Module 3 – Case
Company’s Ethics Code
Competition is stiff in the modern business world. Organizations are striving to have a competitive edge over their rivals to realize high performance and become successful. Organizations that follow ethical guidelines in their operations have a competitive advantage over their competitors. The organizations also manage to avoid ethical violations that may jeopardize their operations and effectiveness in realizing their missions and objectives. Consequently, as observed through Lockheed Martin, business companies dedicate a lot of effort and resources in developing and implementing organizational ethics program to be successful. In a bid to ensure effective ethics program implementation, Lockheed Martin trained and involved all employees and monitored the progress and success of the program. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
- Importance Code to a Company’s Ethics Program
A code is crucial to a company that intends to act ethically. Terris (2013), on page 83, highlights various essential aspects of a company’s ethics program. Notably, Lockheed’s code of ethics serves as a guideline regarding the company’s expectations from individuals such as its employees, agents, contract laborers, and members of the Board of Directors when they represent its interests. In particular, the code specifies that the company’s representatives have to conduct themselves ethically to uphold its reputations.
Also, the code points out the values that the company adheres to and the standards that it sets to ensure that it acts according to its clients and public expectations. Specifically, Lockheed’s code of ethics outlines the rules, values, and responsibilities that employees should follow when relating to the public and environment. The law also specifies how employees should interact among themselves, such as avoiding offensive language, physical and physical harassment, and bribery. The code of ethics also highlights the repercussions of violating the expectations set by the company. Prominently, acting contrary to the established guidelines tarnishes a company’s reputation and consequently affects its competitive edge. The code cautions that unethical individuals are liable to punishment.
- Importance of Ethics Training and Employee Involvement
Besides outlining how employees should act to comply with guidelines set in a code of ethics in the form of writing, training them is crucial. Importantly, ethics training helps in ensuring that employees have the necessary skills, understanding, and knowledge to anticipate and tackle ethical challenges. Also, the program provides employees with a chance to think about ethical issues and repercussions of violating ethical guidelines, thereby working towards avoiding them. Notably, through training, employees can make moral decisions and use the most effective judgment when addressing issues in their respective workplaces. The program is also crucial as it enables employees to be responsible, more productive, and essential contributors to the development and success of the company.
Besides, ethics training facilitates employees’ adoption of a company’s culture and remaining focused on realizing set organizational goals. The ethical practice also helps in ensuring order in the workplace. Importantly, it facilitates the development of a good employer-employee relationship. Consequently, it helps in enhancing cooperation and delegation of duties. When there is trust, trustfulness, and truthfulness between employers and employees, a company manages to perform efficiently and realize its goals.
Ethical training has to involve all employees to be successful and achieve expected outcomes. Notably, a company can conduct its activities ethically when all workers have the necessary skills, knowledge, and understanding to suppress unethical behaviors. Involving all employees in the training programs also helps a company to develop an ethical culture. Prominently, all employees acquire knowledge regarding the expectations of the company in following a moral guideline.
An ethical program has to involve aspects that make it exciting and engaging to employees. Lockheed’s training program includes elements like visual appeals to make it enjoyable. In particular, it contains videos with well-known actors that the employees can relate with, and consequently, they can accept the presented skills and knowledge. Besides, the program changes its formats each year to improve and make it more engaging. Notably, over the years, the program has advanced from names like “Trust Building” to “Ethics Daily.”
- Strategies that Lockheed Uses to Measure Success Concerning Ethics in the Workplace
Lockheed uses various approaches to determine the success of ethics in the workplace. In assessing the efficacy of the training program, the company makes it simple and measurable. Prominently, the company determines whether the code of ethics has been successful by not only measuring how employees acquire the intended skills but also by how they effectively respond to it. The company considers a program successful when employees apply the knowledge and skills that they learn in the workplace. Aspects like the absence of cases of unethical behavior in the workplace in a given year prove that the program has been successful.
Also, the company determines its success by measuring the company’s performance and profits. It is worth noting that ethical behavior directly connects to the success and realization of increased sales. Specifically, a company is likely to perform better, realize higher profits, and become more prosperous when employees and representatives act ethically. Higher earnings at Lockheed portrays that the workplace has been ethical.
- Activities that Lockheed Does to Ensure Its Ethics Program Works at the Operational Level
The success of an ethical program necessitates the cooperation of all employees and departments in the workplace. Lockheed ensures that there are productive relationships in every part of the organization. At the operational level, the company ensures that all employees adapt to the culture of the organization. As explained earlier, the company is involved in extensive training of its employees to provide them with the appropriate skills to respond to dilemmas and make the most ethical decisions when interacting with clients and among themselves. The company is also keen on how it handles new employees. According to Terris (2013), before new employees are assigned new roles in the workplace, the company ensures that they are aware of its expectations regarding behaving ethically. In particular, Lockheed has an ethics orientation program that equips new employees with knowledge and skills to handle different ethical issues.
Summing up, it is worth noting that a code of ethics is a crucial document to an organization. The material helps a business organization to follow ethical guidelines when carrying out its operations. Lockheed is keen on ensuring that it acts ethically to realize high performance. It carries out activities like training employees through effective programs to ensure that they are in a position to respond to ethical issues. Also, the company is keen on measuring the success of its ethics program to ensure all people have the skills and knowledge to act ethically. At the operational level, Lockheed engages new employees in orientation programs to ensure they adapt to the company’s ethical culture.
References
Terris, D. (2013). Ethics at work: Creating virtue in an American corporation. Brandeis University Press.