Ethics and ethical behavior can be taught, just as one can teach right and wrong to a child. A child without such an education is more likely to stumble into deviant behavior, and the same goes for an adult who is not trained in ethics and what constitutes ethical behavior. The whole point of Socrates’ teaching the youth of Athens was to train their minds and wills so that they can pursue the higher, nobler truths and live a life that aligned with the Good. Were ethics and ethical behavior incapable of being taught, Socrates would not have succeeded in laying the foundation of Western philosophy, his pupil Plato would not have succeeded in his school, and Aristotle would not have proceeded with his framework for virtue ethics and the school of character formation and education (Holyoke, Brown & LaPira, 2015).
Such education would help professionals to evaluate and respond to ethical dilemmas they encounter, but it would have to be more than just a one-day training exercise. To properly educate professional to respond ethically to problems they encounter, an ethical culture has to be put in class and ethical leadership is required, because the leaders are the ones who set the tone for behavior in the workplace...
When ethical leadership is used in a workplace, the beneficial effects on followers include an increase in ethical awareness, sensitivity to morality, and greater inclination to behave according to the ethical code promoted by and within the workplace culture. The point is that ethical behavior and ethical attitudes to workplace problems cannot be...…on ethical behavior will never become a problem. Professionals will appreciate the care and concern that their company shows for doing what is right and for making sure that everyone in the firm knows what it means to do what is right. People generally like to be held to high standards and to be accountable. It gives a sense of pride in one’s work and in one’s person. It is when companies demonstrate that they do not actually care about ethics—through their own actions and failures of leadership—that professionals begin to feel desensitized to it all. Too much lip service to ethic codes and not enough follow through will demoralize any worker and create a sense in the workplace culture that ethics do not matter and that ethical behavior is unrealistic.
References
Bedi, A., Alpaslan,…
