2017 Goals

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2017 goalsBy Adam Turteltaub
adam.turteltaub@corporatecompliance.org

Most organizations have probably set their 2017 goals by now.  They typically include things like x% growth and y% improvement in profitability.

I’m pretty sure none, though, included being z% more ethical or a% more compliant.

Now, part of that is understandable.  How do you measure an increase in ethics?  An increase in compliance might be measured as a decrease in known incidents, but that’s just known incidents.  Typically it takes awhile for things to emerge.  A good year from a compliance perspective may turn out to have been horrible a few years later when the scandal finally emerges.

Despite these difficulties, it’s not impossible for organizations to aim higher in compliance and ethics.  They can start by asking, “What aren’t we getting right now?”  And then start laying some goals out for improving the deficient areas.

They can also look a little to the future and ask, “What are the public, press, and regulators likely to expect more of from us in terms of our behavior?”

Social expectations change over time.  Workplace deaths were just a fact of life until people said, no, workers should be protected.  Child labor was acceptable, then it wasn’t.  Discrimination was acceptable but no more.

Looking to the future and asking how we can act more ethically and more compliant may be more difficult than setting a sales target, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. One might also use Helpline anonymity rates, as an example, to help measure ethical culture. Let’s say that in 2016, 80% of reporters did so anonymously. The reasons one might report anonymously can equate to culture as they likely do so because they may fear retaliation; have little faith in the process; feel their report will not be handled confidentially; fear that is substantiated nothing will really be done; etc. These are all factors in an ethical culture and a strong (or not so strong) E&C program. So, a goal to bring this percentage down may be a realistic example of shooting for and measuring an increase in ethics/ethical culture.

  2. A much solid and closer relationship between the leadership and the workforce of any organization is a sure way of minimizing workplace malpractices and strengthening ethical and compliance values, simply put leaders and workforce must see themselves as friends and partners first, and must do more to share common ideologies and personal values even outside the workplace .

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