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CHAPTER QUESTION 3: DESCRIBE TEN TYPES OF ETHICS TRAINING
WORKSHOP OPTIONS. WHICH IF THESE WORKSHOP OPTIONS WOULD YOU
RECOMMEND? WHY?
Review EXHIBIT 6.2, which summarizes ten very useful ethics training workshop options.
1. Ethical Culture Assessment – Assess the extent to which ethics permeates organizational
2. Code of Conduct Analysis – Create a Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Jeopardy quiz
show, or dialogue sessions, to raise awareness of code of conduct content, code
3. Typical Behaviors Experience – Introduce employees to common industry or work task
4. Apply the Systematic Rational Ethical Decision-Making Framework – Provide several
5. Create Business Ethics Scenarios for Discussion – Have employees create ethical
6. Fraud and Theft Exploration – Educate employees on how to detect fraud and theft.
7. Level of Moral Development Analysis – Measure employee level of moral development
8. Ethics Personality Measures – Administer surveys that measure personality factors and
9. Benchmark to an Ideal Employee – Develop a profile of an “ideal employee” and put into
a survey format. Then have employees assess themselves to this ideal, praise the good,
10. Meaningful Work Exploration – Reflect on making job tasks enjoyable and meaningful
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
This chapter contains several directions for conducting ethics training workshops. Have students
experience some of the workshops. These include:
1. Complete Exhibit 6.3 Ethical Culture Survey for the college, School of Business, or student
organization.
2. Create an ethical dilemma narrative based on the instructions in Exhibit 6.6.
3. Complete Exhibit 6.9 Qualities of an Ideal Employee Self-Assessment and discuss the results.
4. Complete Exhibit 6.10 Work as a Calling exercise and discuss the results.
CHAPTER QUESTION 4: WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDED SIX-STEPS FOR
FACILITATINTG AN ETHICS DIALOGUE WORKSHOP?
SIX STEPS
Review the six-step facilitation process in EXHIBIT 6.5, which is aimed at maximizing
interactive dialogue.
Step 1: Distribute the 7-Question Systematic Rational Ethical Decision-Making
Framework and review it using a sample business problem.
Step 2: Distribute a real-life situation to workshop participants, read it out loud,
and have participants apply the Systematic Rational Ethical Decision-Making
Framework to derive a moral conclusion that supports one of the decision options.
Step 3: Count the votes for each recommendation.
Step 4: Develop position rationale in small groups.
Step 5: Empower the minority position.
Step 6: Reach a conclusion.
Review TIPS AND TECHNIQUES about requiring written responses to ethical dilemmas
Commits the person to a particular decision option
Prevents employees from changing their decision based on how others vote
VIGNETTES
The business ethics literature and Internet websites have many vignettes participants can
examine.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Have students use the Six Steps for Facilitating an Ethical Dialogue to facilitate a class
discussion about any of the ethical dilemmas – What Would You Do, Let’s Build a Building,
Enron, an Ethical Dilemma Narrative, one they created using Exhibit 6.6, or “Sick Leave” ethical
dilemma narrative in Exhibit 6.7.
CHAPTER QUESTION 5: WHICH PERSONALITY SURVEYS CAN EMPLOYEES
TAKE TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANGING OF ETHICS AT WORK?
PERSONALITY MEASURES AND ETHICS
Several personality measures are associated with ethics.
PERSONALITY MEASURE EXAMPLES
Idealism/Relativism measures whether a person tends to be an “idealist” or “relativist”
when responding to an ethical dilemma. The 20-item survey consists of two 10-item
factors (idealism and relativism).
Moral Courage measures whether a person exercises moral principles. The 15-item
survey consists of five 3-item factors (moral agency, multiple values, endurance of
threats, going beyond compliance, and moral goals).
Trust measures whether a person is willing to be vulnerable in supervisor interactions. A
7-item survey.
Machiavellianism measures whether a person identifies with “the ends justify the means”
moral thinking. A 20-item survey.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Distribute one or several of the personality surveys summarized in this section (see endnotes for
sources), have the students complete the survey and discuss the results.
CHAPTER QUESTION 6: HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE SUCCESS OF AN
ETHICS TRAINING WORKSHOP?
Similar to all types of workplace training, managers need to assess the effectiveness of
ethics training workshops.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, assess the training session at its conclusion to
determine if workshop goals and objectives were accomplished.
If important content has been supplied, have participants complete a follow-up test
several weeks after the workshop to determine information retention.
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
Have students assess one of the ethics training workshops in this chapter that was conducted in
class. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the workshop? How can the workshop be
improved?
CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER AND ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SUMMARY
Chapter Question 1: Why is organizational trust so important?
Ethics training helps to create a culture of trust at work.
