Ethical Intelligence (EI)
/
Girl feeding dog.
You have heard of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Social Quotient (SQ), and Adversity Quotient (AQ), but today, I want to discuss the ethical side of things, and I am going to refer to it as Ethical Intelligence or EI. Ethical intelligence (EI) is necessary for organizations to be sustainable and impactful in societies today. Wickham and O'Donoghue define EI as competent decision-making skills, ethical maturity, and the different intelligence types (2012, p. 12). The intelligence types include cognitive, moral, social, and emotional. Each of these brings additional attributes to complete an individual and an organization. Wickham and O'Donoghue also communicate the importance of organizations' need to develop human talent and capital.
When the staff is valued and developed, they are happy to get involved, and once involved, they again feel value and inspiration to carry out the values and ethics of the organization (Kogan, 2013). Each organization should develop methods to measure their compliance, teach it to the staff, and use it as a guide for doing business. Lantos and College (2002) share the importance of putting Christian values in the workplace. The "GOLDEN RULE" in Matthew is not just a Sunday School lesson for children but a motto to use with staff, customers, and stakeholders. Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (2017) shared that EI is consistency, transparency, and trust that enables an organization to build a reputation. People remember the organizations that take an ethical and moral stand and support them because of it. I have seen organizations destroyed because of a lack of ethical intelligence, and others who follow the principles discussed succeed.
How does ethical intelligence guide your organization?
Reference:
Kogan, P. (2013, November 15). Author Insights: Engaging employees in building an ethical culture. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69F7sWHi2XI
Lantos, G. P., & College, S. (2002). Dialogue I: Christians in Non-Christian Arenas. JBIB. https://cbfa-jbib.org/index.php/jbib/article/view/361/362
Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership. (2017, February 6). What is the secret to creating an ethical culture? YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWxSgONt_iA
Wickham, M., & O’Donoghue, W. (2012). Developing an Ethical Organization: Exploring the role of ethical intelligence. Organization Development Journal, 30(2), 9–29.