The FORUM on ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE TRUSTED INSIGHTS FOR BUSINESS WORLDWIDE
THE CONFERENCE BOARD RESEARCH WORKING GROUP ON THE FORUM ON ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE WWW.CONFERENCE-BOARD.ORG Doing the Right Thing Senior executives abreast with the current issues roiling corporate America understand the critical need for greater vigilance on ethical issues. Today s leaders must be able to translate that need into actions that will encourage companywide integrity. Not only is ethical leadership imperative to corporate stakeholders but socially responsible investment funds and similar indexes are paying increased attention to corporate ethics, as well. In addition, integrity and trust in the management team are now acknowledged to be among the strongest drivers for employee engagement. As a result, these trends underscore the need for company leaders to foster workplace integrity and ethical leadership. Developing ethical leadership, a critical element of a risk management strategy, has immediate and long-term value for a company s bottom line. To address the competing demands for good business conduct and traditional business performance standards, The Conference Board invites you to participate in its Forum on Ethical Leadership and Business Performance, which will identify effective leadership models and best practices for improving organizational ethical performance. Participants will explore experientially what the ethical leadership success factors are, reasons for failure in leadership efforts, best-practice guidelines, and effective tone at the top communication. Before the Forum s first session, participants will have the opportunity to identify their most significant issues relating to the tension between ethical leadership and business performance. The Conference Board Forum on Ethical Leadership and Business Performance provides a private, hands-on environment for you to join an International Advisory Panel and expert researchers in exploring the tension between business conduct and business performance objectives and how to cultivate ethical leadership in your organization. It is a unique opportunity to join a select network of senior executives from global companies who face similar challenges. Group members work together to forge realistic, actionable solutions to problems posed by The International Advisory Panel, discuss case studies, and identify best practices.
WWW.CONFERENCE-BOARD.ORG THE CONFERENCE BOARD RESEARCH WORKING GROUP ON THE FORUM ON ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE Issues on the Table The Conference Board developed its Forum on Ethical Leadership and Business Performance to support high-potential leaders, particularly those being groomed for advancement in their organizations. Participants will address business and ethical challenges, success factors, reasons for failure, and best practices involved in fostering ethical leadership throughout the organization. An ideal opportunity for participants to explore both their personal and companies goals, the Forum is a private, mutually supportive environment for rigorous and meaningful discussion of the tension between financial and operational performance and ethical leadership. Interactive case studies and discussions will examine objectives that may include: Identifying factors to motivate ethical behavior at the board, C-suite, management, and first-line supervisor levels Defining the links between ethical leadership and ethical behavior and applying them to best-practice guidelines in driving ethical culture throughout the organization Developing processes and systems to foster ethical leadership development and how to talk about it in the organization Evaluating tone at the top messages for credibility, transparency, inspiration, and effectiveness Documenting the range and impact of corporate ethics incentives, recognitions, and rewards Understanding the impact of C-suite turnover on building an ethical corporate culture Why should you participate? Participants should be high-potential leaders who are being groomed for C-suite positions and who report to and must be nominated by the CEO. Assisted by our International Advisory Panel, you will join executive peers from other companies to analyze and resolve real-life ethical dilemmas in the top issue categories identified by CEOs worldwide. Our International Advisory Panel includes: Dr. Joanna Ciulla, Coston Family Chair in Leadership and Ethics, U. of Richmond Keith Darcy, Executive Director, Ethics and Compliance Officer Association Alfred C. DeCrane, Jr., former Chairman and CEO, Texaco Inc. Dr. Thomas Donaldson, Mark O. Winkelman Professor, The Wharton School Richard Ferlauto, Director, Corporate Governance and Pension Investments, AFSCME Dr. Michael Hoffman, Executive Director, Center for Business Ethics and Heiken Professor, Bentley College Dr. Rakesh Khurana, Associate Professor Business Administration, Harvard Business School Steve Mader, Vice Chair and Managing Director Board Services, Korn/Ferry Int. The Honorable Paul H. O Neill, former Treasury Secretary and Alcoa Chairman General Eric K. Shinseki, RET Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Jon Spector, CEO, The Conference Board Simon Webley, Research Director, Institute of Business Ethics, England
