation, automation robotics and the Internet of Things are transforming the world’s workplaces at breakneck speeds. By 2025, 4th Industrial Revolution. Failing to act now could sentence current and future generations to permanent exclusion from economic participation. The workplace is not just a means to a pay packet. It’s where we as human beings develop our skills, find our purpose and self-actualise. If we can’t participate in the economy due to lack of skills, will personal development and social progress be stymied as a result? Business is the central institution in the wo ..read more

When toxic workplace behaviour is exposed, such as currently in our Parliamentary workplace, it should be seen as a symptom of poor culture design rather than rogue individuals. Many workplaces are built on false assumptions, namely innate employee competitiveness and selfish motivations, which enable or promote toxic behaviour. Addressing poor workplace behaviour is a culture redesign challenge for leaders, rather than leaving it to the HR department. Behaviour science shows that rather than being innately competitive, we are predisposed to prosocial behaviour and organisations can benefit fr ..read more