Code of Ethics
Organizations that are serious with ethics must proactively engage an ethical culture that will guide employee actions and decisions. Cultures express the formal and informal organizational systems which are consistent with the image that they portray. They should be embraced by the top management so that other workers emulate suite and the customers get what is a depiction from the culture. Adhering to the culture of an organization is also likely to eliminate any problems between the management and the employees and even between the management and the stakeholders. Sometimes companies go for outsourcing for the professional ethics of their company and this is encouraged as it brings forthwith positive criticism for advancement and free of biasness.
The only way that we can evaluate if the culture is aligned to support ethical behavior is to conduct a comprehensive audit of all the relevant aspects of the ethical culture. If the criticism aspects of the current culture are not aligned to support ethical behavior, and the goal of this is to support ethical behavior, and the goal is to produce consistent ethical conduct, then the culture must change.
Culture
Anthropologists have defined culture as a body of learned beliefs, traditions and guides for behavior shared among members of a society or a group. The idea of a combining culture has been found very useful for people who are working together because it displays shared assumptions, values and beliefs alongside working as social glue binding the organization together. The culture of an organization is manifested in multifaceted activities which may include norms, physical settings, and modes of dress, special language, myths, rituals, heroes and stories.
Organizational ethics can be strong or weak, and strong ethics has guidelines which are shared by all and provide a common direction for day to day behavior. In a set up which has weak ethics, the cultures within the divisions or departments are more likely to guide behavior. For example in many public universities we have weak cultures as the students and the teaching staff tend to embrace the cultures of the department more than what the university requires. It is not that the two cultures complement each other but each department might be having principles that are supposed to be adhered to in order to appraise all the professional requirements. In some situations weak cultures are desirable as they will allow for strong subcultures with diversity of thought and action. Nevertheless, in a weak culture behavioral consistency is impossible to achieve.
Employees in any organization are made aware of the organizations culture through the process of enculturation or socialization. Through socialization the employees are likely to know of the inherent values that are upheld by the other employees and exercise the same. This can be through mentoring or through formal training and at times through informal transmission of norms by peers and superiors. When effectively socialized, employees will be consistent with the cultural expectations hence have knowledge in them of dressing, of talking and when, and their actions.
Code of ethics of National association of workers (NASW)
The primary role of NASW is to see enhance human wellbeing and help people meet their basic human needs of all people with a particular attention to the needs and seeking to empower those who are vulnerable, oppressed or living in poverty conditions. They have a mission to change the living conditions of every human in any circumstance that one is likely to find himself or herself in. it seeks to enhance the capacity of people to address their own issues and promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities and other social organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals needs and social at large.
In executing their daily activities the social workers meet a lot of problems as they meet with a lot of people from multifaceted cultures and also having different believes. It is for this reason that the group must engage in a culture that is beneficial for everyone and one which is likely to have positive impact in the problems that they meet daily in the course of executing activities related to their job requirements. There are many instances in social work when we dont have answers to resolve complex ethical issues and their calls for the ethical decision making process. All workers of NASW must take into consideration all the values, principles and standards according to the guiding code because there are situations that will warrant that the code of ethics is put into practice and have consistency with the decisions reached at.
Problem solving with aid of code of ethics
Employees are not just organizational drones but individuals who are concerned with their relationships and their personal reputations. In any social work an employees success is measured by ones ability to work with others effectively. Trust between the employees and to their clients is what greases the wheels of working relationships with peers across all the departments and on project teams. A reputation of being difficult or hard to work with in social work, dishonest or even mean often catches up with coworkers to withhold important information and promotions to go to others.
It is not every societal expectation that has been codified into law and if that was to be the case then the society would have been the worst place to stay in. ethical responsibilities encompass the more general responsibility to do what is good to avoid harm. For example in NASW there are some actions which depict that the organization goes beyond the legal requirements to meet what the workers perceive as ethical responsibilities. Some of the employees in the public relations department stay on the website to develop a comprehensive code of conduct to ensure the organizations workers anywhere in the world are safe treated with dignity and with a lot of respect. It can be costly sometimes to anticipate the societal expectations about what is ethical but though constant interaction with people from the web, the organization is free to know what its clients expect.
Social workers and ethical considerations to responsibilities
The social workers are supposed to show commitment to customers because their interests are core to what they are supposed to execute. Conversely, sometimes the legal obligations of the society sometimes supersede the loyalty owned by clients for example when a client has abused a child. In this case the social worker will be guided by the cultural practices that the society believes in that a child is not supposed to be abused and take legal action towards the case. The parent might have been punishing the child and we have to ignore the fact that the child belongs to the parent and help the situation out.
