Exploring the Intersection of Diversity and Ethics

Carmen PooleLead Instructional

WriterEverFi

Douglas KellyLead Legal Editor

EverFi

Preston Clark PresidentEverFi

Agenda ● Diversity Insights

● Ethical Parallels

● The Takeaways

Diversity

Diversity in the News

● Atlassian Survey○ What does it tell us about the current state of D&I?

● The Privilege of Purview○ Who’s in charge?

Atlassian Survey

Atlassian Survey Respondent:

“Although the tech industry as a whole does a great deal to promote diversity and inclusion my publicly traded company says it does (for appearance/legal reasons) but clearly does not. Anyone who has worked there over a year can openly see the lack of diversity and the extreme lack of inclusion among employees. Appearance is everything -- they want to appear as though they are doing all they can with minimal effort in reality.”

The Privilege of Purview

Foreshadowing Future Failures

● Purview: The range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention

● Tone from the Top

Diversity and Ethics and Culture and Change

● Diets, Denial, and Lifestyle Change○ Rooney Rule (2003)○ Pinterest (2017)

● Business Case ≥ Moral Case?● Ethical Decision Making

Doing Good, and Doing a Good Thing Well

● Diversity ROI ○ Political Correctness and Creativity○ Cognitive Laziness, Job Performance, and Bias

Diversity Best Practices

● Diversity ○ is not just a number

● Inclusion is....○ not conceptual or theoretical

Poll Question #1

When it comes to building an “Inclusive Workplace”, what would you say is your organization’s biggest challenge?

a. Defining itb. Measuring itc. Getting buy-in (from above)d. Getting buy-in (from below)e. Establishing best practices

Ethics

Defining Ethics

Correct behavior defined by a company’s values

Ethics News

Companies believe they are ethical or compliant, but it turns out they apparently weren’t.

● Litigation● Wells Fargo, Uber, Fox News, UPS

Defining the Problem - Paper Program

“A so-called 'paper program' is not necessarily a ‘bad faith attempt at intentional window dressing,’ but may be a program that is misaligned with the company's culture and has lost legitimacy. This model shows that a corporation - even one acting in good faith - that adopts the technical aspects of a compliance program but does not attend to the organization's informal systems and ethical climate will not be successful in encouraging ethical behavior.”

Hess, S. (2016). ETHICAL INFRASTRUCTURES AND EVIDENCE-BASED CORPORATE COMPLIANCE AND ETHICS PROGRAMS: POLICY IMPLICATIONS FROM THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE. N.Y.U. Journal of Law and Business, 12: 317, 321.

Defining the Problem - Paper Program

Some companies are not truly committed.

Like diversity:

- Shaky Tone at the Top (lack of will)- Misalignment with Culture

- Legitimacy (fairness), Management, Informal Systems- Lack of Benchmarking

Crafting the Solution - Values as a Driver

Values drive everything.

“While avoiding legal sanctions is important, creating a work environment that values ethical behavior turns words on paper into effective company-wide practices. The process for establishing and maintaining a strong value system is guided by the organization’s mission and vision for its future, and mapping out a business plan that reaches its goals without sacrificing its integrity.”*

*Peterson, K. (2017). Code of Ethics: Aligning Culture with Compliance. Upcoming.

Crafting the Solution - How

● Data○ Climate Surveys○ Harvard Business Review○ Ethisphere

● Culture○ Training

Poll Question #2

How does your organization most communicate its values?

a. Policiesb. Everyday Actionsc. Senior Leadershipd. Traininge. Employees

Building the Future - Millennials

The 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey

● Employees, Customers Managers● They care about ethics and diversity. They truly care. ● They aren’t being supported right now.

THE TAKEAWAYS● A diverse workplace can and

does disrupt unethical decisions

● Diversity should be an ethical value

● You must commit to diversity and ethics to reap their benefits

● Inclusion requires skill-building in order to support a more ethical workplace

Doing good does good.

Questions

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