"Neither by nature nor contrary to nature do the moral excellences arise in us, rather we are adapted by nature to receive them, and made perfect by habit." (Aristotle, "Nochomachean Ethics", cca. 340 BC)
"A low morality will not sustain leadership long, its influence quickly vanishes, it cannot produce its own succession." (Chester I Barnard, "The Functions of the Executive", 1938)
"One of the more disturbing aspects of this problem of moral conduct is the revelation that among so many influential people morality has become identified with legality. We are certainly in a tragic plight if the accepted standard by which we measure the integrity of a man in public life is that he keeps within the law." (Williarn Fulbright, [speech] 1967)
"The task of building an ethical environment where leaders and all personnel are instructed, encouraged, and rewarded for ethical behavior is a matter of first importance. All decisions, practices, goals, and values of the entire institutional structure which make ethical behavior difficult should be examined, beginning with the following: First, blatant or subtle forms of ethical relativism which blur the issue of what is right or wrong or which bury it as a subject of little or no importance. Second, the exaggerated loyalty syndrome, where people are afraid to tell the truth and are discouraged from it. Third, the obsession with image, where people are not even interested in the truth. And last, the drive for success, in which ethical sensitivity is bought off or sold because of the personal need to achieve." (Kermit D Johnson, "Ethical Issues of Military Leadership", 1974)
"Organizations tend to grow through stages, face and surmount crises, and along the way learn lessons and draw morals that shape values and future actions. Usually these developments influence assumptions and the way people behave. Often key episodes are recounted in 'war stories' that convey lessons about the firm's origins and transformations in dramatic form. Eventually, this lore provides a consistent background for action. New members are exposed to the common history and acquire insight into some of the subtle aspects of their company." (Richard T Pascale & Anthony G Athos, "The Art of Japanese Management", 1981)
"If managers are careless about basic things telling the truth, respecting moral codes, proper professional conduct - who can believe them on other issues?" (James L Hayes, "Memos for Management: Leadership", 1983)
"The key mission of contemporary management is to transcend the old models which limited the manager's role to that of controller, expert or morale booster. These roles do not produce the desired result of aligning the goals of the employees and the corporation. [...] These older models, vestiges of a bygone era, have served their function and must be replaced with a model of the manager as a developer of human resources." (Michael Durst, "Small Systems World", 1985)
"Ethical pressures and decisions are viewed through the prism of one's own personal values. The distinction between personal and organizational values, however, often becomes blurred, especially the longer one stays with a particular organization and/or advances up the hierarchical ladder." (Warren H Schmidt & Barry Z Posner, Public Administration Review, 1986)
"The practice of declaring codes of ethics and teaching them to managers is not enough to deter unethical conduct." (Saul W Gellerman, Harvard Business Review, 1986)
"Despite the codes of ethics, the ethics programs, and the special departments corporations don't make the ultimate decisions about ethics. Ethical choices are made by individuals." (M Euel Wade Jr., [speech] 1987)
"Executives have to start understanding that they have certain legal and ethical responsibilities for information under their control." (Jim Leeke, PC Week, 1987)
"The art of ethical management lies in unmixing the 'grey' areas to achieve clarity in resolution of ethical dilemmas." (Sheldon S Steinberg, "Workshop on Ethical Practices", 1987)
"Ethics must begin at the top of an organization. It is a leadership issue and the chief executive must set the example." (Edward L Hennessy Jr., The New York Times, 1988)
"As in the past, our service must rest upon a solid ethical base, because those who discharge such moral responsibilities must uphold and abide by the highest standards of behavior." (John A Wickham)
"Ethical and legal aren't the same. One can be dishonest, unprincipled, untrustworthy, unfair, and uncaring, without breaking the law." (Michael Josephson)
"For ethically committed persons, laws simply establish baseline standards of impropriety. Ultimately, these persons seek to do what is right in terms of universal moral principles such as honesty, integrity, loyalty, fairness, caring and respect for others, accountability and protection of the public trust. Laws cannot coerce these values." (Michael Josephson)
"On a practical level, there are two vital steps to ethical behavior: knowing what is right and doing it." (Michael Josephson)
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