Personal and Organization Ethics - Going Beyond The Canons of the Code-Personal and Organization Ethics - Going Beyond The Canons of the Code Slides

Personal and Organization Ethics - Going Beyond The Canons of the Code Slides

Pdf Summary

The presentation "Personal and Organizational Ethics: Going beyond the Cannons of the Code" (July 13, 2023) explores the concept of ethics, especially in engineering, and how professionals can improve ethical decision-making beyond mere compliance with codes. Ethics is defined broadly as principles governing conduct and more philosophically as what is right and wrong, guiding how people should live regarding others. For this webinar, ethics serve as a tool for better decision-making and building lasting trust.<br /><br />Key agenda points include understanding ethical behavior, public perception of engineers, causes of ethical failures, and strategies for improvement. The presentation references notable engineering failures such as the Challenger explosion and pedestrian bridge collapse, highlighting real-world consequences of ethical lapses.<br /><br />The content emphasizes personal qualities like emotional intelligence, humility, and critical thinking as foundational to developing a strong individual ethical brand. It contrasts values often prized in engineering—results, independence, and precision—with those undervalued such as thoughtfulness, teamwork, and humility.<br /><br />Several expert insights are shared, including quotes from industry leaders like Linda Figg and Stockton Rush, underscoring the importance of trust, humility, and adherence to ethical principles despite pressures to cut corners. Dr. Richard Coughlan of the University of Richmond contributes scholarly perspectives on ethics and the role of continuous reflection.<br /><br />Final reflections stress the significance of service to others over self-interest, enhancing emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills to foster ethical cultures personally and organizationally. The program provides continuing education credit, with an emphasis on going beyond codes to nurture genuine ethical decision-making in professional engineering practice.

Keywords

Personal ethics

Organizational ethics

Engineering ethics

Ethical decision-making

Emotional intelligence

Humility

Critical thinking

Engineering failures

Trust building

Ethical culture