admincapabilities to resolve complex ethical issues in the workplace.
In business environments where underhand business dealings are prevalent, people have tended to associate power with the manipulation of processes and systems.
They believe that those who corrupt operational processes in order to gain riches and influence are the true holders of power.
People are thus tricked to think that power rests with those who strive on deception and underhand dealings.
Because of such misplaced reasoning, rent seeking, bribery, corruption, and other such vices are wrongly viewed as wisdom, becoming fashionable means of conducting business.
Power of this nature is unauthentic and retrogressive. It is retrogressive because it hinders businesses to migrate to responsible business conduct.
It is power that must be discouraged because it destroys the sustainability of organisations and societies, and kills off their innovativeness and competitiveness. Real power rests with the ethical. It is in the hands of those who support and work for the future of their organisations and societies.
Genuine power lies with those who are fervent about growing responsible business conduct in organisations and companies.
It is a character of those who use power to transform organisations and change people’s lives.
Real power is shared, creative, and practiced for the sake of the common good.
Above all, bona fide power ought to be judged by whether or not it respects sustainability and the progression of communities.
So ethics is power because it is there for the benefit of all. Ethics means living for posterity and growing organisations that takes care of the present and the future.
It fosters the development of trust, integrity, honesty and good citizenship and it builds a company’s reputation in the eyes of its stakeholders.
Operating ethically increases employee self-esteem which in turn increases employee confidence in job performance and accomplishment of tasks.
Managers who believe their subordinates are ethical have confidence in their staff and those known to operate ethically are preferred team members.
Ethical people are resistant to influence by the unethical and ethical people don’t spend company time engaging in needless organisational conflicts.
A combination of these ethical factors results in synergy that increases the power and influence of individuals, teams, and organisations.
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