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 FAQ
| Q: |
About our logo |
| A: |
 We have been inspired for our logo by the satellite Znamia. Launched by the Russians in 1993, its purpose was to test the feasibility of reflecting sun light on another planet for increasing its temperature. Similar technologies are developed today for rendering the planet Mars inhabitable by humans, a process called “Terraforming”. Znamia is not science fiction. It started the new hi-tech industry of astrobiology
(See the Nasa website below).
As a symbol, Znamia exemplifies the tremendous power organizations and technologies exercise today, with their corresponding responsibilities. The way we manage organizations and lead their purpose do affect the lives of large populations, the ecology of our fragile planet and, starting with Znamia, the cosmos itself.
We are convinced that the strategic difference between a wise use of this power and an irresponsible one will be provided by new frameworks, tools and processes in ethical management. The mission of the Chair is to find concrete ways for organizations to serve the common good. Like Znamia, the purpose of ethics in management and leadership is to bring light on our shadows.
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| Q: |
Why is this Chair called a "Chair in Ethical Management" and not a "Chair in Business Ethics"? |
| A: |
The notion of business ethics is often associated with the use of ethical codes or the enforcement of values. In our research, we have found that there are more than 20 different schools of ethics with different theoretical approaches and practical implications. However, only 3 or 4 of them are used today in most organizations in an attempt to narrowly increase financial performance or corporate image. We prefer to use a larger definition of ethics that we call "integral" which can better handle the increasing complexity and globalization of our world. |
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| Q: |
What do you mean by "integral ethics"? |
| A: |
The notion of "integral ethics" implies the use of many different strategies of action, including codes of behaviors, cultural influence, stakeholder dialogues or individual introspection. It also implies the pursuit of four bottom lines in organization, i.e. the economic, social, environmental and existential. The tendency is often to focus only on a few strategies and a few bottom lines, which is not integral. We will soon have a computerized instrument which will more precisely identify these diverse types of ethics in people and in organizations. This instrument will help guide different ethical strategies of development. |
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| Q: |
You sometimes use the term "spiritual". What do you mean by it? |
| A: |
In our work, we take seriously the entirety of human experience, including the physical, emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, ethical and spiritual realms. By spiritual we mean the search by individuals for meaning, wholeness and transcendence of their own individuality. However we are very suspicious of new age sects and dogmatism in religion which often turns into violence. |
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| Q: |
How have you chosen the people included in the running header on your website? |
| A: |
All of these people are very different: They include CEOs of large corporations, presidents of countries, scholars in different fields, leaders in arts, science and religion; but they have all contributed to the rise of an ethical and integral consciousness in our world, although in different ways. To use a metaphor, if all these individuals have earned a black belt in judo, some of them wear this black belt with a first dan, while others have mastered the fifth dan, which is believed to be the highest stage in mastery. |
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| Q: |
What do you mean by "integral leadership"? |
| A: |
Integral leaders are using the full spectrum of human experience, as defined above. They are no longer striving for their own success; rather, they are acting for the betterment of the world. They have also the capacity to draw both from the feminine and masculine principles and to go beyond the traditional boundaries of space and time, integrating many elements from different cultures and civilizations. While all leaders have "followers", a term that we do not like as it implies passivity, what most distinguishes integral leaders from others is that they are themselves
the followers of their deepest consciousness and the followers of the ethical needs of the populations these leaders serve. The scientific
evidence suggests that a sizable proportion of older people are able to do that.
We need their help, along with the younger generations. |
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| Q: |
You call your project on Integral leadership the "Chair's flagship project". Does this mean that all your work will be on leadership? |
| A: |
No. This project is our flagship because of its heavy logistics, requiring the collaboration of 100 researchers around the world for a period of 10 years. It is also a very important project from a scientific and a managerial point of view: for the first time we will be able to explain scientifically what the most integral leaders in civilization have felt and done, with direct implications for the screening, training and promoting of leaders in present organizations. But the scientific evidence suggests that leadership itself only accounts for around 15% of the variance in organizations, perhaps more in time of crises or in the domain of ethics. This is the reason why we are also conducting other projects. For example, we are evaluating the potential of innovative techniques, such as the use of group dialogue and individual introspection , to deepen the ethical decisions of people, without using techniques of control or indoctrination; we are also assessing the generative ethical and leadership potential of seniors in organizations, i.e. men and woman 60 years or older. |
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| Q: |
Is your research going to be useful? |
| A: |
This is our goal. Many people are concerned by issues which are new in our post-modern world, such as the power, complexity and potential danger of our advanced technologies, the rising globalization which bring different cultures together to the extent that it has never happened before, or the increase of poverty and violence in our world as well as its environmental decay. All these issues bring forth new ethical questions that we did not need to ask in the past. The Chair's mandate is to provide new theories and tools that will help to better manage these new issues in very practical ways. We are also particularly concerned about helping organizations to choose, train and evaluate individuals (employees, professionals, managers and leaders) who can be ethical and act ethically. The recent rise of scandals suggests that many organizations have not been efficient in this area. |
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| Q: |
How can I help? |
| A: |
While HEC Montreal and other partners help us financially , a Chair depends on the financial contribution of individuals, enterprises, associations, foundations and other organizations. We list our needs in the section "Donors and Partners". You can also help by getting involved in the different research projects, facilitating logistics, or helping develop the Chair's network. |
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| Q: |
Why should I help you and not another group? |
| A: |
Many groups do interesting things in different domains. Many also focus, in our opinion, too much on a few tools or a few ideologies. The integral stance we take is still relatively rare, especially related to the issues of ethics in organizations. Most people are still focusing either on ethical codes or value statements, which are only part of the solution. In our Chair, we have also developed the ability to have our head in the clouds and our feet on the ground. We try to concretely demonstrate the integral approach in the work that we ourselves do. |
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