Organizational trust refers to having a positive attitude that another member of the
organization will be fair and not take advantage of one’s vulnerability or dependency in a
risky situation.
Hard-earned trust can quickly disappear when violated and hamper organizational
performance.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students think about someone at work or a friend they trust. Why do
they trust this person? What did the person do to earn this trust? How have they responded when
the trusted person violated the trust?
Additional Question 1: Who should attend ethics training workshops?
Conduct ethics training throughout the organization.
FOR DISCUSSION: Ask students who work part-time or had jobs over the summer if they
received ethics training. Who else in the organization received ethics training? How often was it
offered? What was the content? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the ethics training?
How could a weakness be remedied?
Additional Question 2: What are the strengths and weaknesses of web-based ethics
training?
oStrengths
Weaknesses
Complement web-based ethics training programs with facilitator-guided face-to-face
interactions and group activities.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students explore the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Ethics website at http://ethics.house.gov/. Explore the different subject links.
Click on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link at
http://ethics.house.gov/Subjects/FAQ.aspx and try to answer the
questions before clicking on the answers.
Chapter Question 2: How would you design an ethics training program? Who should serve
as facilitator?
CEO or supervisor expresses support for the activity
Legitimize an ethical decision-making process (see Chapter 5)
Individually apply the decision-making process to a specific relevant situation
Workshop topics must be relevant to participants
Make the ethics training program content as specific as possible.
Target specific behaviors and provide specific examples, but present the material in general
terms so as not to offend any specific employee.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students design an ethics training program for college students. Do so
independently and then share in small groups. Have small group representatives report out.
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of each group’s program design?
Chapter Question 3: Describe ten types of ethics training workshop options. Which of these
workshop options would you recommend? Why?
EXHIBIT 6.2 summarizes ten very useful ethics training workshop options.
1. Ethical Culture Assessment – Assess the extent to which ethics permeates organizational
2. Code of Conduct Analysis – Create a Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Jeopardy quiz
show, or dialogue sessions, to raise awareness of code of conduct content, code
3. Typical Behaviors Experience – Introduce employees to common industry or work task
4. Apply the Systematic Rational Ethical Decision-Making Framework – Provide several
5. Create Business Ethics Scenarios for Discussion – Have employees create ethical
6. Fraud and Theft Exploration – Educate employees on how to detect fraud and theft.
7. Level of Moral Development Analysis – Measure employee level of moral development
8. Ethics Personality Measures – Administer surveys that measure personality factors and
9. Benchmark to an Ideal Employee – Develop a profile of an “ideal employee” and put into
a survey format. Then have employees assess themselves to this ideal, praise the good,
10. Meaningful Work Exploration – Reflect on making job tasks enjoyable and meaningful
FOR DISCUSSON: This chapter contains several directions for conducting ethics training
workshops. Have students experience some of the workshops. These include Exhibits 6.3, 6.6,
6.9, and 6.10.
Chapter Question 4: What are the recommended six-steps for facilitating an ethics dialogue
workshop?
Review the six-step facilitation process in EXHIBIT 6.5, which is aimed at maximizing
interactive dialogue.
The business ethics literature and Internet websites have many vignettes participants can
examine.
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students use the Six Steps for Facilitating an Ethical Dialogue to
facilitate a class discussion about any of the ethical dilemmas – What Would You Do, Let’s Build
a Building, Enron, an Ethical Dilemma Narrative the created using Exhibit 6.6, or “Sick Leave”
ethical dilemma narrative in Exhibit 6.7.
Chapter Question 5: Which personality surveys can employees take to gain a better
understanding of ethics at work?
Idealism/Relativism measures whether a person tends to be an “idealist” or “relativist” when
responding to an ethical dilemma.
Ethical Ideology measures whether a person tends to be “principled” (deontology) or
“expedient” (relativism) when responding to an ethical dilemma.
Altruism measures whether a person engages in altruistic behaviors.
Trust measures whether a person is willing to be vulnerable in supervisor interactions.
Ethical Self-Efficacy measures whether a person believes he or she can successfully perform
an ethical behavior.
FOR DISCUSSION: Distribute one or several of the personality surveys summarized in this
section (see endnotes for sources), have the students complete the survey and discuss the results.
Chapter Question 6: How would you assess the success of an ethics training workshop?
Assessment is a systemic collection, review and use of information to determine workshop
effectiveness.
Keep the assessment tool simple and short for employees and the facilitator.
Below are questions that could be asked following a variety of ethics training sessions.
Can also do follow-up tests a few weeks later, interview participants and supervisors, or
calculate return on investment (i.e. for workshop about theft)
FOR DISCUSSION: Have students assess one of the ethics training workshops in this chapter
that was conducted in class. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the workshop? How can
the workshop be improved?
