Executive's Guide to IT Governance: Improving Systems Processes with Service Management, COBIT, and ITIL

CHAPTER TWENTY

Creating and Sustaining an Ethical Workplace Culture

AS DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, IT governance processes should be integrated into the core operations of an enterprise’s business as well as where the management of each subsidiary or business unit is responsible for ensuring proper IT governance processes. As an element of this, an enterprise must be committed to achieving the highest standards of ethics and integrity in all aspects of its business operation. The integrity of an enterprise should begin with every stakeholder’s and employee’s commitment to the enterprise’s core values and their responsibility to act in concert with those values.

This chapter discusses the importance of enterprise ethics and governance policies, oversight structures, and processes, including steps for establishing an effective ethics function, developing and implementing effective codes of conduct, and establishing an effective enterprise compliance committee under the board of directors. Our objective is to outline some best practices that an enterprise can use and implement to establish an ethical workplace culture.

The issues and best practices discussed in this chapter go beyond just IT and IT governance operations and extend to all aspects of the enterprise. However, best practices such as an effective enterprise code of conduct and a senior management–supported mission statement should gain the support of all enterprise stakeholders. The result should be an ethical workplace ...