GEORGIA TECH BASIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COURSE
46th Annual Course – Atlanta, Georgia
March 14, 2013
THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPER’S
PROFESSIONAL CODE OF ETHICS
THE IMPACT OF OUR PROFESSION
“The economic development profession has one of the most profound impacts on human
life and highly effective EDOs can help author those impacts.”
- IEDC
HIGH PERFORMING EDOs
Results Scorecard
TOP THREE WEIGHTED SCORE
1. EDO obeys laws and regulations 4.7
2. EDO demonstrates high standards and ethics 4.7
3. EDO has positive impact on community’s development 4.6
Source: 2009 Benchmarking Excellence Among Accredited Economic Development Organizations Survey conducted by Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute in partnership with IEDC.
CRITICAL QUESTIONS
FOR ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH
1. Why do we exist?
2. How do we behave?
3. What do we do?
4. How will we succeed?
5. What is most important, right now?
6. Who must do what?
Source: Patrick Lencioni, “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything
Else in Business.”
DEFINING “RIGHT”…
“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do
and what is right to do.”
- Potter Stewart
THE CALL FOR LEADERSHIP
“Management is doing things right.
Leadership is doing the right thing.”
- Peter Drucker
THE CALL FOR LEADERSHIP
“Building community…true community can be
created among those who work in businesses
and other institutions.”
- Larry Spears
AN INVENTOR’S STORY
“I‘m inventing something new…”
- Mike, 2013
ABOUT ETHICS
Ethics = Upholding higher standards of conduct than
simply adhering to the law.
• Reflected in the choices people make in ordinary (and
extraordinary) decisions in day-to-day life.
• Often impacted by personal and professional values.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ETHICS SURVEY
Bad News
• Misconduct across government high. Nearly 6-in-10 employees saw at least one form of misconduct in past 12 months.
• 57% state employees
• 63% local employees
• Over half of federal employees
• 30% of misconduct unreported to management
• One-in-four employees worked in environments conducive to misconduct.
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2007 Survey published in 2008
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ETHICS SURVEY
Good News
• More than 8-in-10 employees said they feel prepared to handle situations inviting misconduct.
• 70% of government workers who observed misconduct reported it to management.
• When a well-implemented ethics and compliance program and a strong ethical culture are in place, misconduct dropped by 60% and reporting rose by 40%.
Government’s risk of losing public trust can be mitigated.
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2007 Survey published in 2008
NATIONAL NONPROFIT ETHICS SURVEY
Bad News
• Conduct that violates the law or organizational
standards rose and reached levels comparable to
business and government organizations in 2007.
• Financial fraud higher among nonprofits than business
and government.
• Boards not taking advantage of their ability to set clear
ethics standards for their nonprofits.
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2007 Survey published in 2008
NATIONAL NONPROFIT ETHICS SURVEY
Good News
• Nonprofits exhibit stronger ethical cultures and greater alignment of employees’ personal values with the missions and values of their organizations.
• Nonprofit employees who exhibit ethical courage and report misconduct are less likely to experience retaliation than employees in other sectors.
• The best possible example of a difference a well-implemented ethics program and strong culture can make.
• Misconduct dropped to nearly 0 percent; 100 percent of employees reported situation to management.
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2007 Survey published in 2008
NATIONAL BUSINESS ETHICS SURVEY
Bad News
• Retaliation against whistleblowers rose sharply since 2007. More than one-in-five employees (22 percent) who reported misconduct say they experienced some form of retaliation.
• Percentage of employees who received pressure to compromise standards in order to do their jobs increased to 13 percent.
• Share of companies with weak ethics cultures climbed to 42 percent, up from 35 percent in 2009.
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2011 Survey published in 2012
NATIONAL BUSINESS ETHICS SURVEY
Good News
• Percentage of employees who witnessed misconduct at
work fell to new low of 45 percent since 1994.
• Those who reported bad behavior they saw reached a
record high of 65 percent.
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2011 Survey, published in 2012
REASONS FOR UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR
• Pressure to perform
• Pressure from peers
• Lack of understanding of consequences for one’s actions
• Uncharted territory
• Personal loyalties
• Lack of long term perspective or failure to see it at the time
• Personal costs for doing the right thing may be too high
• Poor judgment
• Lack of clear understanding of expected organizational/professional code of
conduct
• Improper and/or inadequate training
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011
HUMANS
MAKE
MISTAKES
What Can You Do?
