7 Moral

Organizational growth is natural. Successful long-term growth requires honesty, trust, integrity, and credibility, among other ethical values. Some managers misrepresent ethics as a cost, rather than a revenue generator. There are startup costs to consider because it takes time to build trust. But these costs are an investment in the future. Organizations with a well-fortified ethical culture tend to have higher degrees of employee, customer, supplier, and investor satisfaction and loyalty. These long-term trusting relationships directly benefit the bottom line.

As shown in the Seven Moral Levees diagram, creating and sustaining an ethical culture requires building a series of seven moral levees around an individual’s freedom to pursue his or her self-interests in a competitive business environment where wealth and power are highly valued.