LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Understand the difference between ethics and morals
• Understand the value of ethics
• Identify some of your values and moral principles
• Be familiar with some philosophical approaches to ethical decisions
• Identify some ways to improve ethics in your office
• Know what is required to start developing an office code of ethics
• Know some ways to avoid ethical dilemmas
• Have some tools to help you make better decisions
• Be familiar with some common ethical dilemmas

COURSE OVERVIEW & CONTENT:

“The measure of a company’s greatness is not its size, but its ethics.”

What exactly makes a decision ethical? The problem with ethics is that what may seem morally right (or ethical) to one person may seem appalling to another.

This workshop will not provide you with an easy way to solve every ethical decision you will ever have to make. It will, however, help you define your ethical framework to make solving those ethical dilemmas easier. We’ll also look at some tools that you can use when you’re faced with an ethical decision. And, we’ll look at some techniques you can use so you don’t get stuck in an ethical quandary. Best of all, we’ll look at a lot of case studies so that you can practice making decisions in a safe environment.

What are Ethics?

• Defining Ethics and Morals
  • What the Words “Ethics” and “Morals” Mean
• Values Identification
• Bringing It All Together

Taking Your Moral Temperature, Part One

• How to Respond to Some Sticky Situations

Why Bother with Ethics?

• The Payoffs of Ethical Behavior

Kohlberg’s Six Stages

• The Six Stages and Three Levels
  • Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development
• Identifying Stages

Some Objective Ways of Looking at the World

• An Introduction to Philosophy
• Applying Philosophical Approaches
  • The Golden Rule, Utilitarianism, and the Categorical Imperative

What Does Ethical Mean?

• Merck Pharmaceuticals
• Decision Analysis

Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas

• Some Easy Strategies
  • Ways to Avoid Getting Stuck in Ethical Dilemmas
• Case Studies

Pitfalls and Excuses

• The Most Common Reasons For Bad Decisions
• Thinking Points

Developing an Office Code of Ethics

• Are You Ready?
• Sample Codes of Ethics
• Your Code of Ethics

22 Keys to an Ethical Office

• Ethics Expert Nan DeMars
• The 22 Keys

Basic Decision Making Tools

• The Three-Phase Model
  • Problem Identification
  • Decision Making
  • Planning and Organizing
• The Problem Solving Toolkit

Ethical Decision Making Tools

• Types of Tools
  • Basic Tools
    • The Smell Test and the Shoe Test
  • Advanced Processes
    • The Potter Box and the Kidder Process
• Case Study

Dilemmas with Company Policy

• How to Act

Dilemmas with Co-Workers

• Potential Dilemmas
• Case Studies

Dilemmas with Clients

• Potential Dilemmas
• Role Play Some Possible Scenarios

Dilemmas and Supervisors

• Dilemmas with Your Supervisor
• Dilemmas as a Supervisor

What to Do When You Make a Mistake

• Let’s Face The Truth: We’re All Human
• Six-Step Plan for Recovering from Mistakes Gracefully

Taking Your Moral Temperature, Part Two

• Re-Evaluate Decisions