在美国的零售行业，沃尔玛绝对堪称商业道德可圈可点的模范企业。从其创始人山姆•沃尔顿（Sam Walton）手中传下来，以及多年以来在公众心中的形象，沃尔玛就是这样一个有口皆碑的优秀企业。
然而这一次，这位零售业巨头却遇上大麻烦了。尽管他想阻止事态严重，但却就这么发生了。这一事件使企业股票遭受重创，也严重的伤害了持股人的利益和感情。一份来自《纽约时报》的报道称，面对沃尔玛官员在墨西哥行贿的广泛铁证，高管们更担心的问题是事态会否严重发展，而不是问题如何解决。
如果《美国时报》报道完全属实，那么实际上，早在2005年的沃尔玛内部调查，高管们就应该有所回应。
这让我不禁想起一个大学时代学过的一堂课，课上，有人问如果发现有雇员蓄意捏造数据，企业主应该如何应对的问题时，教授毫不迟疑的说：“立即解雇。”
看起来，这似乎是一个相当苛刻的政策。当我问他，为什么不能给个机会改正错误，因为我们每个人都犯过错误。当然，其实，即使是圣人，也应该拥有一个改正错误的机会，是吗？
教授说：“我们的声誉，已经遭到了严重的破坏，这是……不可原谅的。”
回到上面的管理问题，沃尔玛需要采取一个与之类似的处理方案。毕竟，这不是沃尔玛第一次出现类似的问题了。从来，大家只是犯下错误，然后知道，并没有从根本上解决问题。
这并不是简简单单的美国政府试图采取行动，处罚境外腐败行为的发了成问题，而是有关声誉的严重问题。然而，更重要的是，它提醒所有人，从高管到收银员，从上到下，每一个人的伦理行为都将受到约束。
进来，谷歌的高管玛丽萨•梅耶（Marissa Mayer）被提名加入沃尔玛董事会。董事长罗布•沃尔顿表示，她的“独到见解及零售业从业经验，都将成为沃尔玛的宝贵财富。能够为沃尔玛输入新鲜的血液。都知道，Google的座右铭是“不作恶（Don’t Be Evil），所以，我提议她加入沃尔玛的另一个益处便是如此了。
Wal-Mart (WMT) has one of the most impressive codes of ethics in American business. It was handed down from founder Sam Walton and forged through too many public travails in recent years.
Once again, the retail giant is getting the kind of attention it has tried to prevent and that makes management cringe. This has resulted in a hit to the company’s stock, hurting thousands of shareholders. A report in the New York Times suggests that when confronted with evidence of widespread bribery of officials in Mexico, executives at the highest levels worried more about damage control than fixing the problem.
If the Times report is accurate—the paper says a former executive first brought the issue to the attention of senior management in 2005 and that an internal investigation found evidence of wrongdoing–how should Wal-Mart’s leadership respond?
I’m reminded of a powerful lesson I learned from the late Donald O. Clifton, the former chairman of Gallup and director of the company’s Leadership Institute. When asked what Gallup does if an employee is discovered to have fudged data during the polling process, Clifton did not mince words: “We fire that person immediately.” No second chances, no long talks about the importance of doing the right thing, just termination on the spot.
It seemed like a rather harsh policy, so I asked him why people aren’t given an opportunity to redeem themselves. We’ve all made mistakes; certainly wrongdoers, even at Gallup, deserve an opportunity to make things right—right?
“Our reputation rests upon the integrity of our data,” Clifton said. It was as simple as that.
To go back to the leadership question above, Wal-Mart needs to take a page from Dr. Clifton’s playbook. After all, this isn’t Wal-Mart’s first example of impropriety. Everyone directly engaged in wrongdoing—as well the people who knew about what was going on but did nothing—must go.
This isn’t simply an issue of trying to get ahead of possible U.S. government action for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It is about reputation. Even more important, it’s about reminding everyone—from cashiers to upper management—that the company’s Statement of Ethics doesn’t mean anything unless employees put that code into practice.
Recently, Marissa Mayer, a top executive at Google (GOOG), was nominated to join Wal-Mart’s board. Her “insights and expertise in the technology and consumer areas are valuable assets to Wal-Mart as we move forward,” noted Chairman Rob Walton. Some analysts have suggested that adding a female voice to the board will enrich the company’s leadership. I propose another benefit from this appointment: Since Google’s motto is “Don’t Be Evil,” having Mayer on board slyly reaffirms Wal-Mart’s commitment to the most fundamental ethical principle of all.
