In the same way that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a business is only as good as the people who are running it. Similarly, a socially responsible business can only be run by people who actually understand what it means to run a business in a socially responsible, ethical manner. This cannot be achieved by following a checklist of how to develop “good” technology – you need to embrace ethics not as means, but as a mindset.
But what is an ethical mindset?
The easiest way to answer this question is to outline what it isn’t. An ethical mindset doesn’t mean that you comply with industry rules, regulations and the law because there would be no other alternative. It doesn’t involve coming up with performative “company values” that no one actually upholds or follows. Doing the bare minimum to appear “good”, keyword ethical whitewashing, also misses the point.
Acting in a truly ethical way requires you to think and therefore act with the following traits and qualities:
1. Be committed to and serious about business as a force for good
This means that you are serious about running a business that creates social and environmental benefits – while also being profitable at the same time. In our article on business ethics we looked at the notion of triple-bottom-line accounting, B-Corporations and social licenses to operate (SLO) as practical methods and models that are designed to keep you focused on your non-monetary goals whilst also holding you accountable to the commitments you made to your local community or border society. But without a serious commitment to achieving these social and environmental goals, it’s easy to forgo ethics for the sake of profit or convenience.
2. Be fearless, honest and humble
… about who you are and what you’re doing with your business. Instead of proclaiming that your product is going to save the world, be open and honest about your background, your motives and how your product can realistically benefit the people and the planet. Don’t be afraid to commit to change the world- one step at a time if necessary! An ethical mindset is humble and aware of its own weaknesses, it can admit it’s in the wrong, and has the courage to ask others for help if necessary. Which leads us to our next trait.
3. Be ready to learn something new every day
Now that we established that you should know the limits of your knowledge, you should work on pushing these limits. An ethical mindset is thirsty for knowledge. It leads you to continuously want to learn more about yourself and the world around you. In order to use your technology and business as a force for good, you need to think and reflect on how your actions affect wider society.
4. Be concerned for others
Ethics , as a field of moral philosophy, is concerned with what is good and bad, right and wrong, tries to determine what is best for people. You’d think in similar ways and pay attention to the ways in which your new or improved product would influence and affect the lives of other people. It’s impossible to avoid all possible and potential harms but with an ethical mindset you’d be able to identify and minimise as many harms as possible, which in turns leads to a safer, more user-friendly technology product.
The power is in your hands
These four qualities are by no means exhaustive for describing what makes an ethical mindset. There are most likely other traits and qualities but the key point is that technology is and will only ever be as good as you are. And if you want to seriously commit to making the world a better place, one in which the future is better than the world we live in today, then you need to think first – carefully and humanely – about the power and impact that our technology is and will have not only your own life but on the lives of countless others who come into contact with your technological creations.
We have to keep in mind that technology is not benign and harmless but as a matter of fact, inherently problematic, risky, and potentially harmful. The only way to mitigate these risks and minimise the harms is to approach business with an ethical mindset before the first line of code, the first prototype, the first MVP. Because the more ethical your thinking, the better your technology will be.
If you want to find out more about your and your business’ ethics, take our Responsible Tech Assessment here.