Blind Spots V — Informal Norms
Government ethics involves itself primarily with the formal norms set
forth in ethics codes. But as the authors of the new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Spots-Whats-Right-about/dp/0691147507" target="”_blank”">Blind
Spots:
Why
We
Fail
to
Do
What's
Right
and
What to Do about It</a> (Princeton University
Press), point out, "It is through informal mechanisms that
employees learn the 'true values' of the organization."<br>
<br>
The authors note that formal ethics systems
"are the weakest link in an organization's ethical infrastructure and
are typically far eclipsed by their informal counterparts." Sometimes
they are weak because that's how they were designed to be, either
intentionally or not. Weak ethics codes and commissions are often attempts to convince outsiders that
something is being done. An important question is whether local government
leaders consistently act as if the formal ethics program reflects
the organization's culture, and whether they apply its restrictions to
themselves. Only when the informal and formal are the same, will the
formal be truly effective.<br>
<br>
For outsiders, it is very difficult to know an organization's informal
ethical norms. They are "embedded in the stories employees tell, the
euphemisms they use, the socialization methods they encounter, and the
informal enforcement of norms."<br>
<br>
I think the best way to see a local government's informal ethical norms
is not through what officials say or do, but how others respond to what
they say and do. If an official blasts into a citizen at a public
meeting, and there is silence, the ethical culture is likely to rest on
intimidation. Its principal socialization method is demanding loyalty. Its stories are about betrayal.<br>
<br>
If a citizen asks a question and does not get
an answer, and that is fine with other officials, then everything is
not fine. In such a local government, it is understood that citizens are at best pests, and at worst might jeopardize the status quo. Its stories are about how dangerous gadflies can be.<br>
<br>
Three years ago, I wrote <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/441" target="”_blank”">a
blog
post</a> called "Apology — The Canary in the Mine of Local
Government Organizations." When you do not hear complete and honest
apologies, you probably have a poor ethics environment, that is, an organization with informal norms that put self-interest (that is, the true leaders' self-interest; these "true leaders" are not always the ostensible leaders) over the public interest.<br>
<br>
The authors focus on another indicator, the use of euphemism.
"Disguising the brutality of harmful
behavior with soft language makes the unacceptable permissible and
allows unethical practices to abound. In addition to perpetuating
unethical behavior, euphemisms send a powerful informal signal about an
organization's values to its employees: as long as you disguise and
hide ethical behavior, we will accept it, and indeed even encourage it."<br>
<br>
<b>Changing Informal Norms</b><br>
Leadership is the principal element in changing informal norms. Formal
ethics reforms need to be accompanied by new stories, new language, new
priorities in hiring and promoting, and new conduct, including the
encouragement of open, honest discussions about ethical matters and
about the fears that come from an environment of intimidation.<br>
<br>
The authors suggest that leaders should inventory the informal
systems that exist and work to understand the underlying pressures that
are put on employees. In a local government, these pressures include
goal and reward systems, partisan and union pressures, internal
competition (e.g., among agencies), lobbying, and demands for loyalty.
"Unless
leaders take individuals' actual decision processes into account,"
government officials and
employees will largely ignore formal systems.<br>
<br>
Leaders can also tell stories that make a difference. The authors give
the example of a company that produced a video of stories told by four
employees who
went over their bosses' heads on ethics issues. What is important is
the ending of the stories. All four whistleblowers went on to senior
positions. This is the sort of story that can make a big difference to
an organization's ethics environment.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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