Long-Term Effects of an Ethics Program at Ashesi University College, Ghana

Ethics in Education: The Long-term Business Effects of an Ethics Program at Ashesi University College, GhanaWorkshop on Ethics in Finance and Investment: Opportunities, Positive Impacts and Sustainable InnovationGoethe University Frankfurt Friday, 2 October 2015 Mary Godwyn, Ph.D. Babson College Manhattan College (Visiting 2015-16) Suzanne Buchele, Ph.D. Ashesi University College

Purpose of Research To explore the long-term effects of an aspirational ethics program for undergraduate business students that carries an optimistic set of goals for the graduates to act as agents of social change in the larger culture.

Purpose of Research Previously conducted interviews with Ashesi students and faculty members were overwhelmingly positive about the life and culture-changing possibilities of the educational interventions employed at the college. This continued research seeks to ascertain whether the ambitions behind the educational interventions are realized in post-graduate life.

Ashesi University College • Founded in 2002 by Patrick Awuah • https://www.macfound.org/fellows/929/ • Privatenot-for-profit undergraduate-only university college in Berekuso, Ghana. • The mission is to train a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial business leaders in Africa and to nurture excellence in scholarship, leadership and citizenship • Students graduate with degrees in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Engineering, and Computer Science, all based on a liberal arts model.

Ashesi University College: 3 Distinctions 1- HONOR CODE: Fostering ethical leadership is central to the university’s ethos, and in 2008, students established an honor code holding themselves responsible for ethical behavior, the first of its kind in African universities. (See more at: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/929/#sthash.EjD52G3r.dpuf)

Ashesi University College: 3 distinctions 2 –DIVERSITY: Ashesi places an emphasis on ethnic, gender, and economic diversity in the Ashesi community, and the recently opened school of engineering will focus on gender parity in its admissions. There are equal numbers of female and male students.Thiscommitment to diversity is quite unusual in institutions of higher learning generally, and in African nations and Ghana specifically (Atuahene and Owusu-Ansah 2013).

Business Ethics affects Business PracticeDominant Discourse: USA • The reputation of business management course materials originating in the U.S. is that they lack demographic and cultural diversity and do not offer critical perspectives. • About 80% of business cases sold globally (Strauss 2014) are written, published, and disseminated through Harvard Business School. • Roughly 90% of those focus on White, male protagonists (Strauss 2014) and on large corporations. Education affects practice: In 2013, on average, women held 15 % of business school governing or advisory board seats of the top 51 schools compared to 17 % of corporate board seats held by women at Fortune 500 companies (Zlomek 2014). .

Ashesi University College: 3 Distinctions 50% of students receive some level of scholarship funding and25% receive a full scholarship. Funds for financial aid donated from corporate sponsors.

Ashesi University College: 3 Distinctions 3 - EMPLOYMENT: • 96% of its students are employed 3 months post-graduation. Almost all in the private sector. Unemployment of college graduates is a major national concern in Ghana (Kotutse 2011, Owusu 2014), so this level of graduate employment is a notable exception. • Every one of its graduates has found quality employment, and almost all remain in Africa, where many have started much-needed information technology businesses. - See more at: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/929/#sthash.EjD52G3r.dpuf

Purpose of the Educational Innovations: Change Social Norms re: Ethical Behavior On a scale where “0” is the most corrupt and “100” the least corrupt, New Zealand ties with Denmark as having the least corruption in the world with the highest score of 91; Afghanistan has a low score of 12, and Ghana falls in the middle with a score of 46 (http://www.transparency.org/country). The vision is not only to empower individual students, but to transform political and civil society in Ghana and other African nations by developing a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.

Purpose of the Educational Innovations: Change Social Norms re: Ethical Behavior Comment from Ashesi Leadership: “The goal was to have a culture of integrity embedded in Ashesi and really owned. It then became a core part of the institution that everyone holds dear. I believe that when people think in an ethical way they have empathy. They have a conscience, and they are better citizens and better leaders, which is what Ashesi is all about. I also hope that it will be become clear to other universities and their student bodies that people can be successful and ethical in our country and that Ashesi students will demonstrate this. They have a big responsibility to be ethical leaders… I hope that institutions that frown on cheating and unethical behavior will become the norm in Ghana.”