PROMOTING AN ETHICAL CULTURE
ETHICAL CULTURE VS. CLIMATE?
Culture
• Teaches employees whether doing the right thing matters.
• Makes doing what is right expected.
• Includes formal ethics program elements, reward and
punishment systems, and organizational myths.
Climate
• Reflects “collective personality” of organization (ethics-
related attitudes, perceptions, decision-making processes).
Source: Ethics & Compliance Officer Association, 2007
IMPACT OF ETHICAL CULTURE VS. CLIMATE
• Employees’ organizational commitment
• Employee satisfaction
• Rates of misconduct
• Employees’ perception of leadership
• Employee performance
• Organization’s expenses
Source: Ethics & Compliance Officer Association, 2007
ETHICAL CULTURE METRICS
• Ethical leadership – tone at the top.
• Supervisor reinforcement of ethical behavior.
• Peer commitment – supporting one another in doing
right.
2011 survey of businesses reveals employees losing
confidence in senior leadership and supervisors…
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2012
THE CALL FOR LEADERSHIP
“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s
performance to a higher standard.”
- Peter Drucker
TOP CHARACTERISTICS OF ADMIRED LEADERS
• Honest (85%)
• Forward-looking (70%)
• Inspiring (69%)
• Competent (64%)
Honesty is the number one trait of admired leaders around the
world: U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea, Malaysia,
Mexico, Phillipines, South America, United Arab Emirates.
Source: James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, “Credibility Matters.”
5 LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU REPRESENT.
People follow because of what you have done for them.
People follow because of what you have done for the organization.
People follow you because they want to.
People follow you because they have to.
Source: John Maxwell, “The 5 Levels of Leadership.”
WHAT’S A LEADER TO DO?
• Walk the walk
• Keep people in the loop
• Encourage thoughtful dissent
• Show them that you care
• Don’t sweep problems under the rug
• Celebrate the successes
• Be fair
• Make ethics a priority
• Make the tough calls
• Get the right people, and keep them
Source: Ethics & Compliance Officer Association, 2007
12 STEPS TO ETHICAL LEADERSHIP
1. Hold yourself to a higher standard than is required.
2. Openly share information.
3. Stay out of politics.
4. Keep your word.
5. Don’t accept or solicit gifts.
6. Tell the truth, and take care to be accurate.
7. Remember the powerless.
8. Keep improving your knowledge and skills, and generate a learning environment for your organization.
9. Use fairness and merit in all personnel actions.
10. Treat your colleagues with respect and courtesy.
11. Ask for advice, and encourage your staff to ask for advice.
12. Share your passion for public service and its stewardship responsibilities.
Source: International City/County Management Association, 2005
DEFINING ETHICS
• Is it legal?
• Does it violate the spirit of the law?
• Does it comply with our rules and regulations?
• Is it consistent with our organizational values?
• Does it match our stated commitments?
• Am I the only primary beneficiary?
• Will I feel okay and guilt free if I do this?
• Is bias or emotion clouding my judgment?
• Would I do it to my family and friends (or myself)?
• Would the most ethical person I know do this?
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011,
quoting the International City/County Management Association
ADOPTING AN ETHICS POLICY: WHAT TO DO
1. Clearly establish organizational values.
2. Integrate them into operations and provide support systems for
upholding the values.
3. Promote them through effective communication with the
members, outside stakeholders, media, general public, etc.
4. Connect them with policies and decision making processes.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011
PROMOTING ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
• Adopt a written code of conduct.
• Develop written policies and procedures for investigation.
Code of Conduct
• Involve the staff.
• Be a role model.
• Provide incentives for ethical behavior.
Ethics Education
• Have regular discussions, debates and seminars.
• Conduct role plays with real life situations.
Performance Assessment
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011
PROMOTING ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Source: Ethics & Compliance Officer Association, 2007
Performance Evaluations
Baseline Assessment
Regular Re-Assessment
and Benchmarking
7-STEP CHECKLIST
TO DEAL WITH ETHICAL DILEMNA
1. Recognize and clarify the predicament.
2. Gather all the essential facts.
3. List all of your options.
4. Analyze each option by asking yourself: Is it legal? Is it right? Is it
beneficial? Who benefits? Who may be adversely affected and how?
