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Ethical principles within an Organizational content
An organization is formed when individuals from different backgrounds and varied interests come together on a common platform and work towards predefined goals and objectives. Employees are the assets of an organization and it is essential for them to maintain the decorum and ambience of the workplace.
The way an organization should respond to external environment refers to organization ethics. Organization ethics includes various guidelines and principles which decide the way individuals should behave at the workplace. It also refers to the code of conduct of the individuals working in a particular organization.
Important elements of ethical bedrock of an organization are as follows:
Respect
As an entrepreneur building a business, you need to respect yourself and surround yourself with people you can respect. Remember, strong respect doesn’t mean you can fly on auto-pilot. While you can assume your people will do their job as well as they can, they do need coaching, training and direction, but respect and trust make it easier for you to avoid micro-managing them. Do not hire or do business with people you don’t respect, or who don’t respect you. These are the types of people who ultimately don’t respect their colleagues, customers, vendors, or themselves. When existing relationships weaken, take action. Do your best to rebuild mutual respect, but it can no longer be rebuilt, let the person go.
Honor
Good people are a fundamental part of good ethics. They are also great ambassadors for doing things right. Give special attention to strong performers and people who exemplify the spirit of your organization. Most companies recognize top achievers and producers. Go beyond quotas and sales figures. Point out, and show your gratitude to the people who exhibit exemplary behavior, and who have made sacrifices on your behalf. These are people who have helped you be successful, and you need to acknowledge and honor their contributions publicly, as well as privately.
Integrity
When it comes to integrity, it is impossible to avoid sounding preachy or parental. Do not lie, steal, or cheat. Make your word your bond and always stand by your word. When you are wrong, own up to it and make good on the deal. Treat others as you’d want to be treated. Do not hire or retain people who do not have integrity. Other employees, customers and vendors will not trust them. That lack of trust is like a virus; eventually they will not trust you either. Make sure no one is selling the company’s values short to make a quick buck. After all, making a bad deal to meet a quota or target is not only unethical, it’s often unprofitable in the end.
Customer focus
A company is nothing if it does not have customers. More to the point, if a company does not produce what people want and will pay for, there is no point to that company. A focus on your customers reinforces the responsibility you have to the market. Your decisions affect your people, your investors, your partners and ultimately, your customers. Serving all of these people is part of your ethical responsibility. Selling your customers short not only risks compromising your ethics, it also risks the long-term health of your company.
Results-oriented
You wouldn’t be an entrepreneur if you weren’t focused on results already, but ethics factor into results too. Don’t aim for results at any cost. Work on achieving your results within your company values. Results should be attained in the context of developing something that customers want, and producing and delivering it at a price that is fair to all the parties involved. Good managers clearly identify the results they expect, then support their employees and help them achieve those results. They provide feedback on performance in an effort to help the employee achieve their potential, and the results the company needs for success. In a good company (and an ethical company), results are more than just numbers. They are benchmarks and lessons for the future as well as goals for the present.
Accountability
Employees in all companies are expected to be accountable for their actions and their assigned responsibilities. At a basic level, that means showing up when they are scheduled and on time, and not taking advantage of time allotted for breaks. It also means carrying out assigned responsibilities, meeting deadlines, accepting responsibility when things go wrong and willingly working toward a resolution of problems or issues. And sometimes it might mean working longer than planned to see a project or task through to completion.
Employee Code of Conduct
Every company should articulate its core values, define expected behaviours that are both aspirational and positive and also have its own specific rules on certain types of conduct. These should be made extremely clear in an Employee Code of Conduct document. This document sets out both the overarching principles or core values of the organization and the behaviours and conduct expected of employees.
Passion
Great organizations are comprised of people who have a passion for what they are doing. These are people who are working for you for the thrill and challenge, not merely putting in time to collect a pay-check. They are excited, driven, and believe that their work and efforts can make a difference. Without the passion burning within them, people put in a minimal effort, getting paid and going home. These people are role models to others: why work so hard when you can come in late and leave early? People can demonstrate their excitement in many ways, so be aware that extra effort on a project or working on the weekend shows passion as much as enthusiastic cheerleading.
Persistence
People in awesome organizations have the will to persist. They will keep working even when results are not what they hoped, or when customers refuse to buy. Their persistence is tied to their passion for what they are doing and a belief that this group of people, this company, has the best chance of “making it” of any company they could join. And so, they work harder, They continue to take risks. They behave with honor and integrity. They keep their focus on the customer’s needs and wants. And, they are not satisfied until they achieve the goals and results that are expected.
Collaboration
In almost every business, workplace values and ethics consist of teamwork. That’s because most companies believe that when morale is high and everyone is working together, success will follow. So it is important for employees to be team players–whether assisting co-workers on a project, teaching new hires new tasks, or following the instructions of a supervisor.