Purpose of the Educational Innovations: Change Social Norms re: Ethical Behavior The plan is for Ashesi graduates to work in private sector initially (they are currently not embraced in the public sector). One Ashesi graduate explains: • “Most Ashesi students would leave public institutions or we would get kicked out anyway. We are doing good work in private institutions…Eventually some [Ashesi graduates] will become wealthy enough to participate [in the public sector]. For that it is just time. You need someone who has enough clout who says I want to make the public systems work. Once you get more Ashesians in civil service, change will come. It will come with time. As a country do we have that time? I would say we have to wait because it has to happen sometime even it if happens in the next 50 years.”

Research in Process One relevant question for the research on Ashesi is whether those in the private sector can maintain ethics that reflect and prioritize public welfare and deontological objectives, especially when social considerations and ethical principles conflict with private sector interests, including the short-term interests of individuals. Quotes from graduates: • “Currently, people don’t like to deal with Ashesians because we try to fight a corrupt system, and then you are stepping on people’s toes. And you might be robbing them of their livelihood. They are not going to thank you for that even if it is in the best interest of the nation in the long run.”

Innovation in Business Ethics Education: Ghana The Goal is to create Ethical Business Leaders to Decrease Corruption: “The saying is that little drops of water make a giant ocean. Actually, little drops of water evaporate. What I want to do is collect our graduates away from a heat source. That cooler more humid source is the private sector. Most are staying in Ghana. The student interns who tried the public sector came back with very discouraging reports. We hope someday they can enter the public sector at a higher level where they can effect change” (Godwyn 2015) - Ashesi Leadership

Research Questions 1. Can educational interventions carry over once undergraduate students begin their lives as young adults outside the educational organization? 2. (Related –if so, how?) Is ethics training received at the undergraduate level manifest in workplace behavior, mindset, and identity after students graduate? 3. Can those employed in the private sector become ethical leaders in the public sector and influence and raise cultural standards of ethical behavior? (In some ways beyond the scope of this research – students - in other ways not – existence of the college)

The Honor Code as a Cultural Shift A recurring theme in interviews was the common belief that corruption is keeping Ghana provincial and backward, and therefore unable to compete on the world stage. Interviewees voiced awareness and embarrassment about widespread impropriety as many compared Ghana unfavorably to European nations, and especially to the United States. A member of the administration: “I tell students, everyone needs to find a moment when they have to make an ethical choice. Don’t think there aren’t ethical people in Ghana. They might be outnumbered. But the more you do it, and explain it; you will contribute to the ethics here. You are international beings not just local beings” (Godwyn 2015).

The Honor Code as a Cultural Shift • Another student describes the typical response to the fact of an honor code: • “Here in Ghana and most places in Africa, we are not used to going against the status quo and changing things. So having exams without proctors was very alien. It is still thought of as a joke” (Godwyn 2015).

Strong Resistance to the Honor Code: NAB Most of the members of the national higher education accreditation committee (NAB) in Ghana were not familiar with the concept of an honor code. Since the assumption is dishonesty (of students – Ghanaian students -- the accreditation board has interpreted the honor code as undermining ethical behavior by encouraging cheating. One student comments on the impact of the honor code: “What some people think to be true is actually false. The honor code works. People do report, and it makes people more ethical. It actually works better than the other system of proctoring exams when friends help their friends and don’t get caught.”

Teaching Students to Identify with Honesty The Honor Code caused National Accreditation Board to withhold accreditation due to the common belief that if not proctored, [Ghanaian] students will cheat, and also some bias against Africans generally. Administration, then faculty, then students, then parents fought the Ghanaian government, and came together and decided that accreditation was less important than the principle of ethical behavior.

Strong Resistance to the Honor Code: NAB “The Honour System at is a significant breakthrough for Ashesi and is extremely important given our mission to “educate a new generation of ethical entrepreneurial leaders in Africa.” It is a breakthrough that we hope other institutions (the universities, law school, military and police academies, and other tertiary institutions) will be able to implement over time. Ashesi should not be penalized for taking the lead in Ghana. A review of top ranked universities around the world is also advised. We believe that such a study is the best way to gain an understanding of the benefits of the honour system.” (From Ashesi 2010)

Strong Resistance to the Honor Code: NAB “Before I end, let me offer you a friendly advice – That you should impress upon those you have appointed to write on behalf of you institution never to assume that members and staff of the National Accreditation Board are not conversant with developments in tertiary education in the world around us. That assumption if I am correct in interpreting it so, is simply nauseating to say the least.” (Response Executive of the NAB 2010)

