Help on Ethical Decisions (TI)

This pages contains a selection of advice from The Ethics Office at Texas Instruments Corporation.

The advice is that of either TI Ethics Director Carl Skooglund or Glenn Coleman, Manager of Ethics Communication and Education. The articles were distributed among TI employees via TNEWS.

Ethics quick test to help with those difficult decisions

Ethical leadership ... How do you measure up?

Judging the ethical standard

More examples of the silent saboteurs

Sweat the small stuff

More of the silent saboteurs

A Personal responsibility for sensitivity

Help on ethical decisions

How can I change your mind?

What do you do when the light turns yellow?

In search of a win/win solution

Article Number 22: Ethics quick test to help with those difficult decisions

Some decisions are easy to make. Others leave that feeling of uncertainty that continues to make us question our decision. An Ethics Quick Test applied to the decision-making process might help. Many decisions face us every day, some easy and obvious, some not. This Ethics Quick Test provides seven checks to examine the ethical implications of your decisions.

1. Is the action legal?
2. Does it comply with your understanding of our values?
3. If you do it, will you feel bad?
4. How will it look in the newspaper?
5. If you know it is wrong, do not do it.
6. If you are not sure, ask.
7. Keep asking until you get an answer.

You will notice that we in the Ethics Office can help you with the first two and the last two, providing you with information regarding the applicable rules, procedures and policies. If we cannot provide you an immediate answer, we can research it or direct you to where you can find the answer. However, the middle three depend solely on your personal principles and values.

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Article Number 62: Ethical leadership-How do you measure up?

The following article was recently sent to about 1200 of the top managers at TI to encourage them to conduct a self-evaluation of their leadership style regarding ethical conduct. How would you rate?

Ethical leadership is required from each and every TIer, both at work and at home. A quick evaluation will show what levels of ethical leadership are employed by us and by those around us.

As we conduct our personal and our professional lives, one measure of our character is the degree to which good ethical values enter into our decision-making process and into our dealings with those around us. Each of us, regardless of job or position, faces a number of decisions involving personal and professional ethics every day. The relationship between supervisor and employee is most critical, for it is here where trust, candor, and mutual respect are absolutely vital.

Although many of the qualities of ethical behavior are measured on the annual appraisal form, ethics can never be accurately measured. How would you and those around you stack up against these criteria?

1. Actively maintains the highest standards of personal and professional ethics.
2. Maintains consistent standards of conduct when dealing with personal and business-related opportunities or pressures.
3. Provides leadership by personal example.
4. Considers the enhancement of the TI ethical culture a personal responsibility.
5. Demands and promotes ethical behavior throughout organization.
6. Insures that any unethical conduct that is observed in the organization is neither tolerated nor ignored.
7. Promotes teamwork.
8. Encourages the sincere discussion and resolution of problems.
9. Supports an environment where people are free to discuss "bad news".
10. Creates an atmosphere where employees are encouraged to use the open door without fear of reprisal.
11. Sets goals and schedules that do not tempt people to use unethical compromises or shortcuts.
12. Earns the trust and respect of others.
13. Treats others with fairness and respect.

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Article Number 85: Judging the ethical standard

Some thoughts and recommendations from the TI Ethics Office and the Josephson Center for the Advancement of Ethics on judging ethical standards.

The TI code of ethics states very clearly our position on maintaining high standards: We owe it to ourselves to exercise the highest standards and best judgment in making ethical choices. By continuing to uphold these high standards, we will preserve the integrity of our people, the reputation of the company, and the trust and confidence of the public in every part of the world... each of us is expected to understand and live up to these standards so that we can say to ourselves and others, 'TI is a good company, and one reason is that I am part of it.

So how do we insure that our standards are set at the highest level?