Social workers are supposed to promote the right of self determination of the clients in their efforts to pursuing their goals. However sometimes they are forced to tamper with the right of self determination for the betterment of achieving the cultural practices of a community when an action being taken by an individual seems to pose a serious foreseeable risk to self and others. For example when a person threatens to commit suicide this might be for personal convenience but the implications of the case might be heavy to bear for self and the family. Therefore social workers are under obligation to prevent the same.
Social workers are supposed to provide professional services to clients using the appropriate language. They are supposed to form a rapport with their clients before informing them of the purpose of the services they are offering and even the risks involved in executing the activities. They are supposed to provide the financial expenses which are involved and further give the clients an opportunity to respond either positively or negatively and take criticism positively. Where the clients are illiterate or the there is language aphasia then the social worker should look for a non partisan interpreter to see to it that consensus is arrived at between the client and the social worker.
Clash of culture
Unlike the culture of an organization, social workers work in a multifaceted environment with multifaceted cultures. This is where a clash of cultures is likely to breed a problem. The management or the group leaders at ground level are supposed to take charge when cultures clash. The leaders have the vision of the company at hand and are supposed to come up with the best decision ever to make sure that whatever is reached at is ethical and above all is not going to bring war (Carol, 1989).
For example in NASW the workers are not supposed to have any sexual relationship either consensual or forced with clients or other employees. It is normal that people fall in love, but it is a breach of the organizations constitution if two employees decide to get married. One of them should be transferred to a different location or look for a different job. This is done to minimize family problems being carried to the place of work. In cases like the one above, the management is forced to have their employee choose from the two options fore mentioned.
Therefore it is the sole job of the management and group leaders to see to it that the ethical code of conduct is within the finger tips of the employees, it is being adhered to, and if there is any anomaly it is responded to in the most appropriate way possible. The management is supposed to act as role models to the juniors to follow suite more so on matters of corruption and immorality (Boatright, 1993). If a member of the management is suspected with any malicious allegations over any scandal that is likely to tarnish the reputation of NASW then the member steps aside for investigations to take lace and if found guilty then very stern legal actions take place to bring justice to the organization.
The management is also used to manipulate the ethics of an organization in very many ways. They can help to maintain the current code or they can change it by articulating a vision, by paying attention to, by measuring and controlling certain things, by making critical policy decisions by recruiting hiring and training personnel who fit the vision of NASW, and by holding people accountable of their own actions.
Sometimes new leaders can change the corporate culture of an organization. John Burdens, the retired CEO of NASW said the formerly said bureaucratic culture of NASW into a lean and highly competitive organization. He did it by clearly articulating his vision that the new NASW would be number one in meeting the demands of the employees and the clients in the world. Formerly to his tenure employees were attracted to NASW because of job security. However, for burdens he encouraged competitiveness, risk taking, creativity, self confidence, and dynamism. He recruited managers who were in line with the vision of NASW and together as a group they got the reputation of NASW where it is at the moment.
Burdens also put emphasis on identifying and eliminating unproductive work in the organization. He instructed the managers that he recruited to eliminate reports, reviews and put more emphasis on speed decision cycles and to disburse information more quickly through the organization by eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic layer.
His successor Michael Joseph as from 2006 has changed the culture to suite his vision. He focuses on execution growth, great people and virtue as well as dignity. This has taken NASW a notch higher as no changes were made to the top management and the values inculcated by burdens were not dealt away with but reinforced with a new strength on the fore mentioned three factors of main concern.
Conclusion
It is evident therefore that leadership presents an important ingredient of an organizations ethical culture as integrity flows from the top downwards and the employees take their cues to the messages sent by those in the formal leadership roles. The senior executives are supposed to develop a reputation for ethical leadership by being visible on ethical issues.
An effort aimed at changing organizational ethics requires us to face a particularly knotty ethical dilemma. All members all the time should be devoted to see to it that ethical issues are adhered to and when issues emerge that are contrary to the ethical issues of an organization then the management should advice on the best decision to undertake (Boatright, 1993). A change effort that involves employees is not manipulative or coercive and is most consistent with a concern for the ethics of change effort itself. All employees should participate in the problem diagnosis and planning process. All employees once again should be aware of what is happening and should take part in identifying problems and recommended solutions. Also in consideration wit NASW all social workers should work to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status or mental or physical inability.
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