Ep. 234: Amanda Marcy and Doug Parker - Building a Civil Workplace

In today's episode, host Adam Larson is joined by the esteemed
authors of the 2023 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year
titled "The Value of Civility" - Amanda Marcy and Doug Parker.
Get ready as they delve deep into the importance of civility in
the workplace and its connection to professional ethics and
ethical standards.


Did you know that even seemingly inconsequential or inconsiderate
words can violate workplace norms? In this fascinating
conversation, Amanda and Doug shed light on various aspects of
civility, including its impact on workplace morale, productivity,
and employee commitment. They also explore the role of leaders in
promoting a culture of civility and providing guidelines for
employee conduct.


Through insightful discussions and real-world examples, you'll
gain a profound understanding of how civility not only enhances
workplace harmony but also influences ethical decision-making. So
whether you're a leader aiming to foster a respectful environment
or an employee dealing with an uncivil boss, this episode will
equip you with the tools to navigate challenging situations. Tune
in today!


Full Episode Transcript:
Adam:           
Welcome to Count Me In. Today, I'm thrilled to have Doug Parker,
Assistant Professor of Accounting at Western Carolina University.
And Amanda Marcy, Assistant Professor of Accounting at the
University of Scranton on today's show. They are authors of the
award winning article, The Value of Civility. Which examines the
important relationships between ethics, professional standards,
and civil behavior in the workplace.


 


Doug and Amanda will share insightful perspectives from their
research, on how a culture of incivility can negatively impact
organizations. What leaders can do to promote civility, and
advice for handling uncivil bosses or co-workers. Their expertise
provides a crucial framework for maintaining ethical principles,
while nurturing a respectful and productive work
environment. 


 


Doug and Amanda's thought-provoking article underscores why
self-awareness, open communication, and thoughtful leadership are
vital for organizations seeking to uphold integrity. I'm excited
to dive into these critical issues with them. Please join me in
welcoming Doug and Amanda to the show.


 


Adam:           
Well, Amanda and Doug, I'm really excited to have you on the
podcast today. You, guys, are the authors of an article called
The Value of Civility, which is the Curt Verschoor, Article of
the Year. And we're really excited to talk about that. And, so,
maybe we can start off by explaining how civility in the
workplace is related to professional ethics, and the ethical
principles and standards. And we're going to be talking a lot
about ethics and standards, today. But maybe we can start a
little bit about maybe how civility works and maybe what is
civility. Because it's not a word we hear every day in every
workplace.


 


Doug:           
  Well, it's definitely not something you hear
every day, but it's something you witness every day. Especially
when you watch media or any news outlets, you'll see incivility
at its best. But the basic concept there is it's, basically, an
exchange of seemingly inconsequential or inconsiderate words,
that violate the conventional norms of workplace conduct.


 


In other words, it's not, necessarily, direct attacks. It's more
of texting on your cell phone while someone's trying to convey a
point or real low intensity behavior meant to harm others,
without maybe even recognizing that you're doing it. Sometimes it
can be words that we say that can harm others. Derogatory
comments, ignoring their opinions, belittling their opinions, I
think, is a big part of incivility. And we do witness it quite a
bit in everyday society.


 


Hopefully not in everyday workplace society, but you see it a lot
in terms of society. Go to the counter and just watch people do
their orders. Where something's done wrong or not as quick as
they think, and you'll see those uncivil acts begin to take place
in there. Any additional thoughts on that, Amanda?


 


Amanda:        I would say
one thing to remember is that ethics contributes to how, like
Doug said, we treat each other on a daily basis. So civility, at
its heart, focuses on honesty, fairness, self-control, and
prudence. Therefore, if we don't have civility, then we can never
truly act ethically.


Doug:           
  It definitely requires to be mindful of a place,
time, and how you speak. I think we must concentrate on what we
say and how we say it. So I found this neat, little, article by
Joan Dubinsky, from Clemson University, and she stated that,
"Civility and ethics are cousins, they're not twins." In other
words, they're not the identical same thing. In other words, you
can be civil and still act unethically. So you can take an
unethical course, but do it very civil.


 


So in the South we say, "Bless your heart" that's uncivil words.
It's meant as a derogatory term, but it's done in a very civil
manner. So you can act in an unethical manner and still act
civilly. However, you can't be uncivil and be ethical, at the
same time. So it doesn't work both ways. So if you're uncivil,
then, you're definitely not acting civil or ethically toward
others. Treating other with respect and care is really
foundational to ethical leadership. Leading in a manner that
respects the rights and dignities of others.


 


Adam:           
Mh-hmm, yes, it sounds like everybody should be listening to this
conversation. Especially if we look at just how people treat each
other in the streets, in Twitter, to each other, and how they
talk to each other anywhere. This is a wider conversation, than
just the workplace. But if we look at the workplace, how can that
lack of a civility affect a professional workplace. If we don't
have those things? I think you've kind of covered that. But if we
look at just a workplace, how can it affect if we don't have
those things?


 


Amanda:        One thing to
consider is it will, obviously, break down workplace harmony.
Because you could have employees attacking each other, I don't
want to say physically attacking each other. But attacking each
other, maybe they're physically attacking each other, I don't
know. Either subtly or intentionally which, again, can result in
low employee morale, decreased productivity, stuff of that
nature.


 


It could also result, in the end of the day, of employees having
less organizational commitment. So they may be more apt to leave
the firm just because they're not comfortable being there
anymore, in that type of environment.


 


Doug:           
  Yes, and if you really read the paper and look at
some of the comments, so I'll go to that, it says that, "The
impact of incivility, it makes you less motivated to do a good
job or get a job done as fast as possible." Well, in that are you
acting in the most ethical manner? I mean, if your motivation to
do a good job, that's not really ethical, especially, for your
clients or for your employer in that.