Date: 2025-05-02 Page is: DBtxt003.php L0913-TVM-MMW-000022
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TrueValueMetrics ... Peter Burgess Manuscript
Making Management Work for Relief and Development |
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Chapter 22
Ethics, Culture and Religion |
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Ethics ... Is it Right or Wrong?
Is it legal? The rich modern world is dominated by a culture that has embraced “rule of law”. And while this may work within the rather limited arena of corporate contracts and personal property, it is very much more difficult to have one complete framework of law that is fair and just for everyone, everywhere and in all situations. More dangerous ... if it is legal, does not make something right. Things can be legal and not be either ethical, moral or just. My recollection of childhood was very much the learning of right from wrong. The concepts seem to be quite basic, and quite reasonable. As I grew up and got more experience, it seemed that most of the things that were right were supported almost universally in spite of different cultures and religions, and that things that were wrong were condemned in whatever society it was with whatever culture or religion. The universality of decency and friendship and family seems to be a very positive thing about what is right in the world and what is right with the world. It is not easy to define right and wrong and good and bad in a legal construct ... but these ideas are still around, and they are still critical to civilization. Ethical standards should be applied everywhere. There are some trade-offs that are appropriate, but some that are not. The universal application of “the end justifies the means” is a formula for disaster, and should not be embraced. Different systems of law The system of law that has been embraced by the United States seems to work quite well for the United States ... though many would argue that the system has one standard for the rich and one for the poor ... that it is not very long since the law was applied quite differently to Black Americans than to White Americans, and the law did little to fix the problem. I am not trained in law, but what I understand is that the differences between British Law and US Law are significant ... in the the USA, there are differences between Federal Law and the laws of the various States. And in Europe there are differences in law between those of France and Germany, or Sweden or Italy or Spain. In other words, law seems to come in a whole range of flavors ... which suggests that a single Rule of Law is not a very meaningful idea. Rather, a single framework of ethics, and concepts of justice is really what should be center stage ... with the various rules of law working to help make ethics and justice universal. I have had the chance to see traditional law at work in various parts of the world, and though it does not look the same as in the British Court or a US Court, there underlying ideas of fairness and the rules of society are very much in play. And while British and US courts think of their long history, traditional courts around the world probably go back much further. While traditional systems have areas where modernization would be advantageous, it needs to be done with respect for the past and the relevance to the society. Corporate responsibility Mining companies that put poisonous effluent that kills people into rivers used as the communal drinking water source should be stopped and held to account. Oil companies that spew oil into fishing waters and kill the fishery should be stopped and held to account ... not only when it happens in Alaska but also when it happens in Nigeria. Generally speaking, the international corporate community has demonstrated a willingness to invest and profit without taking in consideration very much the responsibilities of good community citizenship. It can be said that “anything goes” when it is a long way from any prying eyes. Bad behavior is only deemed unacceptable when there is high possibility of “getting caught”, and, of course, it become totally unacceptable when you are caught. I had a number of jobs of varying responsibility in the corporate world. One of my jobs was “budget manager” of a company with around 30 subsidiary operations. At one budget meeting at a subsidiary plant we did a plant tour and I noticed effluent and trash going into the river behind the plant. The year before there had been an investment made in an incinerator for effluent treatment, but it was not working. When I inquired in the budget meetings about the effluent, trash and non-functioning incinerator, I was told with a straight face that I had not allowed money in the budget for this. This was a surprise ... I had never expected that well paid respectable senior managers would behave so glibly and so irresponsibly when it came to a basic community responsibility ... but I was wrong. When it came to trying to make the numbers, anything goes. That was in the United States where the environmental regulations are fairly clear ... it is many times worse when the company is operating in the “south”. Culture The value of culture Quality of life depends a lot on culture, and what is culturally appropriate in one place is not necessarily the same everywhere. Civilization puts value on culture ... on art, and music and dance ... but culture reaches into every aspect of society and gives a lot of depth and flavor to a society. There are differences ... and differences can be very important. They can be differences that create friction or merely differences that create interest. It all depends. Respect Cultures may be different, but there should be respect. I may be most comfortable with my own culture, but I should respect someone else's culture, and be understanding of the differences. Learn It behooves us all to learn about other cultures, and to understand how other cultures can have a big impact on the behavior of society. I have had the good fortune to be able to work in a number of different societies around the world, and while the culture was often quite different from my own, there were always two things that were on my mind: (1) what are the differences and why? and, (2) what impact does culture have on the way the society and the economy works? I cannot pretend to have learned enough, but I seemed to learn that cultures around the globe tended to work for the people in the local society ... just as US culture worked in the United States, Somali culture worked in Somaliland. I seemed to learn that an alien culture produced strains in society that required a lot of management, and could easily end up being a destroyer of local culture and local values. I learned that most of the fundamental values I associate with good and bad, and right and wrong, and family values were present in all the different cultural settings I worked in. I learned that the concept of responsibility is as strong in cultures that I do not know well as they are in my own culture ... in fact, in many ways even more so. I learned that trust is as much valued in other cultures as in my own ... in fact more so. Bottom line Culture can be a key part of moving global society forward. Some things need to have global scale and uniformity ... like intermodal transport containers ... but culture can be different and beautiful and a catalyst for local success and not a constraint at all on making local socio-economic progress. But it would be good to know a lot more about culture before setting in motion forces that destroy local culture and replace it with something that is neither relevant locally nor remotely better. Religion A power ... for what? I prefer to interact with a person that has some respect for religion, even when the religion is not my own. I usually find that people who have some respect for religion also have some respect for societal values ... and that this can be the basis for dialog and for agreement on a lot of things of importance. Religion, in my view, is powerful because it has a big place in the life of many people and their families. Religion has also been used as an excuse for a lot of war and violence. There have been big arguments about theology ... that have resulted in war and violence ... and at the end of the day have done little to improve the lot of ordinary people. But religion has also served to add a dimension to life so that people who have nothing material can have something that is of other value ... of spiritual value. In many situation as I have worked where there has been famine, and disease and violence ... the value of the help delivered simply from a person's faith ... has been amazing, and not to be taken lightly. Spiritual sustenance may not solve the problem of malnutrition, but it does makes a terrible life more bearable. I was in Addis Ababa one year when Easter Sunday was on Sunday and May Day was on Monday ... an interesting juxtaposition of Christianity and communism. Of course, in the communist era in Ethiopia, Christianity was supplanted by Communism according to the State rules ... but in spite of this Ethiopians turned out by thousands to celebrate Easter. Trinity Church is on a hillside ... and during the Easter Vigil the church and the grounds were full ... crowded ... with worshipers. They were all dressed in traditional clothes ... white ... and all, it seemed, were seriously malnourished ... but full of spiritually. It was very moving. Next day, the Government had a May Day parade. The spectators were marched under guard from all over the city to be present to see the parade. The army and police faced to crowd to control any potential disturbance. The political leadership gave speeches ... the military marched ... some citizen groups were marched by the reviewing stand. There was no clapping. No cheering. Nothing. An amazing contrast ... the lessons is that the value of religion and spirituality should not to be underestimated. Religious organizations and their communities The potential of religious organizations and communities to have a much bigger role in making relief and development successful can be exploited. People like to work together and to do so in their own community, and people like to see success. Helping religions communities to be successful is a natural opportunity. But as in so much else, the opportunity to help any single group needs to be done in ways that does not create local economic distortion nor become an excuse for disruption and a catalyst for violence. |
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