The Seven Layers of Integrity [Paperback]

George P. Jones (Author), June Ferrill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2006

"Can you teach people to behave ethically?" That's the question being asked by business leaders and business school administrators across America as our country witnesses a wave of financial scandals. The Seven Layers of Integrity¿ both answers that question and provides a model that serves as a learning tool and a decision-making mechanism. The authors believe people can be taught to behave ethically - and they start by examining the reason people raise this question in the first place. Common thinking is that by the time people reach adulthood their value systems are already in place - they are either ethical or not ethical. This is classic contemporary American thinking characterized by binary, mutually exclusive options; sound bite analysis; and an easy litmus test for the integrity of degree candidates, job applicants and business people. As with most ideas having these characteristics, it falls apart under even limited scrutiny. The solution to the business ethics problem lies in corporate culture, and the authors speak from their own familiarity, after years of business consulting, with the impact of corporate culture on human behavior. The number of ethical dilemmas available to the human race is without limits. Therefore, it is imperative that we teach people how to think about the decisions they may face. Management and employees need an understanding of how to analyze and resolve the day-to-day ethical questions encountered in a business setting. Standards of behavior do exist and The Seven Layers of Integrity¿ provides a method for examining those standards. But in addition, business people should have a process to use when encountering new territory, a model that helps to clarify their thinking and a basic understanding of how to recognize and resolve ethical problems in business operations. This book presents that method.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George P. Jones, a management consultant and co-founder of ChangeMakers, Inc., provides ethics training and consulting. He began his career at Arthur Andersen & Co.''s Houston office in the division that later became Accenture. Becoming a partner in Andersen in 1985, he specialized in technology and financial services. He twice had responsibility for developing new training programs for Andersen, including a replacement for the firm's three-week new hire training program that was deployed around the world. Following Andersen, Mr. Jones was in charge of the Chicago and Houston operations of BSG, a start up systems integrator, where he was responsible for over 120 consultants. In Chicago, Mr. Jones was responsible for developing all aspects of a new operation. After returning to Houston he led the 120 employees of BSG's original office through a period of significant change, culminating in BSG's acquisition by a publicly traded company. He received an M.S. degree in Computer Science from The Ohio State University and is a CPA in the State of Texas. Currently a faculty member at Rice University, June Ferrill, Ph.D., teaches business ethics, ethical decision-making for engineers, entrepreneurial communications and managerial communications. Dr. Ferrill has given training for and consulted with Bank of America, Continental Airlines, Ernst & Young, Halliburton, and Arthur Andersen, among others. She served as Communications Consultant at McKinsey & Company, assisting project teams in developing client communications for Fortune 500 companies. After McKinsey, Dr. Ferrill played a significant role as training development specialist for KBR's Engineering Division, a Halliburton subsidiary. She developed on-going training in communications, management development, quality control, team building, and strategic planning. She was an editor and contributing author to Business and Managerial Communications: New Perspectives, an 800-page college textbook. She has a Ph.D. in the Jo

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420866842
• ISBN-13: 978-1420866841
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-Provoking, Highly Relevant For Business Today, October 29, 2006

By 

Beth Miller "ABC, Consultant" (Missouri City, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Layers of Integrity (Paperback)

The Seven Layers of Integrity offers a clear thought-process that takes individuals and business people beyond the typical discussion of ethical behavior. This book presents seven logical steps for teaching people to think in terms of the variety business-related, environmental and emotional dilemmas they will face in behaving ethically. Additionally, it openly demonstrates that decisions on how to respond to these dilemmas are not always black and white.

Authors George Jones and June Ferrill, Ph.D. use their long and varied professional experiences, and well-known and documented case studies to present a balanced and compellingly fresh and highly personal approach to behaving ethically.

This is a quick and very important read for people at all levels of business - whether corporate or entrepreneurial.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rigorous Thought About Ethical Conduct, September 11, 2007

By 

Franklin Hunt - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Seven Layers of Integrity (Paperback)

This is an exceptionally valuable and useful book. Despite the outrage and turmoil caused in recent years by corporate scandals, many people, including highly trained and responsible people, do not know how to think about their own ethical conduct and do not know that they don't. Often their professional education includes only cursory and perfunctory training, if that, on the codes of professional ethics that apply to them. They believe that since they are moral and ethical people they will know what is the right thing to do and will do it. This is a snare and a delusion. The right thing to do is often counter-intuitive and difficult to figure out, and errors can be catastrophic.

The beauty of this book is that it provides a framework for systematic thought about the dilemmas of ethical conduct, not only those presented by ethical codes, but also those presented by conflicts between a person's professional obligations and his own personal ethical beliefs. Anyone who absorbs the authors' lessons can face these dilemmas without panic.

The book would be an outstanding text for courses on professional ethical conduct, but would also repay close reading by anyone, in or outside of a course.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous, February 27, 2008

By 

Christopher Heppel (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Seven Layers of Integrity (Paperback)

This book is for those who enjoy watching re-runs of Matlock, watching grass grow, and are easily excited by peeling paint.