Firms must take a more ethical approach to technology, says World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has launched a new report which sets out to define how organisational leaders can influence their companies and encourage the responsible use of technology and build ethical capacity. Ethics by Design” – An Organizational Approach to Responsible Use of Technology claims to integrate psychology and behavioural economics findings from interviews and surveys with international business leaders. It aims to shape decisions to prompt better and more ethical behaviours. The report promotes an approach that focuses less on individual “bad apples” and more on the “barrel”, the environments that can lead people to engage in behaviours contrary to their moral compass. The report outlines steps and makes recommendations that have proven more effective than conventional incentives such as compliance training, financial compensation or penalties.

The implementation of technology can be complex when all aspects of its potential effects are considered. The report aims to guide the conversation and implementation of technology for positive impacts on society. Over the past eight years, the technology sector has experienced a steeper decline in trust compared to any other sector. Technology development cannot be done in a vacuum; its social impact has to be taken into consideration.

There are three critical components to this comprehensive approach:

1. Attention: Timely, refocused attention on the ethical implications of the technology. Attention techniques and examples include reminders, checklists and frequent ethics refresher training – focus on methodology.
2. Construal: Individuals interpret their work in ethical terms. Construal techniques and examples include the deliberate use of ethically freighted language in mission statements – emphasis on culture. Leaders are responsible for promoting ethical decisions by providing the corporation’s vision, purpose and values. Companies have found success by framing issues beyond purely legal or regulatory compliance terms.
3. Motivation: Encouraging pro-social actions, setting social “norm nudges” and other culture-changing activities can be used to promote ethical behaviours. The culture of organizations positively influences motivation. It can be best sustained through robust, self-reinforcing incentives and operational structures, such as conscious community building within and across company teams and programmes to showcase ethically exemplary employees.

The research was supplemented by in-depth interviews with organizational executives spanning seven countries. Findings from these interviews are summarized in the report as illustrative examples of ethical behaviour with technology in action. The report is part of the Organizational Design workstream of the World Economic Forum’s Responsible Use of Technology initiative.