Ethics, Value and Values

Thank you Jesse Rio Russell for your insightful comment here. I very much agree that ethics in firmly seated in the domain of human decision-making and values. Digital ethics isn’t about the ethics of technology, but about the ethical challenges tied to the use of technology in business and society. Each new iteration of technology introduces its own set of ethical considerations. Managers, employees and consumers must step up to the table in defining what acceptable data practices are in given contexts and cultures.

I also agree that ethical codes may not make much practical sense given the breadth and the depth of the challenges we face. I prefer the notion of ethical frameworks that can help organizations and individuals focus their conversations on the needed links between financial value and human values. Although these conversations will need to be continually updated with the introduction of new products and services, they serve to identify a tipping point between human and machine intelligence that allows active engagement in the organization’s vision for the future.

One final thought about the link between value and values. If financial value is intimately linked to productivity, productivity itself reflects arbitrary choices (“production boundaries”) concerning which of an organization’s activities are indeed productive. If we consider the difference between “extraction of value” and “creation of value”, we can concede that certain business practices produce revenue in the short-term without creating any long-term value for either the organization or the eco-system. Activities that balance financial value and human values on the other hand provide a solid foundation for value creation now and in the future.