Response from the Community “Students were very upset saying. ‘Why would the accreditation board want us to stop doing the right thing? Why educate people in this country if we can’t hold them ethically accountable?’ In the end, students were not so concerned about accreditation; they wanted their dignity. So at the end of this conversation, the head of student government said, ‘We need a show of hands. A vote. How many feel we should disregard the directive from the national accreditation board? And remember, history favors those who fight hard for a good cause.’ Every hand goes up. And there is a standing ovation. I am thinking to myself, there is no way a phenomenon like this should be allowed to fail. It is done. We will do this thing.”(Godwyn 2015)

Methods: Qualitative Surveys and In-depth Interviews We use qualitative methodology to explore the honor code from the perspectives of approximately 20 Ashesi graduates. We also interviewed some of the core faculty members and administrators who were able to give background regarding the origin, vision, and ambition behind the honor code. One author (Buchele) was a member of the administrative team when the honor code was launched at Ashesi.

Methods: Qualitative Surveys and In-depth Interviews Graduates were asked to describe the transition from using the honor code at Ashesi to their post-graduate life in the workplace. We solicited graduate interviewees on a volunteer basis through disseminating information about the study with the help of the Alumni Office. Administrators in the position to offer institutional history and knowledge helped make sure that the study was not skewed toward opinions held by a few graduates, but rather widely representational. To this end, the list of the graduates who volunteered to be interviewed was vetted to ensure they were not merely individuals who came back to Ashesi to act as guest speakers on the benefits of the honor code.

Research in Progress MOST COMMON REPEATED THEMES SO FAR: • The Honor Code became a “Lifestyle,” • Students think about life decisions differently than they did before Ashesi • It is a struggle to reconcile the honor code with their adult lives, but none have decided not to try

Research Progress Quotes from Graduates: LIFESTYLE “So it’s more of a lifestyle. It is good to do the right thing and not just cheat to get to where you want to get to. It does affect my day-to-day activities. It is more challenging outside school because you come across things when you don’t know what is right. I used to work for [a company] where you can’t get the business for the company unless you pay a kickback. This was a serious challenge. How is this possible? It goes against what I believe in and what I learned in school. But, I was able to get the contract without promising a kickback. It is challenging to decide what exactly to do.”

Research in Progress LIFESTYLE: “My understanding of the honour code has grown since my days in Ashesi. It is not just about exams, it’s a life decision. To live and act in a way that is honourable at all times. Why is it so necessary for us? Someone who cheats on an exam might be prone to doing the same at work: taking credit for work they didn’t do, using information against people or slacking as a team member on a project and expecting others to cover for them. Now when I encounter people who say ‘Ashesi students don’t have invigilators and I don’t understand why’ I say to them, “the honour code is not about examinations and has never been; It’s a pillar we live by”.

Research Progress Quotes from Graduates: THINKING DIFFERENTLY “Ashesi gave me a direction and structure. I was never confronted with that situation. It made me more aware. Now I am aware. Now I realize I am more reluctant to do compromise my position, and I would only do it with great reluctance and try not to. In an exam situation I never did it. But now I am less able to ignore situations and make an effort not to compromise my integrity because now it is more important to me than it was before Ashesi.”

Research Progress Quotes from Graduates: STRUGGLE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE “It was hard because here I was, ‘ready to conquer the world’ with what I had learnt but people on the outside felt differently about almost everything I did. I kept getting kickbacks from the people I worked with. Names like ‘Holier than thou’ became my second name. I was accused of trying to impress when I was merely doing what was expected of me. But gradually, some people begin to side with you and you stand out at the end of the day. That is what really matters.”

Research Progress SOCIAL CHANGE: “Dealing with the systems and the people outside of Ashesi was not so easy in the beginning. After 4 years of being surrounded by people who were all aiming at excellence, stepping into a world of bureaucracy, where individuals were set in their ways was a shock. I believe Ashesi students should be primed for this and know that they will be stereotyped. More importantly an introduction to leading and managing change in their own small way can help to make a difference.”

Research in Progress SOCIAL CHANGE: “In Ghana we are having power problems. Some guys want to do an illegal connection and [my parents] said, “Why don’t we do it?” I don’t feel comfortable doing this because it is using more electricity and that won’t work in the long run. Initially my parents were doing it, and then my mother thought about it, and said, ‘You are right.’”

Is it working? Hannah Arendt ethical behavior necessitates “the activity of thinking as such, the habit of examining and reflecting upon whatever happens to come to pass, regardless of specific content and quite independent of results” (Arendt 1971: 418)

Long-Term Effects of an Ethics Program at Ashesi University College, Ghana