I don't know if ethics is really a question of utility. Ethical considerations can be useful for things like maintaining social harmony, but I consider them more in the terms of laws or constraints, like gravity. There are consequences for choices. More to your point though, I once heard the authors of Freaknomics on a podcast discussing their research. They said that one of the first questions they asked was, "What are people incentivized to do?" Because they noticed a trend across their research where people's behavior consistently bent towards incentives.
In cooperative environments, ethical behavior may be up to 50% but only 20% of people will blow the whistle where disincentives exist.. and that percentage is reduced when there is long-standing corruption.
You are exactly right about the "halo effect". I was serving as the Technical Product Manager for Crest Toothpaste at the time and had to "defend the brand" from any associated wrongdoing. It included clearing the shelves nationwide to test all tubes for tampering. Of course, tamper-proof tubes and packaging were quickly developed and implemented. I was proud to be part of P&G's doing the right thing.
Ethics isn’t of much use without clear behavioral expectations that are incentivized.
I don't know if ethics is really a question of utility. Ethical considerations can be useful for things like maintaining social harmony, but I consider them more in the terms of laws or constraints, like gravity. There are consequences for choices. More to your point though, I once heard the authors of Freaknomics on a podcast discussing their research. They said that one of the first questions they asked was, "What are people incentivized to do?" Because they noticed a trend across their research where people's behavior consistently bent towards incentives.
In cooperative environments, ethical behavior may be up to 50% but only 20% of people will blow the whistle where disincentives exist.. and that percentage is reduced when there is long-standing corruption.
Don't make me hate people Cindy. ;)
I think the most interesting question is how did people with such a loose grip on ethics rise to this level of leadership at J&J?
You are exactly right about the "halo effect". I was serving as the Technical Product Manager for Crest Toothpaste at the time and had to "defend the brand" from any associated wrongdoing. It included clearing the shelves nationwide to test all tubes for tampering. Of course, tamper-proof tubes and packaging were quickly developed and implemented. I was proud to be part of P&G's doing the right thing.