Dealing with Ethics and Climate

8-19. A leader is the ethical standard-bearer for the organization, responsible for building an ethical climate that demands and rewards behavior consistent with the Army Values. Other staff specialists—the chaplain, staff judge advocate, inspector general, and equal employment opportunity specialist—assist in shaping and assessing the organization’s ethical climate. Regardless of all the available expert help, the ultimate responsibility to create and maintain an ethical climate rests with the leader.


8-20. Setting a good ethical example does not necessarily mean subordinates will follow it. Some may feel that circumstance justifies unethical behavior. Therefore, the leader must constantly monitor the organization’s ethical climate and take prompt action to correct any discrepancies between the climate and the standard. To effectively monitor organizational climates, leaders can use a periodic Ethical Climate Assessment Survey combined with a focused leader plan of action as follows:

• Begin the plan of action by assessing the unit. Observe, interact, and gather feedback from others, or conduct formal assessments of the workplace.
• Analyze gathered information to identify what needs improvement. After identifying what needs improvement, begin developing courses of action to make the improvements.
• Develop a plan of action. First, develop and consider several possible courses of action to correct identified weaknesses. Gather important information, assess the limitations and risks associated with the various courses, identify available key personnel and resources, and verify facts and assumptions. Attempt to predict the outcome for each possible course of action. Based on predictions, select several leader actions to deal with target issues.
• Execute the plan of action by educating, training, or counseling subordinates; instituting new policies or procedures; and revising or enforcing proper systems of rewards and punishment.
• The organization moves towards excellence by improving substandard or weak areas and maintaining conditions that meet or exceed the standard. Finally, periodically reassess the unit to identify new matters of concern or to evaluate the effectiveness of the leader actions.

Character and Ethics-Army Leadership

 4-62. Adhering to the principles that the Army Values embody is essential to upholding high ethical standards of behavior. Unethical behavior quickly destroys organizational morale and cohesion—it undermines the trust and confidence essential to teamwork and mission accomplishment. Consistently doing the right thing forges strong character in individuals and expands to create a culture of trust throughout the organization.

4-63. Ethics are concerned with how a person should behave. Values represent the beliefs that a person has. The seven Army Values represent a set of common beliefs that leaders are expected to uphold and reinforce by their actions. The translation from desirable ethics to internal values to actual behavior involves choices. 

4-64. Ethical conduct must reflect genuine values and beliefs. Soldiers and Army civilians adhere to the Army Values because they want to live ethically and profess the values because they know what is right. Adopting good values and making ethical choices are essential to produce leaders of character.

4-65. In combat, ethical choices are not always easy. The right thing may not only be unpopular, but dangerous as well. Complex and dangerous situations often reveal who is a leader of character and who is not.