The 2009 National Business Ethics Survey - Ethics Resource Center

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ERC also calculated an accountability index based on answers to a series ofsurvey questions related to responsibility in an organization. An accountablebusiness operation would be one that confronts mistakes or misconduct andestablishes a system – including discipline or dismissal – to prevent a recurrence.Accountability in business – combined inextricably with transparency– is the basis for consumer, employee and investor trust.Nearly 80 percent of the interviewees said they work in an environment where,in practice, employees at all levels are held accountable to company standards.Perceptions of Accountability for All Levels of Management (2009)50%40%30%20%10%41%38%13%7%©2009 Ethics Resource CenterStronglyAccountableSomewhatAccountableSomewhatUnaccountableStronglyUnaccountable24©2009 Ethics Resource Center
Interestingly, despite vast differences in disclosure externally, the 2009 NBESfound little difference in internal disclosure between publicly-traded and privately-heldorganizations on the questions of transparency and accountability.Principles of transparency and accountability are integral to ethical culture,which ERC describes as having four essential elements:Ethical leadership: leaders set the right “tone at the top” andmodel ethical culture as part of earning the trust of employeesSupervisor reinforcement: employees look to immediate supervisorsfor signs that the tone at the top is important and is takenseriouslyPeer commitment: peers talk about the importance of ethics andsupport one another in “doing the right thing”Embedded ethical values: a sense of “how we do things aroundhere” integrated into daily activitiesManagement that is open, informative and accountable sends a positive messageup and down the organization and affects perceptions in other areas, suchas executive compensation, that otherwise might be causes of discontent.©2009 Ethics Resource Center 25
Page 2 and 3: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-P
Page 5 and 6: Welcome to ERC’s 2009 National Bu
Page 7: MethodologySince 1994, the Ethics R
Page 12 and 13: Ethics in the RecessionThe Backgrou
Page 16 and 17: From its series of NBES surveys, ER
Page 18 and 19: Even when employees didn’t say th
Page 20 and 21: Not only perceptions of culture are
Page 22 and 23: To which ERC would add:establishes
Page 26 and 27: Executive CompensationAs some of th
Page 28 and 29: Similarly, the stronger the ethical
Page 30 and 31: We asked employees in areas of high
Page 32 and 33: Other Key FindingsThe following cha
Page 34 and 35: Poor product qualityStealingSexual
Page 36 and 37: Specific Forms of RetaliationFiftee
Page 38 and 39: Transparency and AccountabilityThe
Page 40 and 41: The Impact on Standards and Culture
Page 42 and 43: Establish performance goals for sen
Page 44 and 45: Start with management, especially i
Page 46 and 47: For more information, please contac
Page 48 and 49: Ask about our workplace ethics surv
Page 50: This report was made possible in pa

The 2009 National Business Ethics Survey - Ethics Resource Center

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