INNOVATION September-October 2012

e t h i c s

Getting it Right: Ethics in Practice Dr Alison L Dempsey

However, the risk and reality that some mistakes will be made is unavoidable. There is always the possibility of human error—or worse—and there are circumstances and forces that are and will remain beyond hu- man control. By its very nature, the practice of professional engineering and geoscience inherently poses, or involves, risks to the public and the natural environment. Even a seemingly simple engineering decision can raise deep questions about the environment, safety, and public welfare. That said, there are lapses, mistakes and errors in judgment that can be reduced or avoided altogether through a combination of effective risk management and ethical conduct. Part of the process of identifying and managing operational and professional risk is to adopt strategies and put in place systems and processes that recognize and take steps to minimize the incidence of these avoidable or “preventable risks” as they are referred to in a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, “Managing Risks: A New Frame- work” by Robert S Kaplan and Anette Mikes (June 2010). According to Kaplan and Mikes, “preventable risks” are “internal risks…that are controllable and ought to be eliminated or avoided.” These include the risks from

In a competitive world, where scrutiny of the actions and decisions of individuals and organizations is becoming ever more intense, the consequences of getting it wrong are becoming ever more serious. The growth of communications technology and social media has made more transparent the adverse conse- quences of unethical and even illegal decision making. This in turn has led to greater aware- ness of the implications and consequences of unethical as well as illegal activity that has fuelled rising public expectations that behav- iour should meet ethical standards of conduct and calls for more demanding standards by which decisions and actions are judged. At the same time, the costs associated with getting things wrong are ever increasing, not only in economic, but also reputational, social and environmental terms. “[The failure of administrative controls]can be due to an organizational culture and incen- tives that encourage cost-cutting and cutting of corners—that reward workers for doing it faster and cheaper, but not better.” -Progress Report 2 − Deepwater Horizon Study Group, Centre for Catastrophic Risk Management, University of California, Berkeley, July 15, 2010

“unauthorized, illegal, unethical, incorrect, or inappropriate actions and the risks from breakdowns in routine operational processes.” Many of these actions and breakdowns arise from activities that occur within the general outlines of legal activity, but are not the subject of specific laws, regulations or other mandatory requirements. From a purely practical standpoint, laws and rules do not and cannot anticipate and address every circumstance requiring decision and action. While they establish the absolute boundar- ies as to what is and is not permissible, those limits do not necessarily describe or provide useful guidance on the proper course of action in all conceivable situations nor the better choice between competing, but equally legal, alternatives. It will always be the case that there are infi- nitely more situations than there are laws and rules dictating right and wrong choices and regulations prescribing the correct course of action. Everyday life presents countless such situations each requiring decisions and ac- tions that may have far-reaching implications and consequences. The situations faced by professionals in the context of practice are at their roots the same as those faced in all are- nas of life. They present the same challenges

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