When we speak of corporate culture, we refer to the internal moral climate or character of organizations, the distinguishing features that make organizations what they are, that elicit from us a desire to associate ourselves more—or less—closely with them. We seek to identify in companies, agencies, schools and other organizations what Aristotle described as the characteristic spirit, the prevalent tone of sentiment, of a people or a community--its ethos. By understanding the ethos of organizations, we seek to be better leaders and managers, developing the skills to cultivate corporate environments that attract women and men of resonant integrity and intelligence that transform workplaces into communities of trust.
Featured Objects
Ethical Breakdowns and Unconscious Bias
1 Apr 2011
The April 2011 issue of the Harvard Business Review focuses on understanding and learning from failure. One article, " Good people often let bad things happen. Why?" by Max H. Bazerman and Ann E. Tenbrusel, features the five barriers to an ethical organization and confirms once again just how dangerous silence and hidden bias can be to corporations of any size.
Transparency and the Social Sector
28 Oct 2010
There is no doubt that greater transparency is coming to the independent or social sector — also known as the non-profit sector. But, meaningful openness and transparency are still not well understood even by those who proselytize their benefits.
Survey results - why have ethics programs?
29 Jan 2008
Prevent Misconduct? First, understand the causes: Why do companies spend so much time and money teaching their employees about laws, regulations and company policies? Is it because executives believe that serious misconduct is the result of ignorance of the rules? Or, is it because they want evidence with which to absolve themselves when employee misconduct occurs—it’s not their fault, they told employees the rules. Why do employees break the rules, anyway?
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