The rise of individual accountability for insurance executives has highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between ‘thinking about ethics’ and ‘doing ethics’. Ethical decision making is a set of skills designed for that purpose.
Read MoreYou learn about ethics in three stages...
1
You learn about what it means and why it matters to your firm.
2
You learn about what is expected of you and the skills needed to deliver that.
3
You practice those skills through ethical dilemmas designed around your role.
Bringing those three things together will do wonders for trust in your firm.
What good ethical training looks like...
It’s practical – it shows you how to be better at ethics, using simple steps and straightforward skills.
It’s relevant – it's based around insurance and around your part of insurance.
It’s rewarding - it delivers benefits that make your job easier.
It’s evolving – it carries on building your confidence to use it in increasingly complex situations.
And what poor ethical training looks like...
It's about emulating others - "I can do this, so you can too". This doesn’t give you the knowledge or skills to address your own challenges.
It tells you where you need to get to - but doesn't then show you how to get there. Such training can feel like a ladder without rungs.
It's too esoteric - it's too disconnected from the day to day realities of your work. It’s comes in over your head, often being based around philosophical arguments.
Read these key articles about learning ethics...
Why cognitive diversity can boost ethical performance (link)
Why ethics training has to be a big priority (link)
How to teach leadership on ethics in a way that works (link)
What insurance people must learn to make better decisions (link)
Learning Integrity – what works and what doesn’t work (link)
What impact does ethics training have? (link)
"In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And, if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." Warren Buffet
A lot of the articles on 'Ethics and Insurance' touch on learning ethics. Click on the icon below to see a list of them...
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Client Project
“A client wanted assurance that its front line people know enough about the ethical issues that mattered most, so I created a tiered set of assessments with feedback on each question and some multi-level ethical dilemmas as well. The outputs highlighted where gaps existed and allowed extra training to be provided where it was needed most.“
Why learning about ethics is so important at the moment...
Firms are now expected to be able to evidence what their people know about ethics. This stems from more and more references in regulations to ethics training and integrity assessments.
Boards are increasingly linking growth with trust. They like to see ethics training and assessments taking place because it shows that an active push on trust is being made.
The growing emphasis on leadership development has caused firms to look at how they can help their people handle tricky ethical situations. Training using ethical dilemmas is part of that response.
Insurance is changing in all sorts of ways and firms are using ethics training to equip key decision makers with the skills to ensure that the ethical side is recognised and considered.
Four ethics courses for insurance people
Boost your knowledge and skills, with four courses focused on the needs of insurance people.
Each of the four courses covers knowledge, skills, assignments and assessments. And they're full of case studies and ethical dilemmas too.
My track record is second to none - I'm the author of the two online ethics courses used by the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Personal Finance Society.
The Four Courses available from 'Ethics and Insurance'...
1. Ethics - what it is, why it matters and what is expected
2. Ethical Decision Making
3. Tackling Ethical Dilemmas with Confidence
4. Leadership on Ethics for Insurance People
Feedback from insurance people to the two online ethics courses I have written for the Chartered Insurance Institute...
“Engaging and thought provoking with lots of practical, real life examples and exercises."
“Concise, relevant and a very useful refresher tool"
“Interesting, practical and helpful. I'd recommend this to any practitioner.”
Client Project
Not all parts of the market are the same, nor the roles people have in them. So this client asked me to create two ethics courses, one suitable for the specialist teams and the other focusing on leadership on ethics. Both fitted into a wider project to build the capabilities component of their ethical culture.”
"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." General Norman Schwarzkopf
What does your firm want to achieve from providing ethics training? Is it to influence how people make decisions? If so, this step from 'thinking' to 'doing' is a vital one.
I help insurance people learn about ethical issues so that they can make better decisions...
I evaluate the ethics components of in-house learning programmes, looking at scope, depth and relevance. The client learns whether the ethics training is addressing the key issues and reflecting business needs.
I create case studies and ethical dilemmas for people to assess how much they know about ethics. These can be simple or multi-level, but all are based around particular insurance roles.
I produce ethics courses that are grounded in the reality of today's underwriting, claims and broking. If you have functions or people who have specific training needs around ethics, I'm the person to speak to.
I facilitate pre- and post-course workshops around what people should bring or take away from the ethics training taking place. These discussions help cement in and bring to life the key points from what’s been learnt
Get in touch for an informal chat about how I might help your firm - my details are on the contact page.
Recent Articles on Learning...
Data and Power pt4 – the right skills are vital to success in data ethics
A commitment to data ethics will only succeed if the people delivering this transformation of insurance have the right skills. Insurers have a long way to go on this.
Read MoreWhy cognitive diversity can boost ethical performance
Cognitive diversity can be hugely influential when it comes to ethics. Views are encouraged, voices heard and challenges met. In such changing times for insurance, this matters
Read MoreWhat impact does ethics training have?
Ethics training is a waste of time, unless it has an impact. All very good you might say, but what evidence is there for that impact? Detailed research in US financial services makes that clear.
Read MoreSome thoughts on ethics, insurance and the pandemic
It is in times like the present that the reputation of the insurance sector will be defined. Here are some thoughts on ethics, insurance and the current pandemic.
Read MoreThe big ethical challenges facing insurers in 2020
2020 will be an eventful year for insurers. During the many years I’ve been tracking the ethical challenges facing insurers, never before have I seen so many issues demanding attention. Some firms will find the learning curve steep and challenging.
Read MoreWill there soon be compulsory ethics training for insurance algorithms?
Ethics training is compulsory in several countries’ insurance markets. So what happens when decisions are increasingly being made by algorithms? Should they have compulsory training too?
Read MoreAre firms looking in the wrong place for unethical behaviours?
Many insurance firms organise themselves to be on the lookout for the big unethical scandals that might ruin their reputations. It may make sense, but it misses out something vital.
Read MoreBe honest with yourself: ethical dissonance and personal accountability
Addressing ethical dissonance will improve trust in your firm and reduce the risk to executives of personal regulatory sanction. Here’s how to recognise it and organise your response.
Read MoreThe biggest ethical challenge facing insurers in 2019
The insurance sector will face some big ethical challenges in 2019 but one challenge will stand above all others. And surprisingly, it’s not pricing.
Read MoreAssessing Integrity in Good People
What’s the point of assessing integrity? On the face of it, it’s to have evidence that your senior people understand what integrity means. Actually, that’s not the point you should be aiming for.
Read MoreDon’t take the wrong approach to ethics training and integrity assessments
A lot of ethics training can please compliance providers, but it often has little impact on how insurance firms operate. That because it’s evidencing the wrong thing. Here’s why.
Read More