SocialChorus cofounder Nicole Alvino provides keen insight about today's demands for ethical leadership and the importance
of each little decision toward an organization's integrity.
An early passage immediately brought to mind the situation in St. Louis Shenanigans where a 20-year employee was accused of embezzling $5.4 million over 10 years:
Most criminals in business ... don't wake up one day and say, "I think I'm going to
architect a large fraud today." A scam doesn't come about in a single moment. Rather,
its creation is more like a slow trail of breadcrumbs, the result of many little ...
decisions made along the way.
Nicole Alvino
That's what happened in St. Louis. The employee was at the college for 10 years before
the opportunity (together with pressure and rationalization) presented itself, starting
small and growing from there.
The importance of ethical conduct at a university is highlighted by the Higher Learning
Commission's placement of integrity and ethics as its second criterion when the commission visited
WSU.
In its final report, the Higher Learning Commission concluded:
A review of the evidence indicates that Wichita State University operates with integrity
in its financial, academic, personnel, and auxiliary functions.
Higher Learning Commission Final Report, November 21, 2016
The positive opinion from the commission is based on several factors, but it's based
mainly on the collective actions of the university community.
Alvino suggests examining a situation through the persona of both your grandmother
and a 5-year-old. Can you explain whether the decision is right or wrong, kind or
unkind, fair or unfair? Can you clearly explain the decision's value and impact in
understandable terms?
Alvino's method provides a quick and dirty answer, but looking for institutional guidance
first is essential. Next time we'll review a guide for ethical decision-making that
begins and ends with that vital step.
