To identify the relevant elements that should be included in the code of conduct, it is necessary to form a multidisciplinary and cross-functional team that will gather the relevant information that should be included in the code. The team identifies and evaluates the values depicted in the mission and vision statements of the merged company that become the focal point during the brainstorming sessions. The team also examines sample codes from successful entities in the industry to enrich their insights and ideas.
The adoption of an inclusive and collaborative process is vital in ensuring vital areas of consideration are addressed in the code of conduct. Some of the key areas include issues of conflicts of interest, fraud, confidentiality, integrity, and discrimination and vendor relations amongst others (Brinkmann & Ims, 2013). Also, the use of a cross-functional team is vital in ensuring inclusiveness and ownership of the final code of conduct by employees at all levels in the company.
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The process should involve internal and external stakeholders like employees at all levels, management professionals and representatives of suppliers and customers. Employees can also be represented by their departmental heads or team leaders at the department levels. The involvement of internal and external stakeholders is necessary in ensuring the code is understood and representative of the views and opinions of the stakeholders. It also facilitates the willingness of the stakeholders to abide by the code as their involvement makes the code representative of the most pertinent issues relating to the organization.
One of the roles of leadership is communicating and emphasizing the need for the adoption of ethical standards of conduct in the organization and the value of the standards in enhancing the corporate image and reputation of the business. The leadership must engage in collaborative decision-making with the members of the team and passionately communicate the need and benefits of ethical values in the organization. It makes the team members passionate in ensuring values that are meaningful to the organization are reflected in the code of conduct. The leadership must also adopt transformative leadership style and act as role models and motivate the stakeholders involved in the process of developing the code of conduct. The adoption of transformative leadership style is crucial in enhancing the understanding of the need for the code of conduct.
To ensure long-term awareness of and compliance with the code of conduct, the organization should formally introduce the code of conduct to its stakeholders through a launch meeting or conference. The organizational stakeholders should then get a copy of the code. Also, the code of conduct should be integrated in the orientation packages for new employees to ensure awareness and compliance.
Other educational resources should be provided such as newsletters, emails to employees and placement of notices on notice boards containing supplementary information on the code of conduct. The availability of diverse information enhances the recall rates of the major provisions of the code of conduct thereby guaranteeing compliance. It is also necessary to train employees on the best approaches to comply with the requirements of the code. For instance, the teaching can entail use of diverse training methods such as simulating scenarios, case studies and ethical dilemmas that employees are required to resolve using the provisions of the code.
An area that requires additional information is to understand the practicalities of the business to ensure the code of conduct aligns with such practicalities. To understand the practicalities, it is necessary to have an understanding of the various ethical malpractices previously witnessed in the organization and how the management dealt with the issues (Ferrell, Hartline & McDaniel, 2014). Employees must be assured on the consistent application of standards and any acts of leniency and complacency by the management in the past must be addressed.
References
Brinkmann, J. & Ims, K. (2013). Good intentions aside: Drafting a functionalist look at codes of ethics. Business Ethics: A European Review, 12 (3): 265-274.
Ferrell, O., Hartline, M. & McDaniel, S. (2014).Codes of ethics among corporate research departments, marketing research firms, and data subcontractors: An examination of a three-community metaphor. Journal of Business Ethics, 17 (5): 503-516.
