Ethics: Practical Solutions to Cross-Cultural Issues

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Short Description

A difference in moral principles, or ethics, frequently causes conflicts between organizations in different countries. Informed by ethics teaching experiences in Asia and the U.S., as well as business practices in Asian, European, and North American corporations, this workshop will provide participants with an informative, firsthand experience in managing cross-cultural ethical issues and will demonstrate how to address cross-border ethical issues. After assessing their own ethical teaching and practice priorities, participants will work on ethical decision cases to raise awareness of specific regional ethical practices and ways to address cross-border ethical issues that may occur in training and teaching.

Detailed Abstract

Ethics is a set of moral principles that guide behavior (Ciulla, 1998). Just as national cultures are different (Hofstede, 1980, 1991), there are noticeable differences in ethical expectations and practices. Guiding ethical principles have evolved along with the philosophical development of countries throughout the world (Jackson, 2014). Doing the right thing is a common understanding of ethical practice. Yet, interpretations can vary from country to country, and what is a right or wrong practice has been judged differently from culture to culture (Ardichvili, et al, 2010; Boatright, 2012). Palmer (2009) urged leaders to demonstrate ethical conduct through both personal actions and interpersonal relations that are observable at three levels: the leader’s individual morality, the means of his or her leadership, and the leadership mission. People in countries such as China, Germany, and US prioritize different ethical behaviors from their leaders (Chen, 2015).

Thus, the strategy to address cross-cultural ethical issues needs to be revisited and properly executed. Corporate leaders and trainers bring their own moral principles and ethical practices that are embedded in their national cultures to employees worldwide. If the principles are deemed agreeable by followers, then cooperation is easily achieved. Otherwise, resentment will impede leaders from achieving objectives. Hence, while abiding with the ethical principles from their country of origin, seeking mutual understanding will help leaders to communicate their ethical values. Eventually, they will forge organizational value alignment and create a foundation for the future implementation of those values.

This innovative workshop will, first, bring awareness of the current challenges in ethical practices and, second, demonstrate how to address cross-border ethical issues while aiming to reach a consensus.

10 minutes: Assess ethical teaching and practice priorities. Present current ethical teaching and practices.

20 minutes: Work on the first ethical decision case, which was created from the presenter’s own practice. Discussion will take place by regional group. The focus is on how participants reach the agreement.

The purpose: This segment aims to raise awareness that each region may have a different ethical standard that is backed by regional business norms and regulations. When making a decision, people draw on that knowledge and apply it to the given situation.

The outcome: Participants gain knowledge of specific regional ethical practices. They will better understand the origin of any resentment or lack of cooperation toward their ethical message. They will realize that teaching or training in a different region requires global thinking and approaches.

20 minutes: Work on the second ethical decision case from the presenter’s own practice. Discussion will take place by functional group. The focus is on how participants reach the agreement.

The purpose: This segment aims to raise awareness that, once regional barriers are broken, people become more focused on making decisions from their own values, which are built on life experiences and professional learning. It will demonstrate a way to reach ethical consensus by focusing on business issues and breaking regional barriers.

The outcome: Participants gain hands-on experience in addressing cross- border ethical issues that may occur in training and teaching. This experience can be applied in leading cross-border groups and organizations as well.
5-10 minutes: Discuss the applicability of the experience to practicing and training leadership. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches. Discuss additional methods. Draw conclusions for practice.
Leaders frequently struggle with how to bridge cultural differences while acting ethically in a global setting. This workshop provides innovative, firsthand experience to effectively address the issue by introducing a theoretical framework and providing empirical evidence. Thus, the workshop applies an evidence-based learning approach. The hands-on experience will arm leaders with informative and practical knowledge when leading international employees. This experience will encourage leaders to be more creative in working with global issues.

The application of this workshop is to encourage leaders to be more mindful when selecting a global strategy. Organizations may want to focus on organizational mission and values first before developing local practices. Local practices should conform to the ethical values of the local country, as well as align with the values of the parent company. Regular communication and training should also take place to bring awareness of the global impact of certain initiatives, thereby reaching a consensus and commitment to implementation.

Sub Unit

• Business Leadership

Presenter

• Maria Chen, YMC Consulting, LLC