As a participant, you will: Interact with members of the International Advisory Panel, benefit from their leadership experience and insights, and further your thinking on ways in which you can increase your contributions to your organization around fostering ethical leadership Strengthen skills and awareness of ways to effectively address the intersection of business performance and ethical leadership Increase your ability to contribute to your CEO s thinking and actions Gain an ongoing peer network of high-potential leaders who have access to cutting-edge research, thought capital, and best practices in ethical leadership Receive a summary of research findings, plus recommendations on how to apply them Failures in ethical leadership have cost businesses billions of dollars in settlements and fines, not to mention incalculable damage to brand and reputation. Leaders who make ethics a part of daily conversations and decision-making set a tone for the organization that shapes the culture and mitigates vulnerability to misconduct. Gael O Brien, Program Director, Forum on Ethical Leadership
For more information, please contact: Gael O Brien Forum Leader +1 714 655 4684 gael.o brien@conference-board.org Gael O Brien, a consultant and coach, is a specialist in ethical leadership. A former vice president at Mitsubishi Motors North America, she has worked extensively with business leaders on making decisions that reinforce and communicate the integrity of their workplace. She authored a Conference Board Executive Action Report, A Place at the Table: Should the Ethics Function Report to a Company s Highest Authority. Ronald E. Berenbeim Forum Research Director +1 212 339 0352 ronald.berenbeim@conference-board.org Ronald E. Berenbeim is a principal researcher at The Conference Board and is head of its ethics program. He is the author of more than 40 Conference Board research publications. He is also the co-author (with Jean-Francois Arvis) of the 2003 World Bank study Fighting Corruption in East Asia Solutions from the Private Sector. The Conference Board, Inc. 845 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022-6600 Tel +1 212 759 0900 Fax +1 212 980 7014 www.conference-board.org The Conference Board Asia-Pacific 22/F, Shun Ho Tower 24-30 Ice House Street, Central Hong Kong SAR Tel +852 2804 1000 Fax +852 2869 1403 www.conference-board.org/ap.htm Forum Schedule The Conference Board Forum on Ethical Leadership and Business Performance will meet three times in person and up to two times via web conferences over the course of six months. In between these meetings, researchers from The Conference Board will provide summaries and analysis of meeting outcomes. Participation fee $35,000 Fees cover participation of a senior executive from your organization and include the cost of administering the program and producing the research, as well as hotel accommodations, meeting facilities, and group meals. Members are responsible for their travel arrangements. Meetings: Washington, D.C. (June 26-28) London, England (September) The Wharton School, Philadelphia (December 11-12) Agenda The agenda for each meeting will be member-driven. Prior to the first meeting, we will contact Forum participants to identify issues of greatest relevance to their respective companies. Issues will then be grouped in categories. Two different categories will be identified as the focus for each meeting. The agenda for each meeting and each of the two webcasts will link the designated topics with members of the International Advisory Panel s expertise. Participants will have more than 50 hours of meeting opportunities in the Forum over the three meetings and two webcasts. The Conference Board Europe Chaussée de La Hulpe 130, box 11 B-1000 Brussels Belgium Tel +32 2 675 54 05 Fax +32 2 675 03 95 www.conference-board.org/europe.htm The Conference Board China 7-2-72 Qijiayuan, 9 Jianwai Street Beijing 100600 P.R. China Tel +86 10 8532 4688 Fax +86 10 8532 5332 www.conference-board.cn The Conference Board of Canada 255 Smyth Road Ottawa ON KIH 8M7 Canada Tel +1 613 526 3280 Fax +1 613 526 4857 www.conferenceboard.ca www.conference-board.org People are no less ethical than they have ever been, but anyone who reads the newspapers recognizes that ethical leadership is in short supply in all kinds of enterprises not just business. This demand is unusually great because of the growing ethical complexity of problems that decision-makers must confront. Ronald Berenbeim, Research Director, Forum on Ethical Leadership Research