Introduction
The issues affecting UWEAR and PALEDENIM should be addressed from an ethical perspective in order to support the merger. The management teams from the two firms should be guided in order to develop the best code of conduct policies. When implemented effectively, such policies will address the existing ethical dilemmas and support the firm’s performance (Gilman, 2005). This discussion outlines the unique issues to consider throughout the code of conduct’s implementation process
Management and Code of Conduct Implementation
The management’s role in the implementation of the code of conduct is to guide the employees, create the best working environment, and support the proposed change. The organizational leader, ethics supervisor, and compliance officer should use their skills to influence positive behaviors. They should inform their followers about desirable practices. A supervisor should be hired to train targeted workers (Strahovnik & Juhant, 2014). The managers should offer new updates to the code of conduct policies. The management team will equip the workers with skills such as communication and decision-making.
Successful Communication
A successful communication plan should be designed in order to support the project. To begin with, the two organizations should use powerful strategies such as documents, leadership models (or guidelines), and training programs to inform more people about the code of conduct. These approaches will ensure the workers are informed about the critical attributes or components of the organization’s culture (Lieber, 2010). The workers will also be trained to acquire new communication skills. Such skills will ensure the employees communicate effectively and support the code of conduct. The supervisor will guide the workers to develop positive decisions and behaviors.
Educating the Employees
The employees in the respective companies must be educated in order to support the implementation process. This goal can be realized through the use of powerful training sessions. The sessions will inform the workers about the importance of the code of conduct. They will be guided in order to act ethically. Handouts, pamphlets, and notice boards will be used to support the needs of more stakeholders (Strahovnik & Juhant, 2014). This training program will eventually ensure the employees support the code of conduct’s implementation process.
Assessing Compliance
The other critical issue is the assessment of compliance. A code of conduct will become irrelevant if the targeted workers do not follow it. Compliance should, therefore, be assessed using a number of strategies. The first one is through constant analysis of every employee’s performance. Surveys will be used to analyze the effectiveness of the implemented code of conduct (Editorial Board, 2015). The supervisor should monitor the behaviors, actions, and practices of every employee. This approach will ensure the company understands the performance of each employee.
Change Management
Change management focuses on any business strategy aimed at transforming the performance of an organization (Lieber, 2010). The introduction and implementation of the proposed code of conduct should be treated as a new change. The managers should, therefore, use a powerful model to support the change. Kurt Lewin’s “model of unfreezing, change, and refreeze results in effective change management” (Lieber, 2010, p. 101). The model will ensure the code of conduct is introduced successfully. The next stage is implementing the code through constant communication and training. The third stage should focus on the best approaches towards making the code of conduct a critical attribute of the newly-formed organization. In conclusion, this change will eventually make the two companies profitable and successful.
References
Editorial Board. (2015). Leadership and ethical decision making. Schaumberg, IL: Words of Wisdom Press.
Gilman, S. (2005). Ethics codes and codes of conduct as tools for promoting an ethical and professional public service: comparative successes and lessons. Web.
Lieber, L. (2010). HR’s role in creating and maintaining a code of conduct to promote an ethical organizational culture. Employment Relations Today, 37(1), 99-106.
Strahovnik, V., & Juhant, J. (2014). Instructions for developing a code of ethics. Ethos, 1(1), 1-10.