Why good people go wrong
Ethical decision making for leaders.
- Level
- Bitesize
- Learning time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Where
- Ethics, Integrity and Standards
- Price
- £39
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Read the full terms
Certificate of Completion
Overview and Outcomes.
Overview
Public trust is lent, not owned, and this module sets out why conduct in public service is everyone's business. It traces governance codes from Cadbury to King IV, works through the seven Nolan Principles, distinguishes ethics, integrity and standards, and maps the 2026 standards landscape, including the Ethics and Integrity Commission, the Hillsborough Law and the different councillor standards regimes in Wales and England. Most hard calls at work are hard because two good things are in tension, and good intentions are not a method. This module offers a practical way of reasoning through them, drawing on the utilitarian, deontological and virtue lenses, Northouse's domains of conduct and character and his five principles of ethical leadership, and Rest's four components of ethical action, applied in a composite case about a softened scrutiny report. Wrongdoing rarely starts with a bad person; it usually starts with an ordinary person taking a small step that seems reasonable. This module explores why, using Bazerman and Tenbrunsel's blind spots, Bandura's moral disengagement, Janis's groupthink and organisational pressures such as targets, obedience and loyalty. The Post Office Horizon scandal shows the consequences, and the module closes on designing good systems and building moral courage.
What you'll develop
In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:
- Explain each of the seven Nolan Principles and why the leadership principle asks more than personal good conduct.
- Distinguish ethics, integrity and standards, and use that distinction to identify which one failed when something goes wrong.
- Apply the utilitarian, deontological and virtue lenses to the same decision and identify the tensions they reveal.
- Use Rest's four components of ethical action to identify where ethical behaviour is breaking down in a team.
- Identify blind spots and moral disengagement mechanisms, such as ethical fading and diffusion of responsibility, in workplace decisions.
The Modules.
1 hour 45 minutes of learning.
- 01Foundations: Why Ethics, Integrity and Standards MatterPublic trust is lent, not owned, and this module sets out why conduct in public service is everyone's business. It traces governance codes from Cadbury to King IV, works through the seven Nolan Principles, distinguishes ethics, integrity and standards, and maps the 2026 standards landscape, including the Ethics and Integrity Commission, the Hillsborough Law and the different councillor standards regimes in Wales and England.35 min
- 02Thinking Ethically: Theories, Principles and Hard CallsMost hard calls at work are hard because two good things are in tension, and good intentions are not a method. This module offers a practical way of reasoning through them, drawing on the utilitarian, deontological and virtue lenses, Northouse's domains of conduct and character and his five principles of ethical leadership, and Rest's four components of ethical action, applied in a composite case about a softened scrutiny report.35 min
- 03Why Good People Do Wrong ThingsWrongdoing rarely starts with a bad person; it usually starts with an ordinary person taking a small step that seems reasonable. This module explores why, using Bazerman and Tenbrunsel's blind spots, Bandura's moral disengagement, Janis's groupthink and organisational pressures such as targets, obedience and loyalty. The Post Office Horizon scandal shows the consequences, and the module closes on designing good systems and building moral courage.38 min
Keep going.
Part of the Ethics, Integrity and Standards topic, also sold whole as Integrity first.
Go deeper, and pay only the difference
- You are hereBitesize, 1 hour 45 minutes, £39
- Next stepFocus, Clear lines, sound choices, 3 hours, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
- The whole topicExplore, Integrity first, 5 hours 30 minutes, £129. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £90.
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Prices per person. Read the full terms
Also part of: Governing with confidence, Serving your community well, When things go wrong
