Overview

Participants are asked to think like leaders in this exercise and to consider changes they believe are needed in their organizations to improve the ethical climate. They provide three ideas in each of three categories and then draft a letter to their manager proposing the one change they believe is most critical.

Purpose

To encourage thinking about necessary organizational changes related to ethics.

To encourage action that might result in the change actually taking place.

Group Size

Any number of participants can engage in this exercise. Participants will first work alone and then with two others. (Note: The exercise works best if participants are all from the same organization.)

Room Arrangement

Any classroom setup will work for this exercise.

Materials

Handout 9.1, “Let It Be”

Circular adhesive dots

Optional: Token prizes, such as pens, for members of the winning triad

Procedure

Open by asking for a show of hands in response to these questions:

1.How many of you enjoy change? How many of you think the average employee fears change? How many of you create change?

2.Ask a participant who raised his or her hand for all three questions to come forward and serve as a discussion leader. Participants will raise questions regarding change, for example, “Why do you enjoy change?” “Why do you think so many other people fear it?” “What change have you recently instituted?” “How can we encourage others to accept change?” “What, in your opinion and experience, is the relationship between change and risk?”

3.Once the discussion leader has responded from a personal perspective, thank him or her, and step in as the new discussion leader. Start the discussion with questions such as: “What are some changes you feel are necessary in your department as far as ethics or values are concerned?” “In your organization?” “Why are these changes not taking place?”

4.Once you feel participants are thinking along the lines of needed ethical change, distribute the handout and allow 5 to 10 minutes for its completion.

5.Ask participants to review what they’ve written and to select the one change-item they feel should be implemented the most.

6.Have participants work with two others. Have the triad discuss their choices and then have them vote on the one change-item (among the three) that the triad feels is most critical.

7.Have the triads work together to compose a letter that, ideally, would convince a member of senior management to institute the necessary change. Ask them to write as legibly as possible and not to put their names (or their managers’ names) on the letters.

8.Post the letters around the room.

9.Distribute one adhesive dot to each participant with the instruction to vote for the letter they feel would most convince management to take action. (They will vote by affixing their dot to the letter of their choice.)

10.Award prizes or at least applaud the triad with the winning letter. Read it aloud, perhaps more than once, and debrief by asking participants what specific elements they found compelling.

11.Conclude with a reference to Ken Blanchard’s quotation (below).

Variation

Invite a member of senior management to read the posted letters, instead of having participants do so. Have the manager decide which is the one he or she would be most likely to take action on. Ask for input regarding the content/context that encouraged that action.

Discussion

What prevents people from taking action on things that clearly need to be improved?

Under what conditions are you most inspired or motivated to get things done?

Does guilt ever play a role in encouraging action?

Quotation

“The key to leadership today is influence, not authority.”

—Ken Blanchard

Points of Inerest

In some ways, the environment is much like the weather: everyone talks about it but not everyone does something about it. Not so for SET Laboratories, Inc., of Mulino, Oregon. When the company ships software, they depend on real popcorn instead of fake peanuts—the polystyrene kind. Not only is the popcorn better for the environment, it even costs less—by 60 percent.

HANDOUT 9.1