Investigating integrity

The extensive work on professional integrity discussed in this book demonstrates that ethical behaviour is influenced by multiple interacting elements. Conceptually, these elements have been captured in influence diagrams (twelfth chapter), integrity systems (first chapter), and Bayesian networks (thirteenth chapter). Collectively, these analyses show how professional integrity rests on human elements (training, leadership) as well as non-human elements (regulations, standards, written strategies). This chapter looks in detail at a specific case study that traces how one strategy triggers cascading changes across a system. The strategy we examine here specifically involves the use of non-human elements (objects), often overlooked in the study of ethics. We present a case study showing how a large multinational struggling with defects used prototypes to change quality-related practices of project stakeholders. Prototypes captured non-negotiable, unchanging quality standards, and the human participants in supply chains adapted their ongoing work practices to these standards. To understand the success of this approach, we used a network approach, actor-network theory, as a lens. We build on influence diagrams (twelfth chapter) to deepen our analyses and understand the mechanisms underpinning non-human elements’ influence on supply chains, leading to a broader appreciation of potentially novel solutions to unethical behaviour.