Managing Values and Ethics in an International Bank

Abstract

Multinational companies face serious problems when personnel in their national subsidiaries are not acting in accordance with basic principles of ‘proper behavior’ and moral standards. In this article a description is given of the way in which an internationally operating bank has formulated four company values, in order to implement basic standards in their organization on a worldwide scale. These values (integrity, respect, teamwork and professionalism) have subsequently been diffused among the bank’s subsidiaries by means of a rollout program. This article focuses on this rollout program and the way it has been received in the national subsidiaries of the bank. Data from a comparative survey in 19 countries help to understand the dynamics of this process of formulating, diffusion and reception. The article closes with some points of discussion.