Closing Remarks, Kreps Symposium 2025 - Teaching Ethics and Responsible Leadership in Business

Key Concepts:

• Ethical behavior: Focus on institutions vs. individual intentions.
• Institutional design: Shaping behavior through organizational and societal structures.
• Leading with Values: Core class at the GSB (Graduate School of Business).
• Shortage of disagreement: Lack of diverse perspectives and critical pushback in ethical discussions.
• Elite backgrounds: Homogeneity of viewpoints due to shared privileged experiences.
• Broadening conversation: Importance of diverse voices and challenging assumptions in ethics education.

1. Acknowledgements and Gratitude:

• The speaker expresses gratitude to Gina Lee for her exceptional organizational skills in making the event possible.
• He also thanks the donors, including I'm on Hindi and Fat and Sabry, who endowed the series and ensured its continuation.
• An invitation to dinner is extended to all attendees, promising good food and wine, with directions to be provided by Neil, Benois, and the speaker.

2. Ethical Behavior: Institutions vs. Intentions:

• The speaker notes that ethical behavior is often associated with individual intentions (e.g., wanting to be a good person or make the world a better place).
• However, he emphasizes the importance of institutions in shaping ethical behavior, referencing themes from Rebecca's work, Annot's contributions, and Adam's architectural design principles.
• He argues that the design of societal and organizational institutions has a more significant ethical impact than individual intentions, particularly for business school students who will go on to lead these institutions.

3. Challenge in Teaching "Leading with Values": Shortage of Disagreement:

• The speaker identifies the primary challenge in teaching the "Leading with Values" class at the GSB as a "shortage of disagreement."
• Students tend to avoid conflict, adhere to presumptive positions, and come from elite backgrounds, limiting the diversity of perspectives.
• This homogeneity of viewpoints, as highlighted by Annot, hinders critical examination and challenges to prevailing assumptions.

4. Importance of Broadening the Conversation:

• The speaker stresses the need to broaden the scope of ethical discussions in business schools by fostering disagreement and encouraging students to challenge conventional wisdom.
• He advocates for creating a space where students can push back against dominant narratives and critically evaluate the problems inherent in prevailing approaches.
• This broader conversation is crucial for developing ethical leaders who can navigate complex challenges and create more inclusive and equitable institutions.

5. Conclusion:

• The speaker concludes by reiterating the importance of fostering disagreement and diverse perspectives in ethics education.
• He encourages attendees to continue the conversation over dinner.
• The main takeaway is that ethical leadership requires not only good intentions but also a critical understanding of how institutions shape behavior and a willingness to challenge the status quo.