Is it safe to say that all organizations are expected act in an ethical manner when it comes to the legal, moral, and professional conduct related to the fulfillment of their professional responsibilities? Who wouldn’t answer YES to this question? Yet the truth 
is there are 3 components of bad behavior that when put together create the foundation of bad behavior. Once you recognize how those components work or come together, lives can be changed.
In my work as a professional ethics consultant and advocate, I have seen more examples of circumstances where good people, people that are well intentioned, make bad choices by taking one step on the slippery slope of unethical activity.
The process of making bad choices, unethical choices, begins with a simple almost thoughtless decision. How do I know? Well, I am living proof that good people can make some really bad choices and the consequences most certainly can be devastating. While not proud of this sentence, I have made unethical choices and spent time in federal prison as a result. So, suffice it to say, I know a thing or two about the simplicity of making one step on the slippery slope that can lead a person to choices that are life changing. When you combine the 3 components of bad behavior together you have a foundation for unethical and perhaps illegal choices.
The 3 Components of Bad Behavior
If you look at any ethical failure there are three components that always are present in some form or fashion. Need, Opportunity and Rationalization. If one component is missing the ethical lapse fails or you can’t stand on the three-legged stool. These three are the 3 Components of Bad Behavior!
Need. Described as perceived pressure that a person is experiencing, is the first and critical component of what motives a person to stray from ethical to unethical. Need may come in a variety of forms. Typically need is triggered by financial issues, relationship issues or health concerns. When life gets out of balance the NEED index rises dramatically.
Opportunity. It makes no difference what your need may be if you don’t have the opportunity to satisfy it then the unethical and potentially illegal choice fails. Without Opportunity there is no fuel for the potential unethical fire.
Rationalization. Need combined with opportunity provides a firm foundation, but the glue that holds unethical activity together is the ability to rationalize that what is wrong, is right. If you ask most people found guilty of unethical/illegal behavior, they will tell you they felt their actions were legitimate.
The mind can be tricky and when you combine need with opportunity, and can rationalize bad behavior as good, you have the perfect storm to move from ethical to unethical, and potential illegal, behavior.
Your Ethical Culture
Every organization needs to remember that the creation of an ethical culture is exemplified in the actual behavior and attitudes of all team members. The question is not so much whether you talk the talk (in policy documents, training materials or video or webinars), but whether you walk the walk.
From a business ethics perspective, do you want to create a culture of ethical behavior in your organization? It’s easy if you think about it. When you start by understanding how good people make bad choices, and follow it with an effective ethics-training program that reinforces ethical choices and accountability, you have a recipe for success. Every choice has a consequence. What choices do you make for your organization to help keep your most valuable assets between the ethical lines?
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
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Chuck Gallagher is a business ethics author, speaker and thought leader. You can find information about his programs at https://www.chuckgallagher.com or contact him at https://www.chuckgallagher.com/contact/
Do the right thing and the right things happen. Veer off course and the road to success in business and life can get rather bumpy and even worse can lead one down a dead end street.
Giving yourself time to think about the road to success that your on can help you know where you are on that path and allows you to get back on track if you have veered off course.
Doing the right thing is harder initally, but in the long run it leaves your character in tact. Doing the wrong thing is easier, a simplier fix, but it can haunt you and you know what they say about Karma!
It’s sad that good people get in trouble because of a monetary situation.
Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing to do.