The Committee on Standards in Public Life, responsible for the seven principles of public life (NOLAN principles), has published a report on the role leadership plays in embedding an ethical culture in organisations.
The report looks at the ways organisations can facilitate or hinder ethical behaviour. It includes a series of questions to help leaders consider whether there is more they can do to embed the NOLAN principles into their organisation’s policies, practices and ways of working.
Like the NOLAN principles, these 20 questions have strong applicability in the charity sector. They would form the basis for a robust board discussion on ethics and a useful means to plan for improvement.
Indeed, governance and the role of boards are drawn out as key areas for embedding ethical practice. This is in addition to:
- the effective communication of values
- encouraging a ‘speak up’ culture
- implementing training on and discussing ethical issues
- embedding values into recruitment and performance management.
The report states that boards have a crucial role in promoting ethical conduct and ensuring that an organisation is living up to its values.
On the topic of ethics, we published the Charity Ethical Principles in 2017 which provide a similar, sector-specific framework for boards and leaders. These could be used in conjunction with the new report to undertake an assessment.
Earlier this year, NCVO also announced that we would be supporting Power & Integrity. This new initiative examines the complex ways power plays out in organisations and investigates how this impacts organisational integrity.