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"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics."
Albert Einstein is credited with that powerfully simple statement, which helps explain how we must operate in an increasingly competitive global defense industry.
Business has always been a contact sport. However, winning at any cost isn't winning at all. What's more, cutting ethical corners simply isn't necessary. We know, and research supports, that companies with strong ethical cultures outperform those whose ethical cultures are weak.
The Corporate Executive Board recently released data showing companies with strong ethical cultures, open communication and managers who model corporate values, delivered shareholder returns that averaged 5 percent higher than peers; improved worker productivity of more than 12 percent. And such companies were 67 percent less likely to observe instances of business misconduct than those at companies with low integrity cultures.
Shaping an organization's culture is a fundamental leadership task. When it comes to ethics that involves:
Establishing and supporting a formal...