Roles, Responsibilities, and Shortcomings of Codes of Ethics

Writing about the engineering field, Michael Davis suggests that codes of ethics play a number of key roles in a profession. By guiding individual behavior, they prevent misbehaviors that would harm other people – or the profession itself. By setting a standard for acceptable ethical behavior in a profession, codes of ethics allow other members of the profession to determine when an individual is acting unethically and take steps accordingly in order to protect the reputation of the profession. Finally, Davis suggests that a robust code of ethics actually helps define a profession by clearly outlining what ethical practitioners do, and do not do, in their jobs.

Research on codes of ethics in practice has shown that the implementation of these codes as a tool can be as complex as the ethical dilemmas themselves. In 2001, summarizing 19 prior research articles about the effectiveness of codes of ethics, Schwartz noted that not even half (8) of them showed a significant impact on ethical behavior. Nine of the studies showed no significant relationship at all between a company’s code of ethics and the ethical behavior of its employees.

Employees’ response to (and potentially their use of) codes of ethics may be influenced by their perception of the code’s role in guiding behavior, and Schwartz suggests eight metaphors for how people might understand the code of ethics – rule-book, signpost, mirror, magnifying glass, shield, smoke detector, fire alarm, or club. These differing concepts of the role of a code of ethics can cause confusion or miscommunication between management and employees. For instance, management may expect employees to read the code and follow it literally as one would a rule-book, while some employees may see a code of ethics as more of a general signpost for behavior or, quite differently, a smoke detector or fire alarm to identify and address unethical practices.

This potential mismatch in perceptions of the code of ethics and its role in the institution makes it vital that the reasons for the code be communicated effectively and its ideals and values be embedded within the culture of the organization. Communication also plays an important role in ensuring that employees are aware of the code’s existence and what it entails. Employees who know about the company’s code of ethics not only tend to act more ethically but also tend to perceive the employer in a more positive light, especially if management and key company leaders are vocal in their support of the code.