Ethics Codes and Guidelines

Professional Codes of Ethics

Ethics are principles or standards for acceptable moral behavior. Everyone has a set of ethics that has been both socially and personally constructed. Associations with social groups, such as cultures, religions, family groups, and occupation cohorts, provide information about ethics. This information is passed to individuals through formal and informal communication. For example, ethics can be learned from the specific teachings of important others, such as parents, teachers, philosophers, and religious leaders. Some ethics are derived from observing and evaluating others’ behaviors. Although each individual may develop a unique set of ethics, within that set will be ethics shared by others.

A professional code of ethics has various organizational functions. One function is educational. Organizations may use professional codes of ethics to educate new members about professional standards. A second function is informational. Codes of ethics communicate organizational standards and beliefs to people outside the organization. In this function, an organizational code of ethics provides information about the organization’s culture and standards and is a public relations tool. A third function is evaluative. Professional codes of ethics may be used to evaluate members’ conduct.

Professional codes of ethics vary in the level of power or influence they have on organizations and their members. Past research exploring how [Page 452]codes of ethics influence the behavior of organizational members has yielded mixed results. In many organizations, members report they are aware that a code of ethics exists but are not able to articulate specific guidelines. However, there is some evidence to suggest that simply being aware that a code of ethics exists motivates members to consider whether certain practices are ethical. The power of a professional code of ethics is partially determined by members’ exposure to its guidelines and its influence on organizational practices and decision-making. Some power may be derived from sources outside the organization that use the organization’s code of ethics to evaluate and sanction the organization or its members. In the United States, various judicial courts have mandated organizations to create codes of ethics and/or conduct ethical training for organizational members as part of their sanctioning for illegal conduct. The Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions has an online repository of professional codes of ethics for many professions including codes written in various countries.

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