“How come nobody saw that coming?” is one of the most common refrains of modern society. Whether it’s the Enron scandal, the Internet bubble, the economic crisis of 2008, 9/11, or a serious ethical breach at a local accounting firm, we seem blind to the signs of trouble on the horizon. This course explains why we so often miss what seems so obvious in retrospect – and what we can do about it.
Course ID: ETHICSUR
Ethics for People Who Don’t Like Surprises: Why We Don’t See It Coming Until It’s Too Darn Late
Learning Objectives
There are two kinds of people who get into ethical jams. The first group are the “bad people who are out there lying, cheating and stealing – and know it. And then there are the rest of us. By far and away, most of the serious ethical problems in the world involve people who, if asked, would sincerely argue that they did nothing wrong. These “blind spots that we all share put us at great risk – risk that we routinely fail to recognize. This course is designed to help participants understand why that happens – and what they can do to protect themselves, their organizations and their clients.
Major Topics
- “Blind spots” – why we don’t see what we don’t see
- “Speed kills” – the risks of stress in our fast-paced society
- “Sins of omission” – sometimes not doing something is worse
- “The way we think” – the tricks our own brains play on us
- “Transparently unclear” – the two-edged sword of full disclosure
Who Should Attend
Anyone who might wrestle with ethical issues, especially anyone in a leadership role
Fields of Study
Behavioral EthicsPrerequisites
None