5. Draw your conclusions, and make your decision.
6. Double-check your decision by asking yourself: “How would I feel if my peers
and superiors found out about this? How would I feel if my decision was
made public by the media? How would I feel telling my parents or children
about it?
7. Take action.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011
DEVELOPING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CODE OF
ETHICS
1. Find a champion.
2. Engage legal counsel.
3. Form an ethics task force / committee.
4. Draft a policy.
5. Present draft policy to board/city council.
6. Repeat previous steps as necessary.
7. Publish, train staff and implement.
8. Revisit the code and revise as necessary.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2011
COMMON ETHIC CODE PROVISIONS
Employment Practices
• Workplace harassment
• Equal opportunity
• Diversity
• Fair treatment of staff
• Work-family balance
• Discrimination
• Illegal drugs and alcohol
• Use of organization property
• Proper exercise of authority
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2011
COMMON ETHIC CODE PROVISIONS
Employee, Client, and Vendor Information
• Maintaining records and information
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Disclosure of information
Public Information / Communications
• Advertising and marketing
• Development and fundraising
• Clarity of information
• Access to information
• Transparency of information
• Use of social networking / social media
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2011
COMMON ETHIC CODE PROVISIONS
Conflicts of Interest
• Gifts and gratuities
• Political activity
• Outside employment
• Family members
• Volunteer activities
• Disclosure of financial interests
Relationship with Vendors
• Procurement
• Negotiating contracts
Source: Ethics Resource Center, 2011
The Gold Standard for Professional Conduct in
the Economic Development Profession
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
• 2008: IEDC adopted the Code of Ethics for the economic development profession.
• 2009: IEDC Ethics Task Force conducted research on best practices (APA, ICMA) on policies, procedures, and related financial matters.
• 2010: IEDC staff developed ethics curriculum; initial training sessions offered at IEDC courses and conferences.
• 2011: Georgia Tech Basic Economic Development Course’s first annual offering of a session focused on ethics.
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
1. Carry out responsibilities in a manner to bring
respect to the profession, the economic developer,
and the economic developer’s constituencies.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
2. Practice with integrity, honesty, and adherence to
the trust placed in you both in fact and
appearance.
• Authority: Who is accountable for what
responsibilities?
• Purpose: What is my intent?
• Principles: What do I stand for?
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
3. Hold free of any interest, influence, or relationship in respect to any professional activity when dealing with clients which could impair professional judgment or objectivity – or which in the reasonable view of the observer, has that effect.
• Impartiality
• Intellectual honesty
• Disclosure of conflict of interests
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
4. Be mindful that you are representatives of the
community and shall represent the overall
community interest.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
5. Keep the community, elected officials, boards, and
other stakeholders informed about the progress
and efforts of the area’s economic development
program.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
6. Maintain in confidence the affairs of any client,
colleague, or organization and do not disclose
confidential information obtained in the course of
professional activities.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
7. Openly share information with the governing body
according to protocols established by that body.
Such protocols shall be disclosed to clients and
the public.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
8. Cooperate with peers to the betterment of
economic development technique, ability, and
practice.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
9. Assure that all economic development activities
are conducted with equality of opportunity for all
segments of the community without regard to
race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national
origin, political affiliation, disability, age, or marital
status.
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
THE IEDC CODE OF ETHICS
10. Abide by the principles in this code and comply
with the rules of professional conduct…
Act ethically Support peers
Behave respectfully Ensure quality
Teach effectively Provide opportunities
Assess fairly Learn willingly
Act professionally Think broadly
Solicit feedback
Source: International Economic Development Council, 2008, 2011
WHY BE GOOD…
WHEN YOU CAN BE GREAT…
“Good-to-great transformations never happened in one fell swoop…
Sustained great results depend upon building a culture of self-disciplined people who
take disciplined action…”
- Jim Collins
THANK YOU…
Joy Wilkins, CEcD
The University of Georgia SBDC
Phone: 404-895-6115
Email: [email protected]