Tuesday, February 13, 1996

Tim C. Mazur, Vice president, Council for Ethics in

Economics

David C. Smith, President, Council for Ethics in

Economics

To fulfill its mission the Council for Ethics in Economics assembles ethically sensitive people from many professions and vocations. It also employs professionals in ethics, known as ethicists. What unique value or skills do ethicists offer? Two staff members, Dr. David C. Smith, Council president and moderator of this month's conversation, and Mr. Tim C. Mazur, Council vice president and the presenter, answered this question and otherwise strengthened the attendees' sense of how the Council pursues its mission.

Mr. Mazur began the program by addressing general questions about ethicists.

First, most ethicists earn their title via doctoral degrees, though some choose alternate paths, like Mazur, who earned a masters degree in business ethics and corporate social responsibility and then apprenticed under four ethicists over several years.

Second, most ethicists work in education as professors of philosophy, though some are scholars of other academic disciplines or fill entirely different jobs: corporate ethics officer, character educator (i.e., teaches ethics to youth), designated agency ethics officer (i.e., in the U.S.government), ombudsperson, etc.

Third, ethicists generally specialize in either theory (e.g., metaethicists) or applied ethics (e.g., bioethicists).

Mr. Mazur focused his presentation on applied ethicists given the context of the Council's work.

General answers aside, the question remained, Why does "ethicist" exist as a job? Mr. Mazur argued that any job exists because sufficient demand or need rises to warrant a new type of specialist. When considering the roles of doctor and software programmer, for example, we acknowledge that at some point in history there grew a need for highly trained medical specialists and a need for creative yet detail-oriented computer technologists, respectively. The same holds true for ethicists. Though philosophers have been around for thousands of years, the complexity of modern society has increased the number and weight of demands for applied ethicists. The result—substantial growth within this once-limited niche of philosophy.

Mr. Mazur organized these demands into three distinct, though related categories: 1) societal immaturity, 2) lack of moral consensus, and 3) complexity.

Social immaturity, he explained, reflects the fact that, while humanity has made great progress in its moral development since the days of cave dwellers clubbing one another, there is still room to mature and improve. Just as adolescence represents a significant opportunity for the moral development of teens, humanity's current state of adolescence represents opportunity to actively improve our understanding of morality.

This opportunity is the first reason why ethicists exist—to address the need to improve humanity's moral progress. While most ethicists pursue this goal in universities, the Council for Ethics in Economics works with businesses and other organizations to shape strategic planning and other elements of their organizational infrastructure. Mr. Mazur explained that, considering the percentage of waking hours people devote to their jobs, plus the extent to which workplaces shape our behavior (through raises, performance evaluations, etc.), businesses increasingly realize they can use their influence to help employees make better ethical decisions. From ethics audits to developmental training, the Council's ethicists help organizations leverage this influence positively.

Lack of moral consensus moves beyond cognitive development and simply acknowledges that too often people disagree with each other as to "the right thing to do" in a given situation. As we interact socially and make decisions day-to-day, this often-troubling presence of ethical conflict causes serious problems.

A specifice challenge related to this need results from the increasing use of self-managed work teams. Such teams represent excellent opportunities for employees to demonstrate leadership skills and raise productivity. Teamwork bogs down, though, when members with different opinions of ethics confront a problem to be solved consensually. In response to challenges like this, the Council offers to work with organizations to help teams identify lack of moral consensus and then develop a consistent outlook among team members.

Complexity is the third need. Tom Peters, a journalist and business consultant, openly identifies this need as the most pressing ethics challenge for the average working person. Efficiency is a strong value in our modern lives, especially at work. Whether it is preferring speakers who make their points concisely or rewarding employees who complete assignments yesterday, throughout our lives we are motivated to choose the path of least resistance.

Ethics, however, is complex. It stands as a facet of our lives that, like it or not, cannot be simplified easily. The process of optimally communicating this important, albeit complex concept is yet another call for an ethicist. The Council addresses this need by extracting the technical, philosophical language of applied ethics and supplying members and client organizations with clear, understandable information about values, guidelines, and the link between ethics and the law or compliance. In addition, Mr. Mazur concluded, by initiating dialogue among employees, managers, and other stakeholders, the Council empowers organizations to overcome complexity on their own.

Is it possible to have ethical behavior within a multinational organization where different standards exist? Dr. Smith responded that it it possible through the development of agreed-upon standards or through moral imperialism. Metaethicists are addressing the issue in attempts to determine the fundamental ethical principles (metanorms) across cultures, for instance the respect for human dignity.

A common thread throughout the presentation was the need for educational tools to: 1) promote understanding as we develop, 2) find consensus, 3) learn to navigate ethical complexity. It is argued that these tools if employed early, can help provide a common platform for human interaction, which is also the foundation for business interactions.

The presentation advanced a premise that individuals hold a vision or goal for "the good life." The question was raised about those who are non-ethical in their means to attain that goal. This was answered in the context of a business environment where it is important to agree on standards within the organization. In this context consequences and criteria for behavior can be estabished, as they are in the public arena where laws govern certain behaviors. Developing industry standards is a further measure toward providing a platform for ethical business.