Corporate Ethics: It’s Not About Your Values
Presenter: Tracey Snoyer

No one walks into a corporation with the idea that they are going to compromise their deeply held values in pursuit of the almighty dollar. It may seem like that when we read the case studies of mega-corporations gone wrong, but that is not how it begins. Most leaders step into their roles with an earnest commitment to maximizing the value of the company for employees, shareholders and clients. So what goes wrong? How do the outrageous stories of corporate greed and exploitation come to be? And could it ever happen to us?

Using a very interactive case study of Enron- gone- wrong, this workshop will show how Enron was brought down not by a failure of values (at the outset), but by the institutionalization of group-think: all of the parties failed their constituencies simply by wanting terribly for Enron to be a success (and thereby themselves). We will explore how group-think insulates us from the truth, and ultimately, our values. Leaders attending this session will begin to see ways in which group think might be affecting their own businesses, and see ways to change course quickly, which will influence the enterprise's ability to be highly profitable and sustainable.