Students Entering the Workfore need to be aware of their relationships with their companies' Ethics Policies !

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Dr. Augustine Ogho, in his article on "Perspectives of Senior-Level Executives on Effective Followership and Leadership", from the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies OnlineFirst, published on April 21, 2009, explains that senior-level executives rank honesty/integrity as the #1 characteristic for effective followers and leaders. And not surprising, leader competence is ranked as number 2. As organizations move forward, past experience has made us understand that followers are looking for integrity from their leaders as their number one concern. Integrity is first and students must understand that honesty, which means just basic honesty in class, with friends and with people in general is what integrity is made up of.

With all the problems the business world has encountered over the last ten to fifteen years, it is important to know that companies are looking very heavily at ethical behavior. Of the values that make up an organization’s culture, ethical values are considered highly important for leaders and their followers and have gained a renewed emphasis in today’s era of financial scandals and moral lapses. While we may believe that there is a general or common understanding about ethics and integrity, we must remember that there is often much more ambiguity and confusion than is typically acknowledged. An individual’s understanding of ethical behavior may be influenced by life experiences and practices that may be considered acceptable in certain cultures and organizations. Leaders and followers may assume that those around them have the same understanding of ethics and integrity when they in fact have a different, even if subtle, set of rules and guidelines to which they ascribe. This is why, as a new person in the workforce is imperative for you to read the written code of conduct your company has available, which states their expectations. A many times used example would be if your employer, (or perspective employer) ask you if you have ever stolen from a company? Well, your first answer would be no; but is this really true? What about taking that paper clip home or eating a hamburger off the grill, or doing personal business on company time. These may well be examples of "stealing from your company," but based on your cultural background or value system, they may not seem to be. As a new employee to the organization you need to understand that ethics is the code of moral principles and values that governs the behavior of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong. Ethics sets standards as to what is good or bad in conduct and decision making. Many people believe that if you are not breaking the law, then you are behaving in an ethical manner, but ethics often goes far beyond the law. You should realize that the standards of ethical conduct are embodied within each employee as well as within the organization itself.

When asked by the FBI, during their raid at ENRON, "why did you do that" the answer was, "because everyone was doing it, I thought it was OK". Despite the best intentions, repeated cases of individual ethical failures are recurring features in the popular business press and academic journals. For all the positives found in character strengths and virtue, individuals have vulnerabilities and weaknesses. These vulnerabilities pose challenges for individuals. Individual fallibility and vulnerability can be addressed in an organizational culture based on respectful confrontation and honest feedback, but you as the new team member must embrace the company culture and learn to live within its boundaries. Remember the key characteristic of such cultures is that no one is above it! Hence there is a need for personal accountability.

All team members and especially new ones must read and understand their companies Codes of conduct as they will be what sets forth the expectations of organization for itself, its leaders, and its followers and should be embraced by and understood by all. Integrity must come first as the key characteristic of the best leaders and followers. New employees must work hard to find the correct understanding about ethical standards, human fallibility and conflict of interest.

So, remember, making yourself aware of these ethical perspectives can contribute to building a culture of ethical leadership and followership within which businesses do good while earning benefits for all concerned