Ethics by Design: Strategic Thinking and Planning for Exemplary Performance, Responsible Results, and Societal Accountability

72 Ethics by Design

Additional Examples:

There are numerous examples of actual organizations applying

this form of social responsibility, or Mega Planning, in their

strategic planning. These cases include the Vocational Reha-

bilitation Program at Florida Division of Blind Services, Refinor

gas production and distribution company in Argentina, the State

of Ohio’s Workforce Development program, start-up planning

that integrates social responsibility, and applications for Civil

Society Organizations (CSOs) with an example from Asocia-

ción Conciencia in Argentina. The collection also represents

examples from around the globe, including the United States,

Australia, Mexico and Argentina.

33

Socially Desirable Ends: Your

Organization’s Deliverables

We examined a few other cases in Chapter 1 that highlighted

how different organizations impact social measures—such as

Topps Meat and their impact on disease (making people sick

with contaminated beef products), and suicide rates among

veterans. Throughout the book, I’ve also referenced examples

where government agencies impact shelter, starvation and/or

malnutrition, child abuse, or discrimination. So now, in light of

these examples and a new understanding of how your organi-

zation contributes to society, it’s time for you to determine what

part of the whole your organization is responsible for. These

are the deliverables of your social contract with society.

Think back through these examples, or even re-read them

as necessary. Review how these organizations ended up

impacting society. It can be hard to pull back the film over our

eyes when it comes to realizing our social impact, so these

examples should hopefully help you think of results of your

organization. Use the following as guiding questions:

• Is there something about the way that we do business

that increases bias, whether intended or not? (For

example, do your policies or technical infrastructure

exclude some individuals unnecessarily?)

Socially Desirable Ends 73

•

Do we produce a product that, if not designed or pro-

duced well, could lead to injury, illness, accidents, war,

terrorism, or riot, environmental damage, pollution, or

crime?

• Are individuals more or less self-sufficient as a result of

what we do (or do we assume they are or want them to

be)?

• Is there something in our current work environment that

leads to increased substance abuse, illness, depression,

accidents, or other undesirable effects?

• Is it really supposed to be our business to provide shel-

ter or reduce child abuse, partner/spousal abuse, drug

addiction, disease, poverty, war, or crimes against peo-

ple or property?

Now, with other leaders in your organization or industry or

even within your department, discuss the following and place

checkmarks by each socially-responsible end to determine

which ones you impact directly, indirectly, and not at all. You

should have at least one check mark in each category.

74 Ethics by Design

My Organization

Makes a Contribution…

Basic Ideal Vision Elements—There will

be no loss of life or elimination of the

survival of any species required for

human survival. There will be no reduc-

tions in levels of self-sufficiency, quality

of life, livelihood, or loss of property from

any source, including:

Directly Indirectly None

War and/or riot and/or terrorism

Shelter

Unintended human-caused changes to

the environment, including permanent

destruction of the environment and/or

rendering it non-renewable.

Murder, rape, or crimes of violence,

robbery, or destruction to property

Substance abuse

Disease

Pollution

Starvation and/or malnutrition

Child abuse

Partner/spouse/elder abuse

Accidents, including transportation,

home, and business/workplace

Discrimination based on irrelevant vari-

ables, including color, race, creed, sex,

religion, national origin, age, and location

Poverty will not exist, and every woman

and man will earn at least as much as it

costs him or her to live unless he or she

is progressing toward being self-

sufficient and self-reliant

No adult will be under the care, custody,

or control of another person, agency, or

substance. All adult citizens will be self-

sufficient and self-reliant as minimally

indicated by their consumption being

equal to or less than their production

Used with permission from Kaufman, 2006a