How do we evaluate standards, our own and those of others? Here are eight guidelines that will help in that evaluation

1. Judge a company's or person's ethics, standards and values by actions, not by words, policies, procedures and rules. Do they walk like they talk?
2. Ethical standards that are set aside or modified when they conflict with the money-making process are not standards at all. Profits rise and fall, while true standards remain constant.
3. We tend to judge ourselves by our best actions and intent, and others by their worst.
4. Personal ethical standards at the workplace that differ from those at home should signal a reevaluation of both. Our ethical standards are such a major part of our basic moral fiber that differences between home and workplace can create strong personal conflict.
5. Individuals are normally not as ethical as they think they are. When it comes to their own ethical standards, many business people suffer from delusions of grandeur.
6. Ethical standards are not relative. Personal or corporate ethical standards are not acceptable just because they are better or higher than the standards of others.
7. An ethical standard should be compromised only to achieve another more important one.
8. Do not confuse staying within the law or the rules as having good ethical standards. Our ethics come into play when we begin to interpret the law or make decisions not covered by the law or a rule, ethics would seldom enter into our decision-making process. Ethics begin where the law ends.

Every TIer has the right and the responsibility to evaluate those ethical standards by which we live and work. Perhaps these guidelines will help.

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Article Number 93: More examples of the silent saboteurs

Readers respond with more examples of the silent saboteurs, those subtle and subversive games that people play that damage our work relationships, our productivity, job satisfaction, and trust in our fellow TIers.

Several weeks ago, this article ran several issues on the "silent saboteurs", those subtle games that are so damaging and appear in the way we treat each other, or do the wrong thing because we believe that is what our company wants us to do. You, the readers, responded to those articles more than to any previous article.

Consider these additional examples of silent saboteurs, sent in anonymously on the ethics communications line

1. I've got a secret -- Not keeping others informed of the situation. This can happen at all levels and in all directions.
2. Credit taking -- Taking credit for something that someone else or another group has done. An example of this might be the weekly report. Are group results being reported as individual efforts?
3. Lack of recognition -- It is important to let other people or other work groups know that they are doing a good job and that their efforts are appreciated. This could go along with credit taking.
4. Attention to detail -- This relates to the little things in our lives and in the business of our customers and suppliers. Let people know that a FAX has been sent. Follow through on commitments.
5. Let people know that you need more time or that you do not fully understand. Don't let people hang by not doing all of your job. Have you as a supervisor ever missed an employee's badge party? How do you think that employee felt?

The cost of these activities is high in the areas of motivation and morale, stress, quality, turnover, productivity, pride, and customer satisfaction, all of those areas that we want to emphasize in a highly ethical company.

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Article Number 143: Sweat the small stuff

Our daily journey through ethical behavior is made of many small steps. Sometimes the small decisions are as important as big ones.

The danger of this notoriety is that we may become dulled to those ethical problems and issues that occur in our everyday lives. We may begin to think of ethical problems only as those which gain international headlines. On the contrary, those ethical issues that should concern us most are those we face everyday... in our homes and in our work place. Good ethics involves you and it involves me, where we work, where we live, anywhere we face a personal decision.

What do you do when the cafeteria cashier gives you too much change? Would you accept a compliment for your work that honestly should go to another? If you would like to have a day off from work tomorrow, will you call in sick or will you take a day of vacation? Do you give your child pencils and paper for school that you brought home from your work at TI? These are examples of personal, daily ethical decisions that reflect just what sort of a person we really are. Whether we make the right or wrong decision, often the only one who knows the truth is the one who makes the decision.

Dr. Mark Pastin of the Lincoln Center for Ethics at Arizona State recommends the test of "turn-about," a test that will help us make the right decision, even when different cultures and scenarios are involved. How would you want to be treated if the roles were turned about, if someone else were making the decision and the results were to impact you? Many of us know this test as the "Golden Rule". It will serve us well, even when no one else is watching.

David Glidden, a philosopher at the University of California, gives us this final thought:Virtue is its own reward and that, above all else, is why we can be optimistic. People who live virtuous lives live better lives and that's that.

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Article Number 144: More of the silent saboteurs

Several months ago in one of our T NEWS Ethics Articles, we asked TIers to submit their examples of the silent saboteurs, those subtle and subversive games that people play that damage our work relationships, our productivity, job satisfaction and trust in our fellow TIers.

