Monday, 5 November 2007
Promoting Ethical Behavior in the Engineering Profession
The day before the official kick-off of ASCE's 137th Annual Civil Engineering Conference, I served on a panel discussion during the CEO Forum: Every Engineer's Duty-What Tragedy Has Taught Us about Professionalism, Ethics, Leadership and Public Safety. The focus of this forum was ethical responsibility. Leading up to the Q&A session, presenters addressed the leadership issues and ethical implications of recent engineering disasters. David Daniel, of the Hurricane Katrina External Review Panel, talked about how engineers, politicians and those in public office failed New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina from a policy and engineering standpoint. No one was positioned right or had the courage to speak out regarding the dangers surrounding the levee system. George Black, of the NTSB, discussed the failed system, comprised of public officials, government agencies and consulting agencies, in the Big Dig collapse. Gerry Galloway, of the University of Maryland, talked about how ethics must be considered as young people enter an ever-changing working world.
During the Q&A session, Jane Chmielinski of DMJM Harris, Ben Schwegler of Walt Disney Imagineering, Research & Development, Inc. and I addressed personal ethical responsibility. At one point the following question was posed: "What is an engineer to do when faced with something he or she feels is ethically wrong?" Some of our suggestions included making a call to the ASCE ethics hotline, or talking to a mentor or boss. Some larger firms, like DMJM, have a personal hotline for their employees to call when faced with this issue. In my firm, they use ASCE Webinars to educate employees on ethical practices. In addition, the owners of the firm try to set good examples through their behaviors. As Ben mentioned in the panel, leading by example is the way to lead an ethical culture. Jane added that at her company, employees undergo training and sign agreements to act ethically. While I believe the process of promoting ethical behavior varies from company to company, I think the general idea is far-reaching. By personally demonstrating ethical behavior and providing resources to educate employees, a firm can bolster an ethical culture in the workplace.
What are you doing to foster an ethical culture in your working environment?
During the Q&A session, Jane Chmielinski of DMJM Harris, Ben Schwegler of Walt Disney Imagineering, Research & Development, Inc. and I addressed personal ethical responsibility. At one point the following question was posed: "What is an engineer to do when faced with something he or she feels is ethically wrong?" Some of our suggestions included making a call to the ASCE ethics hotline, or talking to a mentor or boss. Some larger firms, like DMJM, have a personal hotline for their employees to call when faced with this issue. In my firm, they use ASCE Webinars to educate employees on ethical practices. In addition, the owners of the firm try to set good examples through their behaviors. As Ben mentioned in the panel, leading by example is the way to lead an ethical culture. Jane added that at her company, employees undergo training and sign agreements to act ethically. While I believe the process of promoting ethical behavior varies from company to company, I think the general idea is far-reaching. By personally demonstrating ethical behavior and providing resources to educate employees, a firm can bolster an ethical culture in the workplace.
What are you doing to foster an ethical culture in your working environment?
Posted by at 8:51 AM in Ethics