Yesterday we started talking a bit about bias and today I want to touch just briefly one one of the four main types of bias – the conflict of interest. You may be wondering how conflict of interest can be categorized as a bias and I’m going to explain just that.

Simply put, if you are favoring people who you believe will be able to provide you some sort of perk or benefit later on down the line you have a conflict of interest. You are biased towards those people because of what you hope to get from them and instead pass over people who may be better qualified to do the work but less able to throw a perk your way.

How unfair is that?

Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re the office manager in a physician’s office. A pharmaceutical representative comes into your office to try to give you information and samples about a new cholesterol medicine. When he visits he brings you free samples, a huge tray of bagels and fruit for the entire office to share, and a really nice padfolio to thank you for your time. He also tells you that for every new rX for this medication you write your office will receive a bonus or referral fee.

A pharmaceutical representative from another company comes in with a different cholesterol medicine. She brings you some free samples but doesn’t shower you with gifts. Instead she gives you a lot of great information about the drug and the research and studies behind it. The cost for consumers is a bit less than the other drug, too. The pharmaceutical company doesn’t have a referral program so you won’t get any kickbacks for selling what looks like a decent drug.

Which will you choose?

You might, right now, say that you’d pick the second but the truth is that if you were in that situation you might unconsciously choose the first. Why pass up the opportunity for a referral fee, even if the drug isn’t as great as the second, right?

Wrong. That’s comletely unethical.

But do you even realize you’re making decisions like these?

Probably not.

I urge you to take a close look at the decisions you’re making this year. Are they best for your team or are you looking for what’s best for you personally?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

As we enter the New Year I want to kick things off by taking a cold, hard look at ethics and how they apply in the workplace. Most managers believe they are ethical and, consciously, they may be. The problem is that everyone has a habit or bias that can be viewed as slightly unethical, whether they realize it or not.

Most of us have some sort of implicit bias, whether we recognize it or not. What is an implicit bias? It is one that, despite you not saying it outright, shows in the way you act. There are a few organisations that have tested managers and individuals to uncover some of their implicit biases, including Harvard and Tolerance.org. Here are a few examples of information about biases they uncovered:

• A large percentage of participants had an implicit bias towards young people.
• A large percentage of participants had an implicit bias towards white people.
• A large percentage of participants had an implicit bias towards rich people.
• Consciously desiring to not be biased will not make you an unbiased person.

What does this mean? Let’s say, for example, you claim not to be biased towards men. You have two similar resumes on your desk and you have interviewed both candidates – one male and one female. They are both highly qualified and it’s a very difficult decision to make but we’ll say for the purpose of this example that there may be one or two areas in which the female candidate might make a better fit. You claim to be reviewing their applications from an objective standpoint but your implicit bias towards men allows you to justify hiring the male candidate instead. You literally dig for a reason not to hire the female candidate and you  may not even realize why.

Being biased can be costly. You can lose great candidates or team members and possibly even be accused of bias and become the victim of a discrimination lawsuit.

I urge you to step back and think about your management ethics and hiring practices. Are you biased? Do you even realize it? Are you treating your employees fairly? Think about it and let me know.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

More often than not, corporations are looking to “diversify” their work groups. While some are diversifying with gender or ethnicity in mind, others are taking a closer look at age diversity – hiring younger and older employees to create a delicate balance of seasoned and experienced workers with those who might not be as experienced but will bring fresh ideas to the table.

So here’s the problem. You have a position available and two candidates have make it through the interview process. One is a young college graduate with plenty of references, great internship experience, and fresh ideas. The other is a middle-aged individual with plenty of working experiernce in the field. When it comes down to it, both are great candidates but you have to wonder which would fit the dynamic of the team better and suddenly you’re weighing your options in terms of age.

Have you just crossed the line into the realm of age discrimination?

We’ll talk more later about the actual rules regarding age discrimination in the UK. Until then, think about how you would make your decision. Would you focus on age or would you try to go back to their resumes and interviews and find more concrete information with which to make your decision?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Ethics should be a way of life – not a conscious decision made on a case by case basis. As a newer manager you may have trouble determining what is standard proceedure versus what procedures are ethical. If you exercise just a bit of self discipline you will find that every decision you make is the most ethical possible.

So how do you develop that type of self discipline?

5. Understand the Rules

Your organisation probably has an entire manual outlining company rules, regulations, policies, and operating proceedures. You don’t have to memorise them all from the start but you should make it a point to understand how things work and what the rules are before making any decisions. If you check the rules you won’t make an unethical mistake.

4. Accountability

Take responsibility for your actions, behaviour, and – of course- for your mistakes. Trying to cover up your mistakes or blaming them on someone else will only make the situation worse when, in reality, upper management only wants to hear someone say they’re sorry and that they’ll fix the problems.

3. Address Your Bad Habits

Are you someone who usually stretches the truth when its convenient? Are you the type of person who can easily come up with a creative interpretation of any rule in order to justify his behaviour? If so, STOP. There’s no such thing as semi-ethical. You either are or you aren’t.

2. Be Reliable

If you say you’ll finish something within a specified time frame, do so. Keep the promises you make, finish your tasks in their entirety, and set a great example for your team. The art of dependability seems to be lost these days but the most dependable people are usually the most ethical and honest.

1. Avoid Peer Pressure

Just because you are attempting to be an ethical manager doesn’t mean your peers on the same level of management are attempting to do the same things. Don’t let the things they do influence you and try to avoid or minimize ethical conflicts. Know your priniciples and stick to them.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

As a manager you’re going to find yourself in a position where you are required to regularly make decision. While you may, at times, feel as though you are guided by your own morals and beliefs it is very important for you to remember to put your personal beliefs aside so that you can look at each situation objectively and make the most ethical decisions possible.

In order to do this there are four main principles of ethical management you need to keep in mind at all times. They are as follows:

• Respect for each employee – While it’s difficult at times, it is important to make sure you treat each of your employees or team members respectfully. Everyone you work with will have different religious and cultural beliefs and should be treated fairly.
• Mutual respect – Your role as a manager involves making sure that your employees all treat each other respectfully as well. While they don’t all have to agree with each other, they should show proper respect for each others ideas and opinions. A team that doesn’t get along on a personal level will not work will together and will be less productive.
• Procedural fairness – You may not have control of the procedures your company expects you to follow but you do have control over the procedures you can implement within your team. It is important to make sure the procedures you implement are fair to all of your employees – neither favoring nor neglecting one employee or another.
• Decision making transparency – It’s incredibly important for you to make sure your employees understand why you make the decisions you do. If they realize you aren’t making arbitrary choices based on personal beliefs they’ll be more likely to accept your decisions and work together as a team.

Are you acting as ethically as possible in the workplace? Are there things you could change so that you and your team get along on a better, professional level? Think about it.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”