The Culture of an Organization
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Grand Canyon University *
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Communications
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Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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The Culture of an Organization: “Walking the Talk”
Sonja Chappell
Grand Canyon University
COM-500-O500
Dr. Tj Zito
February 28,2024
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The Culture of an Organization: “Walking the Talk”
What is Ethics? Ethics is described as a state of behaviors that explain how a person should react in any situation. Ethics can be described differently from person to person. Two people’s ethical views do not align. Ethics is fundamental to decision-making and plays a major role in society. Ethics throughout history has been viewed as philosophical, but it embraces all other areas of study such as biology, history, sociology, communications, and theology. Ethics is not a matter of factual knowledge rather it is one’s nature and set of morals. For these reasons, a code of ethics for companies is so important. A code of ethics is a guideline of set rules, regulations, and principles that are made to help businesses and their employees handle difficult situations in the workplace and come up with a viable solution. Warner Brothers Production uses both a value and compliance-based Code of Ethics. Their code focuses on both to ensure that all parts of the company are not only protected but their employees understand their full rights and protections as well as what is expected of them in terms of what not to do. Warner Brothers Production adversities itself as a “fully integrated entertainment company and a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing, and marketing of all forms of entertainment” (Warner Bros. Entertainment INC.). They house eight different studio companies within them such as DC Studios, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Discovery Home Entertainment, Discovery Global Brands and Experiences, and Warner Brothers Games. Since the very first talkie, their focus has been on creating an impact, inspiring others, and building connections. Their mission is to reach an audience worldwide with the most up-to-date and compelling pieces of art to set them apart from
competitors such as Marvel. They state that they outline in their Code of Ethics that they
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“promote proper conduct, tolerance, respect, honesty, and integrity in the workplace,” (Zaslav, D., and Warner Bros. INC.). Within the Code of Ethics for Warner Brothers studios they make sure to include that everyone is responsible and liable under their code, meaning that the code is provided and protects every employee. Complying with the laws is the minimum standard for this company and they state that they are fully committed to upholding this standard. Warner also encourages speaking up and standing up for yourself in the workplace. Issues cannot be handled unless someone tells a higher-up what is going on. They understand the difficulty of asking for help or going to your manager, but it is a good starting place to try and find a solution for whatever situation. They recommend if you are not comfortable with your manager or if it is about your management to contact their People & Culture Partner, Ethics & Compliance Office or they have
a toll-free number that is available 24/7. The Production studio has also put in place a non-
retaliation policy to protect all employees. Reporting an incident in good faith will always be protected within this company. The company is committed to a safe, healthy, diverse, and equal workplace. They provide equal opportunity employment and outline workplace violence and harassment throughout their code of ethics. “Respect for human dignity begins with our daily interactions with each other and our stakeholders,” (Zaslav, D., and Warner Bros. INC.). With their code of ethics being thirty pages long they go on to touch on subjects such as insider trading, misuse of funds, conflicts of interest, bribery, confidentiality, intellectual property, data privacy, social media usage, and political activity. Warner Brothers Discovery is committed to supporting employees’ right to speak out when needed about matters of workplace conditions, public concern, or anything related to their terms and conditions. They also go on to explain that the code is shared with shareholder and can be found on their companies’ websites.
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The most important value within any organization is to uphold its ethics code. For Warner Brothers this includes creating diversity within the workplace, respecting each other, proper conduct, tolerance, integrity, and honest are upheld. Throughout the company. Warner Brothers offers their code of ethics in fifteen different languages to make sure all their employees can have access to their code. However, it is also stated that they only send this code to shareholders and all others can access it online. Until I did this assignment, I was unaware of the code of ethics. This particular document was never mentioned to new hires or talked about. Warner Brothers does provide a program where they talk about the Ethics Code. Every Employee must sit through the training videos and listen to an explanation of the dos and don’ts, but a few key things are never mentioned. Firstly, the hotline has never been included in the training program, nor has the location of the ethics code. These two things a vital when it comes to providing resources and options to employees. If a situation were to happen involving a superior and their employee at Warner Brothers, the employee would not know they have an option to seek help outside of their office. With all that being said Warner Brother’s workplace standards are being upheld in a manner of speaking. As I have mentioned previously workers do not have knowledge of the code of ethics on the website, but still, the standard is being held up. I believe this has to do with management. The management in the department I work in holds monthly meetings to go over procedures and any concerns the crew may have. These meetings are held at the same time every
month, so no employee wonders if they have missed a meeting. Out management also practices the open-door policy. While still working for Warner Brother (not my current job that was mentioned above) I have had an issue at work where a co-worker has violated the code of ethics and sexually harassed me. I had no knowledge of a hotline or another way of speaking to a
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manager at work. I believe that providing this hotline would have a huge impact on employees who need to reach out but are afraid to do so. If I would have known about the hotline, I would have personally called them to report my problems. Instead, my only options were to go to my hire up, and unfortunately, nothing was done about it. Thankful I am now on a different project away from these individuals, but the code of ethics was not upheld in any way. Creating a culture
where bad news or inappropriate behaviors of others create a toxic environment. This accident made me leave my job to seek other employment opportunities. This eliminates the kind of open-
door policy where employees feel free to come talk about anything they need to. This environment with eventually lead to a lack of collaboration and cooperation. Employees will begin to feel a lack of feeling free to communicate on the job, which will lead to a lack of clarity and could mess up deadlines or lead to safety hazards.
Ethics codes can be enforced in the workplace in many different ways. A program can be developed that sits employees or new trainees down and explains the code. Whether it be in a classroom setting or a meeting. The Ethics code is an important thing to go over and to ensure that every employee is aware of. Secondly, managers can make sure to enforce the rules of the code and make sure they are being upheld. Post the Ethics Code on your company website and making sure to send it to new employees are guaranteed ways of making sure everyone has access to them. Overall, enforcement of the code will require effort in the placement of a program with clear standards and excellent communication. “Members highly regarded the Code
of Ethics. It's a vital piece to their membership and certification. They often even thanked us for enforcing it, because it kept the certification meaningful” (Salt Lake City Chamber). Workplace safety, honesty, and openness can make or break a company. Enforcing a code of ethics helps to ensure safety at the workplace for all employees.
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References
Brislin,T. (2015). Lights! Camera! Ethics! Retrieved From the University of Hawaii.
https://www2.hawaii.edu/~tbrislin/appe2015.pdf
Hayes, A. (2023). Code of Ethics: Understanding Its Types, Uses Through Examples. Investopedia
. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/code-of-ethics.asp#:~:text=A
%20code%20of%20ethics%20is%20important%20because%20it%20clearly
%20lays,characterize%20a%20business%20to%20stakeholders
.
Salt Lake City Chamber. Code of Ethics: Why are they Important? (2018). States News Service
. https://go-gale-
com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=canyonuniv&id=GALE%7CA553197153&
v=2.1&it=r&sid=ebsco&aty=ip.
Warner Bros. Entertainment INC. (2024). https://www.warnerbros.com/studio/about/company-overview
. Zaslav, D., and Warner Bros. INC. (2024). Code of Ethics. https://s201.q4cdn.com/336605034/files/doc_downloads/ethics/2023/WBD_Code-of-
Ethics_US_ENGLISH_Main-Version.pdf
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