Code Redux Part One: Tips For Writing and Updating Your Corporate Code of Conduct

By Joan Dubinsky, Chief Ethics Officer for the International Monetary Fund

Many organizations have a document that they call their Code of Conduct. Along the way, it may have acquired several other names or titles.

Though the titles may not be standardized, one aspect universally holds true. Once a Code of Conduct is finally written, approved, published, and distributed, no one wants to revise it. This article examines why the revision process is so dauntingly difficult, and suggests ways to simplify your approach.