Here are more examples.

1. Nursing a Grievance -- Certainly problems and stress occur in our daily work activities. But how do you address them? Do you allow them to linger and cut into your relationships and your productivity or do you try to resolve them?
2. Smoke, but No Fire -- There is a vast difference between actions and productivity. Do you know those who make it a point to look busy or talk of all they are doing, yet produce little? Is time wasted in unproductive activities? Are diversions created to mask lack of progress?
3. Emergency, or Just Poor Planning -- A sign on a secretary's desk stated, "Lack of Planning on Your Part Does Not Create an Emergency on My Part." Can you identify those who allow a crisis to develop before taking action? The price paid for this habit is loss of trust, support and respect.
4. Robin Hood -- Taking from the rich and giving it to the poor is admirable in the movies, but it is still theft. Taking something that belongs to TI, whether it be an item or time, with the thought that TI can afford it is still theft. Actually, theft from TI is theft from anyone who holds stock in the company or anyone who would benefit from TI's success. And in the long term, theft impacts jobs and productivity.
5. Pushing the Limits -- I was once told that the minimum must be good enough, otherwise it wouldn't be the minimum. Do you know those who live by that code, who do the absolute minimum to get by? They know what the limits are and are always there. They track their attendance and always hit right at the minimum. They push the supervisor on their work ethic until the supervisor is forced to take action.

The cost of these activities is high...in the areas of motivation and morale, productivity, pride, and customer satisfaction, all of those areas that we want to emphasize in a highly ethical company.

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Article Number 185: A Personal responsibility for sensitivity

The damage done by targeted inappropriate comments can be significant. Sensitivity is a personal responsibility and cannot be dictated by law.

If ethics is defined as the principles and understandings that govern how we deal with each other, then sensitivity in our relationships is certainly an ethical issue. So many of the concerns both from TIers and from those outside of TI, that are received by the TI Ethics Office deal directly with problems between individuals. Often they involve office politics and the games that people choose to play. Sometimes we hear from suppliers or customers who feel that they have not been treated fairly. Regardless, sensitivity in our relationships has great impact and the responsibility for understanding the concerns of others is one that each and every one of us carries.

Many of us have learned the potential for damage through differing circumstances...situations where we might later say, "I wish I hadn't said that". But how many of these situations are never related back to us? How many comments do we make that leave hurt feelings and we never hear about it until it blows up? Or perhaps we never hear about it at all and the offended person simply quits or transfers or silently suffers loss of respect...or, even worse, seeks outright revenge.

How many of us are guilty of participating in gender, culture or race oriented jokes? Who among us is guilty of using derogatory slang expressions to describe those different from us in gender, culture, race, physical ability or religion? Who instinctively refers to TI managers or supervisors as "he"? Who addresses a group or team of mixed gender as "you guys"? (I personally have this bad habit, but I'm trying to improve.) Are there acronyms or slang terms that apply to our program or work that have sexual or cultural connotations?

The list of examples could go on and on. Perhaps a few "quick tests" could help us in our sensitivity and understanding

1. If you tell that joke or make that comment, will you feel bad? Will someone else?
2. How would it look if this comment appeared on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper with your name attached to it?
3. If you know it's wrong or inappropriate or hateful or insulting, simply don't write it, say it, insinuate it, or repeat it.
4. If you knew the target of your remarks was going to hear them, would you still make them?
5. And lastly, are you treating others the way you would want to be treated...or would want your spouse or good friend to be treated?

Segregation of individuals or groups for these kinds of differences is simply not right. Certainly, individual countries maintain laws against some of these activities, but it needs to go so much deeper than that. There needs to be a personal understanding that such activity is not right and a personal commitment to be considerate, fair, and sensitive to individual differences.

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Article number 263: Help on ethical decisions

Most of our decisions have some ethical issues or impact, here are some guidelines that should raise sensitivity and improve our decision-making process.

