Taking the High Road

from Training Magazine (trainingmag.com)

Human Resources should not be the only function responsible for fostering ethical behavior within an organization. "The more enlightened ethics programs are becoming very decentralized, acknowledging the fact that every business decision has an ethical component," explains David Gebler, founder and president of The Working Values Group, Boston, which offers business ethics training to clients including American Express, Coors Brewing Co., and Deutsche Bank.

The most effective ethics officers encourage all parts of the organization to play a role in this issue, and hence work closely with HR, the organizational development group and corporate communications, says Gebler. "If you want to change behavior, you have to tell people why this is important for the company, how it links to its reputation and then give them the tools to take an active part in this process," he explains. "Ethics training only works when employees see codes of conduct as being operational tools, as opposed to another book from corporate office to put on the shelf."