• Setting a good example;
• Keeping promises and commitments; and
• Supporting others in adhering to ethics standard

These findings come from new research released by the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) and Working Values, Ltd. The report, “Critical Elements of an Organizational Ethical Culture,” results from a collaboration between the ERC and Working Values. The report builds on the ERC’s 2005 National Business Ethics Survey (NBES), which measured ethical culture by asking employees if management and co-workers demonstrated various “ethics-related actions” (ERAs) in the workplace.

“These findings tell us that actions speak louder than words. To create a positive ethical culture, management needs to make sure that employees see their superiors and peers demonstrating ethical behavior in the work they do and decisions they make every day,” said Patricia J. Harned, PhD, president of the Ethics Resource Center.

The Ethics Resource Center (ERC) is a private, non-profit organization devoted to independent research and the advancement of high ethical standards and practices in public and private institutions.