Weyerhaeuser Co. doesn’t want its leaders-or any other employees-engaging in unethical behaviors. Founded in I900, Weyerhaeuser is a $25 billion producer of forest products and services with employees in I9 countries. Developing ethical leaders is a top priority at Weyerhaeuser. To achieve its objective, the company offers leadership assessments and training through its corporate university. For years, it has included ethics training as part of its formal leadership training program. The company’s philosophy is that remarkable leaders can inspire and motivate others to accomplish great tasks. From the beginning, effective leadership has meant ethical leadership.
To help managers spot and think through tough ethical situations, Weyerhaeuser’s top executives serve as the teachers. During training programs, managers are asked to read and discuss several case studies that present realistic ethical challenges. Leaders present several choices for managers to consider, including one or two good ones. A group discussion gives managers a chance to explain what they think about the situation, how they would behave, and why.
“Pulp Fiction” is the title of one case that Weyerhaeuser uses to teach ethics. In this case, Lena is an employee at a pulp mill. When the maintenance contractor employed by the plant begins to do shoddy work, her boss, Donna, asks her to recommend another contractor to perform the needed maintenance tasks. Lena hears that the current maintenance contractor employs the son-in-law of Donna, the mill’s maintenance manager. What would you do ? Here are some options:
1. Ask a coworker if she has the correct information: Is the man really Donna’s son-in-law ?
2. Tell the plant manager about the potential conflict.
3. Ask the contractor about the situation.
4. Ask Donna whether her son-in-law works for the maintenance contractor.
Leaders and managers discuss how each choice might affect the various people involved as well as the company. Very few managers will ever face this particular situation; that’s not the point. The point is to help managers develop an approach to thinking about the ethical issues they might face. What would you do if you were Lena, and why ?
CHOOSING THE PROGRAM FORMAT
Many different formats can be used for training and development activities. Three general categories of formats are on-the-job, on-site but not on-the-job, and typically-off-site. Choices about format may be constrained by the type of learning that’s to occur-cognitive, skill-based, or affective-as well as by cost