Legal vs. Ethical Liability: A Crisis of Leadership and Culture | Mel Fugate | TEDxSMU

Professor Fugate argues that leaders at all levels and across industries need to focus on ethical liability above and beyond legal liabilities for themselves and their organizations. Ethical liability tests the true character of a leader and determines the character and quality of an organization’s culture. He illustrates this point in the context of higher education, where he contends a lack of accountability has led to a crisis of leadership and culture. Fugate uses scandals in college sports as common examples of a pervasive and larger problem of university leadership (at all levels) that fails to meet its ethical liabilities. He outlines a number of potential causes for the patterns of unethical behavior in higher education and also provides a few suggestions on how to overcome the challenges of this crisis.
Mel Fugate is an associate professor of Management and Organizations in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. His research and consulting aim to enhance individual and organizational performance by utilizing a variety of practical, research-based tools related to leadership development, organizational change, performance management, organizational culture, and employee engagement. His research and consulting span many industries (e.g., legal, energy, healthcare, information technology, and financial services) and often involve organizational assessments intended to measure the human resource health of organizations. He has published in and reviewed for a number of premier management and applied psychology journals and is a coauthor of a new book-“Organizational Behavior: A Practical, Problem Solving Approach.” Professor Fugate is an award-winning teacher who has taught in both the United States and France.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@LauraLooney]

Preach it, Mel! The entrenched bullying by my direct supervisor was the exact reason I was so thankful my previous position came to an end.

[@1BeautifullyBlessed]

Here for my business class at ORU. Very interesting and not at all boring. Thank you!!

[@maryellenw]

"Take-Aways: 1. Unsanctioned bad behavior (e.g., unethical and unprofessional) continues. 2. Leader's (in)action speaks louder than any policy or code. 3. Ethics is everybody's responsibility 4. Because something is unethical does NOT mean it is illegal... Nor is all legal behavior ethical. 5. Leadership 101 - NEVER DELEGATE ETHICS! 6. Communicate Both Compliance and Noncompliance. It therefore is the responsibility of each individual, and if/when they fail, then the ethical buck stops with their boss!"

[@propagandazombie5252]

I work for the county in central California and where I work most of the managers I deal with and supervisors are very unethical. It’s created a very dark and scary place to work and turnover is high. In addition our HR department supports those who are perpetrators of abuse and bullying and does not support the innocent victims. It’s very sad situation and I am sure the high turnover has a huge cost to the public. After I participated in an investigation as a complaint was filed against one of the managers and supervisors that was grossly and ethical my file became peppered with complaints. I work there 15 years with no issue and suddenly I was being retaliated against. HR found me guilty and did nothing to prevent further retaliation it was truly the worst year of my life I felt more betrayed then when I was in a relationship where I was cheated on that’s how betrayed I felt. Always working hard alwaysHelping out, always volunteering to go the extra mile. I no longer do any of that I now just take care of myself and go home and whenever they need help I don’t.

[@shirleyashcraft4900]

This is very prevalent in the U.S. today!! The verbal abuse is horrific, which includes bullying & harassment. Where do we draw the line on abuse of authority???

[@ievavilcaka9298]

Excellent Video, he did a great speech. Thank you and thank you as well to TEDx Talks for such an amazing videos as this. Keep posting and educating the world.

[@AnyaChuri]

In awe of Mel Fugate's oration and knowledge!

[@Congomania]

Thank you professor. very well explained.

[@MarilynMuckerman]

Wow! If we had a few more Mel's in this world, maybe some of these places would feel the pressure to back laws that support legal options for targets of bullying in the work place.

[@pvijay10]

thank you.....great for my course.

[@Rmsmith43]

Fantastic!

[@shirleyashcraft1625]

Great Video....Experienced this in some churches. This should not continue in businesses!!

[@marizacero5889]

so nice!

[@michah321]

I think he's really good

[@LearnerCB246]

excellent video.

[@qamarzaman467]

Cecil Blount للىلررىاةاازدظزر

[@maryellenw]

14:30: Legal does not necessarily ALWAYS mean ethical.

[@soowie4599]

Is there an anonymous reporting website to report unethical behavior as a former employee for the investigation to take place against the leadership and the HR department? Like EOC has for complaints...or OSHA....

[@prealvideo]

Great topic, but ok presentation

[@kannanlg4979]

At 4.00.. the 12% leaving because of this issue should increase further to make things right. Unless there frequent people leaving under a manager/leader increases, the so called leaders continue to have unethical power.

[@Julian-pk2vr]

those are the ethical employees leaving.....

[@jjjohnston2423]

How did this TED Talk ever pass the quality control bar expected of a TED TALK? It looks like the professor used the first half of the talk about ethics and leadership as merely a set-up to launch a public attack on his colleagues. Why did TED and SMU permit someone to present a talk with such a focus? The treatment of the audience was boorish. When the audience didn’t provide the speaker with his desired reply, he derided them. Based on his audience treatment, and the use of the TED TALK platform to publically attack colleagues, it’s ironic that the speaker’s talk was about ethics and leadership. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this TED TALK eventually get rated in a category such as the most offensive TED TALK or the most disrespectful TED TALK.

[@CelticSparrows]

I agree. He was pretty condescending and seemed to have a weird chip on his shoulder.

[@gausulazamranju6133]

@@CelticSparrows so why not make a response paper against him?

[@RussianDream100]

How many times did he say....so?

[@LazyCiana]

Not "TedTalk" quality. Great content, but poor presentation.

[@dexteremrit3130]

WOW...POOR PRESENTER!!!!!

[@emmad1lemma106]

agreed... I thought it was going to be very interesting and relevant ... like how Mgers are the bullies.... nah

[@44043495]

I agree with you. The way he explained things very fast, jumping from one point to another without completing the first point. Saying a lot of So So So When he said I am a professor, I was surprised. Maybe he didn’t have enough time to say all his point, but the point he mentioned, he should explained them more in a simple direct way.

[@LazyCiana]

I was going to write a comment on how this was the worst TedTalk presentation I've ever seen. Then I saw all the positive comments and got shy. But look - I'm not alone after all. The content was important. VERY IMPORTANT. But the presentation was so poor. Seemed rushed and all over the place. A lot of nervous energy. I am shocked. My expectation of a TedTalk is higher than what I've seen here is all. He mentioned time being a factor. But it just didn't seem rehearsed, and it should have been.

[@Marpat-Camo]

He had a very irritable tone throughout his presentation. I understand the subject matter, but I became irritated myself listening to him.

[@JulianUSA]

Awful

[@theorangecrusher]

great message, poor humor.

[@knbsd3876]

He seems intoxicated.

[@JohnAppleseed]

Quality doesn't seem great and I imagine he had a very small audience.