adminshenanigans of the economic whirlwinds that characterised the last decade and align business operations with the new environment, organisations have been passionately undertaking organisational change processes in the country.
However, many of these transformational initiatives have not been able to bring about the required behavioural change because companies haven’t been giving due attention to corporate ethics.
While we have witnessed so much talk about “the need to return to doing business ethically”, nothing tangible has been done on the ground to show for it. Companies have instead been effecting organisational change processes, which to a large extent ignore this crucial change aspect.
Effective organisational change processes in the country demand weighing up corporate ethics as an indispensable transformational tool.
Corporate leaders must realise that their firms are experiencing endemic corporate misdemeanours inherited from the past and they can only achieve a turnaround if they stop the rot by putting in place company strategies leveraged on strong ethical cultures.
Our organisations must understand that they cannot go on without implementing ethics programmes that help to undo these entrenched acts of misconduct.
The existing global business environment, which has become increasingly unpredictable and highly competitive, which requires company leaders to properly align their organisations to new business realities.
Understanding the need to embed ethics in company strategies is sure to give companies a competitive advantage in the global market place.
And when businesses adopt company strategies that are driven by a strong ethics agenda, it becomes easy for them to resist the temptation of wanting to make short- term financial gains at the expense of company sustainability.
History shows that when narrow-minded strategies are adopted to create short-term financial gains, they create a delusional nostalgic atmosphere of business success in the minds of company leaders but these can backfire later bringing anguish or even total company collapse.
This will leave people whose lives were dependent on the firm vulnerable and without a source of income.
Short-term strategies that are poorly aligned to the long-term needs of the organisation must be discouraged because they undermine the existence of the firm and hurt the wider economy.
Globally, the trend is that best practice companies are reaping more in terms of increasing shareholder value and market dominance when they build company reputations sustained by strong ethical cultures.
Zimbabwean leaders must make ethics the core of a company’s business strategy ensuring that it is fully embedded in all management processes and its DNA.
A corporate ethics programme anchored on board oversight is visionary, and is set to be transformative in nature.
By providing staff with behavioural guidelines, it will shape an ethical culture that helps to build responsible business conduct.
An ethical culture has the potential to build a firm organisational foundation upon which company leaders can form sustainable business strategies that inspire employees to do more for the organisation and never doubt the intents of company leaders.
Developing ethical cultures in organisations demands strong and committed leadership that has a clear understanding of all the transformational challenges the business sector is facing in the country.
It requires leaders who are ready to discard outdated business strategies in favour of those that are ethically inspired and trendy.
Corporate leaders must be ready to effect change processes that seize the imagination of employees, rekindling their commitment and inspiring them to achieve more for the organisation.
The tone at the top is paramount because once the leader shifts into the ethics gear, the whole organisation follows suit.
Corporate leaders must all converge at next week’s Corporate Ethics Indaba to learn more about the workings of corporate ethics as a source of competitive advantage.
- Bradwell Mhonderwa is an Ethics Coach and Trainer with the Business Ethics Centre. Send feedback to [email protected],or visit www.businessethicscentre.co.zw, or call 0772 913 875.
Online Reporter