Historical evidence indicates that it was innovative writers from within the English Medical Profession who first wrote and implemented codes of conduct. Whilst, it is clear codes and standards of behaviours would have existed for some time prior to this occurrence, it was the first written document in respect of behavioural guidance. The title of this publication in 1803 written by Thomas Percival is “Medical Ethics; or, a Code of Institutes and Precepts adapted to the Professional Conduct of Physicians and Surgeons.”
The history of popularising written codes has clear links to the development of the printing press, specifically the movement from the hand operated Gutenberg-style press to the steam powered rotary presses which allowed printing on an industrial scale.
Consistently throughout history, codes of conduct have included standards and statements detailing professional responsibility, permissible behaviours and social interactive processes. Content often expresses contextualised social values and harmful acts to avoid. These codes aim to highlight the key principles and characteristics of the entity and convey knowledge of how the espoused behaviours should manifest and be reinforced.
Codes outline expected conduct and ideally should provide guidance on governing actions and achieving the promotion of expected standards of behaviour. As the adoption of codes of conduct becomes the norm, there is a very real risk of insincere, rhetoric-based codes existing, never ascending beyond the cursory treatment of issues; often referred to as ‘Greenwashing’.
To effectively counter the aforementioned risk; importance must be placed on the quality and comprehensiveness of the codes. Whilst the initial establishment of a formal code, regardless of the quality of its’ content is sufficient to impact upon behaviours; these positive impacts are usually short-lived after the initial organisational enthusiasm subsides. This lack of impact is magnified when there is a perception across the organisation that unethical behaviour continues without sanction.
Implementation and management of codes of conduct is a long-term process and in order to maintain quality and effectiveness should include the periodic revision of the content. This revision is important as the organisation, its industry or operating context and society as a whole continue to evolve and change.
There is a very strong link between code quality and effectiveness in terms of guiding and in part, controlling organisational behaviour. The quality and effectiveness of any given code is also reliant upon the ancillary implementation and supportive mechanisms. Companies that devote specific human and capital resources to their development and ongoing management demonstrate more significant impacts.
It is important to recognise that the mere existence of codes of conduct does not deliver control over performance and actions. Clearly, they are useful documents for the promotion of common goals, expression of expected behaviours and contribute to a shared sense of commitment within an organisation however; success is determined by cooperation and compliance.
The potential fragility with the codes of conduct exist when there is separation between those who write them and those who champion them strategically and most importantly how they are implemented and enforced. It is fast becoming accepted that employees signing off on having read and agreed with the contents of a code on induction is insufficient from an implementation/compliance perspective.
There are some crucial intermediary steps after code formulation that are also relevant after any code review and updating process. Effectively communicating both the existence and content of the code is essential. To achieve maximum effectiveness this communication needs to be more than just making a copy available to staff. Ensuring that employee comprehension is achieved is also critical to success and refresher training can contribute strongly to achieving this comprehension. LKA Group has found that designing training specific to the particular sub-groups within any organisation, aids comprehension as it connects the code with the ‘on the ground’ operating context.
How often should a code of conduct be reviewed? The answer to this question will differ according to the organisational context but should always be guided by the fit between evident corporate behaviours and the ethical standards and expectations of the organisation, its stakeholders and society in general. Given the pace of change, reviews should occur at least every two years.
From an operational perspective it would be fair to suggest that in most organisations, codes of conduct are not referred to unless an adverse situation arises. It is at this stage that the documents can be assessed for their effectiveness as the document must be relied upon as supported by employment contracts and policies to express standards of behaviour and potential actions for non-compliance. Codes of conduct must not be perceived to be ‘toothless tigers’ and effectiveness relies on code violations being sanctioned in a consistent and fair manner and again these sanctions should form a part of the training program and employee comprehension process.
There have been many studies on the effectiveness on codes of conduct in organisations with differing results from weak effect through to no significant or positive impacts. The variability in results has been correlated to the quality of the code from the perspective of both its development and implementation.
Andrew Hedges
Chief Operating Officer
