Week That Was in Ethical Systems, 9/16-9/22

Cheating and Culture: “Students Accused of Cheating Return Awkwardly to a Changed Harvard” in the New York Times

Ethical breaches send ripples through all organizations. A year after dozens of students were caught cheating, students and faculty at Harvard are asking how to prevent future incidents, and grappling with how to move on. For more on cheating and culture in ethical systems design, check out our Cheating and Personality and Personnel research pages.

Compliance and Transparency: “Since Lehman’s Collapse, Companies More Forthcoming on Compliance” in the New York Times

The New York Times reports in an op-ed that in the past five years companies have become more transparent around compliance. Interestingly the author, Professor Peter J. Henning of Wayne State University Law School, points out that one of the major challenges of sustaining this transparency is quantifying how – and if – increased transparency benefits businesses. For more on compliance and ethical systems design, click here.

Accountability: “How Company Culture Needs to Adapt to the So-Called “Me, Me, Me Generation”” in Forbes

Drawing inspiration from Zappos and his own experience, Forbes contributor Michael Kaufman calls for structuring a company so that all employees feel accountable to and for their work, despite generational divides. Doing so, he argues, not only improves employee morale, but also brings positive returns for businesses, especially for consumer products and platforms. To read more about accountability in Ethical Systems design, check out our Leadership page.