Ethics 2

Is it just a question of doing the right

thing?
 Reith Lecture 2002
• Onora O’Neill in her Reith Lectures of 2002
entitled ‘A Question of Trust’ commented:
“ Professionals and Institutions doing
trustworthy work today may find that the
public say that they do not trust them- but
their services are still demanded.”
 The Role of the Professions
• The professionals in the built environment are
obliged to take the greater good of society
into account and to act as impartial arbiters of
interests.
• However, in the 1980s and 90s professions
often seemed to be self- serving and remote
from the society they were supposed to serve
• As a result their position came into question
and their status and influence declined
 Ethical Standards
• This has led some professionals from the
engineering institutions to question whether
there is a need to invigorate the ethical
standards of the professions.
• A key question is what value is generated
from adopting a clear set of values?
 Part of being professional
• Paul Nethercot, President of the Institution of
Structural Engineers 2003-4 described being a
professional as :
“ acting competently, asking a fair price and
conducting oneself in a reasonable manner”
Is this sufficient or does there need to be
more explicit values?
 Professional virtues
• Armstrong (2004) proposed there were six
virtues required by a professional practitioners:
integrity, independence, impartiality,
responsibility, competence and discretion
• These virtues, which represent ethical practice,
“enable the maintenance of principles and
responsibilities in professional activities, in
contexts that are often complex and unclear.”
 Value added
• Blockley (2005) states that “ reflective,
experienced engineers are well equipped both
theoretically and practically to benefit by
articulating and communicating added value
by considering ethics.”
 Why do ethics matter?
• “because we are human beings” (Blockley,
2005) founded on morals. People should
always try to do what is right
• “the professional engineer serves society”
(Armstrong, 2004) and responsible engineers
use these morals to regulate themselves,
needing to understand their own values, and
the consequences of their actions
 More value
• “ethics extract more value for engineers”
(Blockley, 2005)
• Engineers have the responsibility of making
decisions that need to deliver true quality and
value, inclusive of function, cost, safety,
sustainability and aesthetics.
• This is a complex and sometimes conflict
driven process
 Can ethics help?
• Applying the tenet “do unto others as you
would have them do to you” would mean that
engineers would need to understand the
needs of all the involved parties, respecting
their views and managing their these.
• This would allow the engineer to truly
appreciate and qualify their needs
 The value of the engineer
• Blockley argues that it is in this manner , by
developing trust, that the true value of the
engineer is revealed.
• “ value is the worth we give to the purposes
we have collectively and
individually….engineers need to be much
better at showing the value we bring to
construction process”
 Gensler
• Gensler (1998) derived key personal skills and
attributes derived from Kantian ethics, which
emphasise action based rational ethical
evaluation
• These give guidance to the engineer while also
ensuring the value of engineering
 Personal Skills and Attributes
• Be consistent in the beliefs you hold (logical),
in the evaluation of similar actions (impartial)
and in your judgements and actions
(conscientious)
• Be informed ( facts, consequences, beliefs and
feelings of others)
• Be imaginative
• Think beyond the norms and culture of your
organisation
 Attributes -2
• Develop feelings that support rational
principles; internalise ethics as a habit of
thought
• Communicate widely (benchmark and
network)
• Respect (though perhaps not accept) the
arguments, knowledge and experience of
others
• Don’t be dogmatic; be prepared to change if
new arguments become available
 Without ethics
• There is a real risk that if ethics are not present in the
decision making process undertaken by engineers
then regulation of that process will be impose from
outside
• Armstrong (2002) highlight this “ unless we as
professional engineers are prepared to ensure that
our judgements are sound , then we become
increasingly controlled by imposed regulations,
which can diminish the quality of our work and
require us to be the mere instruments in all decision
making- indeed not to be real decision makers at
all”..
 Benefits of ethics
• The individual can build a sense of pride and
satisfaction
• An organisation can promote good reputation
and trustworthiness
• Both are key to future success
• Good ethical practice, it has been identified,
can improve business, demonstrates duty of
care, helps recruitment and communicates
value
 This can result in:
• Striving to provide best value encourages
continuous improvement
• Lead to sustainable development
• Promote innovation and development
 Legislation
• Are ethical procedures invoked through a fear
of litigation rather than moral beliefs?
• A number of regulations in the UK ensure
there is a duty of care
• Uff (2002) commenting on the evolution of
Health and Safety law e.g. CDM regulations
states “ any postulated ethical duty must take
account of existing recognised legal duties”
 Duty of care
• He summed up whether engineers owe a duty
of care to the public, by concluding:
• “legal duties are owed to a wide, but limited
class of persons and that duties to the public
are not in general enforceable against
individual engineers by or on behalf of
members of the public”
 The Institutions
• Uff highlighted the institutions duty to
properly police the activities of its members
• Failure to do so could result in legal action
being taken against the institution
• Is this the right reason for policing?
 Hippocratic Oath
• Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, vowing a
responsibility to their patient
• They can be struck off and are therefore
effectively regulated
• Should engineers take a similar oath?
• Engineers do not work in isolation in the same
manner, therefore it would be much harder to
regulate
 Professional Institutions
• They provide guidance through their codes of
conduct
• These confirm their commitment to ethical conduct
• Blockley comments that the rules of conduct are too
general, even contradictory and not sufficient
• They do not encourage us to “ relate better to
ourselves, our clients and society at large.”
 Value statements
• Statements such as “fit for purpose” raise
liability concerns and hence can reduce
innovation and reasonable risk taking
• However “the engineer cannot operate simply
in a market oriented way” (Armstrong 2002)
 Statement of Ethical Principles
• In 2003, the Society of Construction Law set
up a group to consider the question of ethics
in the construction industry.
• This was prompted by the call made by
Professor John Uff in his lecture to the Royal
Academy of Engineering.
• They came up with the following guidelines
and asked for comments:
 The Guidelines
• Honesty- act with honesty and avoid conduct
likely to result, directly or indirectly, in the
deception of others.
• Fairness- do not seek to obtain a benefit
which arises directly or indirectly the unfair
treatment of others
• Fair reward- avoid acts which are likely to
result in another party being deprived of the
reward for their work
 Guidelines
• Reliability- maintain up to date skills and
provide services only within your areas of
competence
• Integrity- Have regard for the interests of the
public, particularly people, who will retain an
interest in the project in the future.
• Objectivity- identify any potential conflicts of
interest and disclose the conflict to those who
would be adversely affected by it.
 Guidelines-3
• Accountability- provide information and
warning of matters within your knowledge of
potential detriment to others who may be
adversely affected by them. Warning those in
time to allow the taking of effective action to
avoid detriment.
• What do you think?