Over the past several weeks, we have suggested guides for personal decisions and activity, including what we say, how we approach ethical decision-making, and personal character traits. But how about guidance to determine if the decision even has ethical implications?

Labeling a decision as an "ethical decision" may disguise the fact that almost every decision holds some ethical issue or impact. Perhaps a better approach would be to develop an ability to judge the ethical implications. What role do my ethics play in this decision? How do I recognize an ethical situation or problem? What are the warning signs that this may be a tougher decision with deeper issues and wider impact? Here are some guidelines. Not all apply every time, but they should raise sensitivity and improve our decision-making process.

1. Do I put a monetary value on this decision? Would I make this decision differently if cost were not a factor? Am I putting a monetary value on my ethics?
2. Do words such as right, fairness, truth, perception, values, or principles appear in my reasoning when I am making my decision?
3. Do I feel as if I need to search through TI's standard policies and procedures or contact a TI legal department representative for help with my decision?
4. Do questions of fair treatment arise?
5. Do my personal goals or values conflict with my professional ones?
6. Could this decision generate strong feelings or other controversy?
7. Would this pass the newspaper test? How would I feel if this were to appear in my local newspaper tomorrow?
8. What does my heart tell me? Do I ponder this decision on the way home?
9. Do I offer myself excuses such as everybody does it, or no one will find out, or I did it for TI?
10. Does this decision really need to be made by someone else? Did I inherit it because someone else doesn't want to make it?
11. How am I going to feel tomorrow if I do this?

If you face a tough decision and you feel as if you need help, there are many places to turn. Your supervisor or manager is generally the best for that is the one who understands your situation the best. But there are other sources of good information...the open door to higher levels of management, the ethics booklet, TI Legal, Human Resources, and your TI Ethics Office. Ask and keep asking until you feel you have a good answer that complies with TI standards. Know whats right. Do what's right.

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Article Number 271: How can I change your mind?

Handling a difference of opinion between you and your manager can be a tough challenge because we have to maintain everyone's personal integrity while accommodating honest differences of opinion and protecting TI's best interest. The Ethics Office has received the following question many times in one form or another. If I believe a senior manager is making a bad decision that will impact me, should I risk my career (or position) by challenging that decision?

The ethics quick test is a seven-step decision-making aid of which the last three items are

1. If you know it's wrong, don't do it.
2. If you're not sure, ask.
3. Keep asking until you get an answer.

The philosophy here is that each of us has a responsibility to challenge what we perceive as bad decisions or improper actions on the part of our managers. But in itself, that could be a very difficult action in some situations. If we as individuals have that responsibility laid upon us, then it is only appropriate that our company provide us some means to reduce or eliminate that risk. Consider these steps

1. If at all possible, raise the issue once again with manager or your supervisor to see if perhaps all facts and issues are not understood by everyone involved.
2. Discuss the issue with other TIers whose opinions, experience, and judgment you value. Choose this counsel not because you know they will agree with your position, but rather in an effort to gain insight, knowledge, and experience. Use caution that this does not descend into a complaint and rumor-mongering session.
3. Seek advice through the open door, Human Resources, TI legal, TI Ethics Office or other appropriate internal functions. Many of these contacts can be made anonymously or confidentially if needed.

Your objective in this effort must be for you, your supervisor, and this manager to mutually find ways to meet personal and professional goals. This can be a tough challenge, because we have to maintain everyone's personal integrity while accommodating honest differences of opinion and protecting TI's best interest.

Two considerations

1. Our management has the ultimate responsibility and authority for making business decisions for our company...and those decisions may not always work to our individual benefit or meet our personal needs. Our responsibility is to inform them fully of the data and the risks...and then work toward the established goals. Our role in establishing those goals appears through the data and risk identification that we provide them.
2. Just because we are instructed to "keep asking until you get an answer", that does not mean for us to keep complaining until we get our way. That can be a very fruitless and frustrating endeavor. We need to keep asking until we feel that we get an answer that is in alignment with company policy or that our issue has received the appropriate management review.

