Dialogue on Anti-Corruption and Ethics Needed

As our workplace becomes more global in scope, our work as engineers is challenged with increased competition, stricter governmental controls, and unprecedented diversity in markets. Each of these global characteristics has forced us to look more closely at ethical questions that heretofore were not on our professional horizon. Finding the best answer to an ethical dilemma is especially complicated by cultural differences in market situations that are constantly changing. It is true that there exists no single set of rules or policies that can guide every engineer in every situation. The decisions in our work must be guided by a shared understanding of basic professional values and the fundamental principles of integrity.

Terry Shoup

A recent effort supported by several engineering societies, the American Society of Civil Engineers has been looking at concerns over global anti-corruption issues. Examples have been in the news regularly, from the failures of infrastructure to the prevalence of bribery in contractual processes. In recent years, several international agreements have been introduced, including the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, which has been signed by more than 100 countries and ratified by a third of them along with the other collaborative efforts.

ASME promotes a high level of ethical practice through several efforts, foremost being the Code of Ethics that "upholds and advances the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession" and establishes nine fundamental canons that are simple and straightforward, including the values of safety, concern for the environment, sustainable development, trust, merit, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. These are detailed fully in the Society Policy P-15.7, which can be easily found online at www.asme.org/Governance/Society_Policies.cfm. If you haven't read over these recently, I would encourage you to refresh your understanding of these important canons. They are extremely valuable tools to assist you as you make professional decisions.

I am reminded of the words of Bill Beadle of the Better Business Institute, which ASME cites in its students' readings: "There are plenty of road maps for the ethical way through life. The problem is that the road is sometimes long and hard while shortcuts are temptingly easy. It takes discipline and perseverance to travel the ethical route." Our strength of character can be reinforced through our professional association with each other. The Code of Ethics helps empower us to keep perspective and align corporate behavior with a sense of ethics in the broadest sense.

Anne Hines, a student of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, who won first place in the 2002 Arthur L. Williston Contest, provided some thoughtful analysis: "Most unethical decisions are not the result of a single lapse in judgment. Rather, they result from a heightened unethical level of tolerance. If ethics are incorporated into the everyday engineering problem-solving process, it will be easier to escape this tendency." When the potential for corruption looms, this advice offers insight into the difficulties associated with maintaining our professionalism.

As engineering professionals, we must each recognize that we have responsibility for all aspects of our work — social, environmental, and economical. We don't always have the answers, particularly in regard to new technologies and in the challenges of justice, equal access, and environmental impact. In these cases, we need to open the conversation with our understanding of the technology and then be willing to listen to the concerns of those who may be impacted by our work.

In addition, we must support systems that offer protection, accountability, and transparency in reporting through agreements and standards. As engineers, we have a strong stake in reforms that combat corruption. Many "best practices" in corporate compliance programs, employee training, and other process-oriented controls are adopting anti-corruption measures. We need to find more ways to collaborate with others in our own industries and in society, to ensure broad acceptance of anti-corruption measures. The quest for integrity must engage the best efforts of us all and must be global in scope.

ASME's Ethics Center (www.asme.org, see News and Public Policy) offers support through learning opportunities and involvement in committees (particularly within ASME's Technology and Society Division). As members, we need to incorporate discussions on anti-corruption and ethics into our meetings. We need to build this important topic into our curriculums and into our learning venues. In the final analysis, a commitment to integrity should be what is most notable about our profession and about ASME.

— Terry Shoup
ASME President 2006–2007

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