Introduction to ethics and culture

There has been an increased focus on corporate ethics and reputation in recent years. This has significant implications for our understanding of, and approach to, behaviour both in the boardroom and throughout an organisation.

Poor ethics can have a detrimental impact on an organisation and its stakeholders. Conversely, there is a growing recognition that good ethics can be positive for an organisation. The binary concept of ‘ethics or success’ is giving way to the perspective that ‘ethics and success’ is not only possible but necessary in order to operate in a positive and sustainable way.

The focus on ethics has been well represented in the latest iterations of governance codes globally. For example, Principle 4 of the Code for Sports Governance states that:

Organisations shall uphold high standards of integrity,