At some point in this process, hopefully we will come to the place where we know we have tried every reasonable path to modifying this decision, and if unsuccessful, we accept the position that we are simply agreeing to disagree.

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Article Number 280: What do you do when the light turns yellow?

Often there are warning signs that alert us that we are making an especially tough decision that might require special considerations.

If the traffic light is clearly green or red, we have few decisions to make -- at least fewer than if the light turns yellow. Our decision-making process is similar to that. Some decisions are quite clear; there is really not a difficult choice to make. But when the light turns yellow, when it is not a clear decision, when it is a 49 to 51 split, that is when the decision-making gets tough. That is when the warning flags are up. That is when we must be especially careful to examine every contingency, every stakeholder, every aspect of the problem.

But sometimes we are blind to the yellow light, to the warning. Perhaps we are distracted by a passing concern of a speeding diversion. Perhaps our eyes are not on the road. Perhaps we simply do not understand the rules and expectations, or perhaps the dangers. For whatever reason, we do not recognize the warning.

Too often we expect the warnings to come in the obvious forms -- a bell ringing, a flag waving. But when it comes to the workplace, to our co-workers, to our team members, to our own ethical decisions, we must watch for the subtle signals. Consider the following questions to help identify the ethical problem

1. Would I decide differently or change my opinion if the financial costs were significantly altered? Am I placing a monetary value on our ethics?
2. Are others pushing this decision onto me because nobody else wants to make it?
3. If I make this decision, am I going to feel bad?
4. Does it conflict with my natural instincts or my basic values?
5. Do my personal values and my professional values come in conflict over this decision?
6. Is someone being treated unfairly in my decision? Will anyone be harmed?
7. Am I responsible for delaying a decision in this matter?
8. Am I making this decision or taking this action out of the view of others? Am I tempted to shield it from my co-workers?

A "yes" answer to any of these questions might indicate that this is the time for extra caution and consideration in your decision-making. Perhaps this is the time for checking your decision with a friend or co-worker. Perhaps this is the time to consult your manager or supervisor, Human Resources, TI Legal or the Ethics Office. Be careful: this could be a very important decision for you and for those who work around you.

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Article Number 281: In search of a win/win solution

Each time we create a winner, we might also be creating a loser. In many situations, this creates unintentional and unproductive damage to our relationships.

In many situations of life, our objective is to emerge as the winner. But the bittersweet consequence is that each time we create a winner, we may also create a loser. We intentionally divide groups into winners and losers. Take the World Cup Soccer competition, for example. In a very lengthy and competitive process, the loser group grows larger while the winner group finally decreases to only one team, the champions.

While this process is very appropriate for so much that goes on in our lives, it might be destructive to many of our business relationships. In a more global view, it may work against our long term business goals to seek the absolute win if one of our business partners, perhaps a customer or a supplier, must be the loser.

In our individual business relationships with our co-workers or team members, the same principle is true. Each time we create a winner, we may be creating losers. Perhaps it is appropriate in some circumstances, but we must continue to show respect for and protect the dignity of all team members and business associates. Failure to do so can result in damaged relationships that will inhibit our ability to work together in the future.

The loss of face is more critical in some cultures than in others. But it always carries a negative impact. It might show itself in one's attendance or productivity. It might appear in how that person interacts with the team. It may be a silent cancer that eats away at the relationship where the employee chooses to resign or the customer or supplier simply chooses to take their business elsewhere.

The key words are reflected in our TI Commitment, which states, "We will create an environment where people are valued as individuals and treated with respect and dignity, fairness and equality." If we truly subscribe to this, we will instinctively work toward that solution where all stakeholders are considered and treated fairly, where everyone involved can walk away somewhat a winner, their dignity intact, and ready and able to pursue enhanced business relationships.

Common advice to aid the search for a win/win solution

1. Praise in public; criticize in private.
2. Treat others in a manner that you would want to be treated yourself. (Golden Rule)
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it. (Colin Powell)

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