Ethics By Design: How to Use Nudges, Norms and Laws to Improve Business Ethics

Introduction to Ethical Systems

How can ethical systems design make companies more profitable, productive and positive? Jonathan Haidt opens Ethics By Design discussing the mission of Ethical Systems and the central advantages of ethical systems design for businesses today.

Speaker

Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at NYU Stern School of Business

Presentation: Introduction / What is Ethical Systems?
 

Keynote: Four Myths about Morality & Business

Author and professor Nick Epley delivers an opening keynote describing four misconceptions that often misdirect organizations around managing ethics. Understanding and demystifying these areas will help organizations better align behaviors with their long-term ethical goals.

Speaker

Nick Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

Presentation: Four myths about morality and business

Plenary 1: Ethical Culture: Defined and measured

What does it mean to have an ethical culture in your organization? How can companies accurately evaluate whether they have an ethical culture – and what metrics and measurements can facilitate this process? “Ethical Culture: Defined and measured” is a conversation between academic and business leaders that will define the benefits of an ethical culture and how companies differ in their approach, tools and analysis to tackle this challenging issue.

Speakers

Brian Beeghly, Vice President of Ethics and Compliance at Johnson Controls, Inc.

Linda Treviño, distinguished professor of organizational behavior and ethics at Smeal College of Business at Penn State

Presentation: Ethical Culture: Defined and measured

Plenary 2: Beyond Carrots and Sticks: Encouraging a speak up culture

A speak up culture is one in which employees are able to freely express concerns about company activities and policies, without fear of retribution. A speak up culture can only be achieved with buy-in at all levels and a clear understanding of the role of ethics versus compliance as a motivator for conduct. This plenary is designed to spotlight the best ways to instill a speak up culture in organizations today, based on behavioral science research, data and knowledge around internal reporting / whistleblowing and human behavior.

Moderator

Azish Filabi, CEO of Ethical Systems

Speakers

Sean Martin, assistant professor of management and organizations at Boston College

Elizabeth Morrison, ITT Harold Geneen Professor in Creative Management and the vice dean of faculty at NYU Stern School of Business

Rick Wolf, SVP and chief ethics officer at HSBC North America

Presentations

Martin and Morrison: Encouraging a speak up culture

Rick Wolf: Encouraging a speak up culture
 

Plenary 3: Getting in Gear: Ethics as a driver of compliance

What are the varied behavioral challenges compliance officers face? How can compliance and ethics professionals do their job more efficiently and effectively using the cumulative knowledge from the field? In this discussion, you will learn successful strategies employed by a range of companies as well as the latest trends impacting the compliance industry. By empowering employees to behave ethically, C&E leaders can motivate broad-based compliance and viability in their organizations.

Moderator

Serina Vash, executive director of the Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement at NYU Law

Speakers

Jeffrey Kaplan, partner at Kaplan & Walker, LLP

Donald C. Langevoort, Thomas Aquinas Reynolds Professor of Law at Georgetown Law

Carsten Tams, SVP, Ethics & Compliance at Bertelsmann

Lightning Rounds: Wisdom in seven minutes

Hear from prominent academics and practitioners who will each present, in 7 minutes talks, their latest research, practices and insights relating to business ethics, strengthening culture and maximizing ethical behavior in companies.

Robert Bloomfield, Nicholas H. Noyes Professor of Management and professor of Accounting at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management

Presentation: Limiting (or Living With) Measure Management

Daylian Cain, associate professor of Marketing at the Yale School of Management

Ron Carucci, managing partner at Navalent; HBR & Forbes contributor

Presentation: Ethics at the Seams

Dave Mayer, associate professor in the Management and Organizations area at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

Presentation: Does the Moral Case Work at Work?

Cristi Stiers, chemical industry executive

Ann Tenbrunsel, David E. Gallo Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame

Presentation: The Ethical Infrastructure: Promoting whistleblowing intentions and behaviors
 

Plenary 4: Walking the Tightrope: Balancing incentives to perform vs. incentives to cheat 

Goal setting can motivate employee behavior, but also has the potential to induce ethical misconduct, despite their ubiquity at all levels in business today. The final plenary explores the research relating to the downside of goal setting, and the challenges faced by compensation committees and others when integrating ethics into performance and financial incentives. Learn how a shift in perspective and strategy around goals can engender better performance from teams and greater long-term alignment for the organization.

Speakers

Marc Hodak, adjunct professor at NYU Stern School of Business and founder of Hodak Value Advisers

Lisa Ordoñez, Vice Dean and The McClelland Professor in the department of management and organizations at the Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona

Closing Session: The Future of Business Ethics

Research builds on knowledge and lessons from the past to create plans for the future. Our closing session will showcase the next steps in the ethics industry, charting ethical pathways for companies as well as the organizations set up to support and service them. See why short-term thinking is on the way out and the many reasons why trust, integrity and taking a stakeholder perspective are the way forward.

Speakers

Charles H. Green, founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates

Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at NYU Stern School of Business

Richard Bistrong: My ten commandments of goal setting

You’d be bummed you missed the Ethics by Design conference after reading this