Organizational Code of Ethics

Organizational Ethics

Just want to briefly go over some items related to organizational ethics. Each organization needs to have a written code of ethics that is adhered to or embodied by the members of the organization. It does no good to have ethics on a piece of paper and then have that piece of paper ignored and not adhered to.

Organizational ethics, true ethics, that find their way lived out in our organization are actually beneficial. Now, organizational ethics apply to healthcare and other businesses as well, and so I’m going to keep this overview generic, but there are specific applications to any organization.

Basically, an organizational ethic is, “a value system that is at work in a particular organization”. Each organization should have a value system that is clearly spelled out and that is adhered to. It needs to be written down, a written code, but it also must be embodied by the members of the organization.

They must live it consistently in order for it to truly reflect the ethics of that organization. One test to see what the ethics of an organization is, is to see how they act, not what’s written, but what they do. What they do will reveal their true ethics no matter what maybe down on a piece of paper.

True organizational ethics that is bringing together what’s written on the paper and what’s embodied in the actions of the members of the organization. We want to begin then with right conduct. Here it is spelled out and lived out what is the proper relationship and conduct between staff members, staff to staff, and also between the staff and those being serviced by the organization, so those that they serve and within.

It’s an inward focused right conduct and an outward focused right conduct. This needs to be spelled out. How is staff to interact with staff? Or, perhaps not interact. Non fraternization policies, things like this. Then how is the staff of the organization to interact with those outside; those that they serve, those that they’re providing a service to. Any good organizational ethic will include information about the proper conduct, staff to staff, and staff to those they serve.

Next, any good organization ethic will include respect for personal beliefs. Personal beliefs of those within the organization and respect for personal beliefs of those outside the organization. Those that the organization serves. Here, we’re talking about, religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, psychosocial values, things like this.

A recognition that those values exist and ought to be respected. They don’t necessarily all have to be incorporated into the organization, but they must be respected. A respect for personal beliefs both on staff and those that they serve. Then there ought to be transparency and accountability.

I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but you want to instill, not only in the written code, but what’s embodied as well with those who are part of the organization a willingness to be transparent. Open flow and communication of information.

When there are secrets and stoppages in the flow of information, this harms an organization ethically and in other ways in their ability to provide the proper service. There needs to be proper transparency and flow of information. At the same time there needs to be accountability.

Trust, but verify. Trust, but verify. Try to promote as much as possible the transparent and free flow of information and then provide an accountability structure to quality control check. Is that information still flowing? Is there still transparency?

Are there communication blockages, (things that are preventing information from flowing the way they should in the organization)? If so, find the source and make the appropriate changes necessary to once again provide the free flow of information.

Everyone may say that they sign on to transparency but without accountability there is no way to prove that it’s taking place. Next, there needs to be adherence to regulations and the best practices. You’re part of an organization and you’ve thought through, that organization has thought through, the regulations governing the type of service that they offer, and here are the best practices involved in providing that service.

There needs to be adherence to those regulations and those best practices, because where the best practice and the regulations are not adhered to, then there will be a consequent negative reaction. More than likely both within the organization and in the service that it provides.

What I mean by this is, if there is one or several people who are part of the organization who say, “I know what the regulations say, I know what they say the best practice is, but I think this is best,” and they haven’t bothered to go to those in authority in the organization to say, “Look I’d like to see some changes, what do you all think about trying it this way?”, so that they have the opportunity to look at it and go, “Well you know what, that’s a good idea, lets implement that.”

They just, on their own, say I’m going to do what I’m going to do. When that happens, then you have everyone doing what’s right in their own eyes, and there’s no cohesiveness no structure no way to make sure that you as an organization are doing what you’ve promised to do. You’ve got everyone just making up their own mind. A written down and adhered to code of ethics involves regulations and best practices.

Here’s how we do what we do. It makes organizations successful. You also include something, some mechanism, some way, for people to feel free to come forward with suggestions improvements things like that from the bottom up so that there might be actually a better way of doing it. Then you would rewrite the code and reteach the regulations and the best practices and that might help people a great deal.

There needs to be a basic adherence to the regulations and the best practices. Next, there needs to be leadership within the organization without fear or intimidation. If you’re going to have a ethical, a proper organizational ethic will include appropriate leadership that does not lead by fear or intimidation. People do not work well under fear and intimidation.

There needs to be leadership, but it should not be leadership based in fear or intimidation. It should be leadership that respects those under that authority that trust them, that works with them, and that promotes unity and cohesiveness and a forward movement and face in that regard. Leadership without fear and without intimidation. Then it’s usually helpful to have some sort of structure.

Here I’ve just called it a guidance committee, but some body that basically, when I say body I mean not somebody individual but a body of people, that have been put together and their job is to give guidance when a particularly difficult situation arises.

Your organization wants to provide a service, and they want to do it ethically, and they have regulations in place, and best practices involved, and then suddenly a situation comes up that’s not covered by the regulations, isn’t covered by the best practices, and people are left wondering what to do. “I’ve got a difficult circumstance here.”

“I’ve got something that isn’t strictly spoken to by what we’ve been given.” “What should I do?” You shouldn’t just leave it up to the individual, you shouldn’t just kick it upstairs, it’s helpful to have, built into the organization a guidance committee or some sort of structured group that can take those difficult cases, think through them and then provide appropriate guidance to the person who’s asked for it, or the department that’s asked for it.

These are just some of the things that ought to be thought through in terms of organizational ethics. As I say, this applies in health care situations and to all sorts of other situations. Any organization ought to have a written code that is also embodied or lived out by the members of the organization. It includes things like this and other matters as well.

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by Mometrix Test Preparation | This Page Last Updated: June 27, 2022