Ethics, Compliance and Culture in Times Of a Pandemic

GÜNDEM: The world is facing a crisis these days the likes of which no one has encountered before. Even though there have been pandemics before, some of them more contagious and more lethal than the current one,the sheer scale and speed of the global spread of COVID-19, the disease cause by the novel Coronavirus, is novel terrain for humanity in a globalized economy and a hyper-connected planet.

The world is facing a crisis these days the likes of which no one has encountered before. Even though there have been pandemics before, some of them more contagious and more lethal than the current one, the sheer scale and speed of the global spread of COVID-19, the disease cause by the novel Coronavirus, is novel terrain for humanity in a globalized economy and a hyper-connected planet.

Different countries have reacted in their different ways according to the expression: the problem is global but it has to be addressed and solved locally. Most EU countries and the U.S. had first severely underestimated the danger posed by the pandemic - some leading Western politicians had even called it a politically-hyped hoax and downplayed its severity for weeks - and had reacted late with measures to curb the spread of the virus, e.g. by closing schools and promoting or enforcing “social distancing”. Even The World Health Organization couldn’t bring itself to calling COVID-19 a “pandemic” for a long time while it was already quite clear it would eventually spread to the last corner of the planet. (At the time of the writing of this article, the disease has spread to 172 countries, 441 thousand people have been infected globally and the only continent unaffected by COVID-19 is Antarctica.) Development of COVID-19 in Turkey has apparently been affected by Turkey the pandemic relatively late. (The WHO had already acknowledged COVID-19 as a pandemic at that time.) The first official case in Turkey was reported by the ministry of health on March 11, 2020, when Italy already had 12462 cases and 827 fatalities. Compared to the Western countries, the Turkish government reacted much more quickly and announced the closure of schools for at least three weeks already two days after the first officially diagnosed case, when the official number of infections in Turkey was still in the single digits and there had been no fatalities, yet. (Compared to Italy, which imposed the first quarantine zone comprising 50.000 people in Northern Italy on February 22, 23 days after the first case in the country and at a time when there were already 79 diagnosed cases and 2 fatalities.)

And in the following days, as the reported figure slowly but steadily grew, the Turkish government announced new actions and restrictions almost on a daily basis to stem the growth of the epidemic in Turkey. (As a physicist, the author of this article understands that exponential growth is extremely difficult to grasp for normal humans, so it is understandable if many people here - like in other countries - considered their personal risk of contracting the virus fairly low, as long as there was only “a handful of infected people in a population of 84 million.)

Despite all the measures, in the days since Turkish “patient 0” was officially announced on March 11, the number of Turks tested positively for COVID-19 has grown exponentially (to 1872 cases and 44 fatalities on March 25) just like in other countries. And it appears Turkey is developing on quite the same trajectory as Italy - just about three weeks later. The Ethical Imperative of the Hour is Physical Distancing, But Behavi

Without medicines to treat the diseaor Change is Slow. se, and without vaccines to inoculate the population, what is – apart from hand-washing – the course of action people should take? How should they behave in face of the COVID-19 threat? Looking to frameworks for ethical deci

This is being mostly referred to with the technical term “social distancing”, an English language technical term from public health and epidemiology which has been widely used by governments, institutions and media and that has been verbatim translated into other languages, also into Turkish.

sion making1 , we can evaluate the options by asking the following questions: 1. Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm? (Utilitarian Approach)

2. Which option best respects the rights of all who have a stake? (Rights Approach)

3. Which option treats people equally or proportionately? (Justice Approach) 4. Which option best serves the community as a whole, not just some members? (Common Good Approach) 5. Which option leads me to act as the sort of person I want to be? (Virtue Approach)

Answering these questions, it is pretty obvious that there is only one ethical imperative of the hour: to protect oneself form getting infected – and thereby protect others from being infected, potentially failing ill, needing hospitalization, intensive care, artificial ventilation and dying. Protect society, even humanity, by protection yourself. And there is currently only one sure way of doing this: putting physical distance between people. This is being mostly referred to with the technical term “social distancing”, an English language technical term from public health and epidemiology which has been widely used by governments, institutions and media and that has been verbatim translated into other languages, also into Turkish.

It is also a very unfortunate term as even the WHO has meanwhile found out2 , because it can be misunderstood and cause anxiety about social isolation and cutting social contacts with other people where it just means to put enough physical distance between people so they can’t infect one another.

The Turkish government has used even more unfortunate terms. First, people were simply instructed to stay at home (“evde kal”) without giving more insight into what behavior this meant and what it did not mean. In addition, officials keep telling people on the media to isolate themselves (“kendinizi izole edin”), which should even cause more feelings of anxiety than “social distancing”. Even Turkish mobile phone operators have started “nudging” people by changing their operator name displayed on phones to “#EvdeKal TR” (Vodafone) or “EvdeHayatVar” (Turkcell).

So it came as no big surprise that despite the government’s growing restrictions to daily life and even with a new government regulation as of March 22 that forbids most people over the age of 65 to leave their homes, many people did not comply and had to be warned and sent home individually by the police in the first days. Last weekend one could still observe people ambling in groups and picnicking at the seaside in Istanbul, men fishing in the Bosphorus, elders sitting together drinking tea and playing Okey – of course without keeping the recommended distance of at least one-and-a-half to two meters from one another.

Now why is it, one may ask, that chan

Whereas the U.S. has a relatively low Power Distance, extremely high Individualism, and has a low Uncertainty Avoidance, Turkish culture is characterized by high Power Distance, Collectivism (low Individualism), and an extremely high Uncertainty Avoidance. In this respect, Turkey is clearly “different” from the Western countries.

ging the behavior of people in this country - in their own best interest for their wellbeing and protection - is so difficult even in light of such a tremendous threat to health and even life as COVID-19 and with the daily news from the ever increasing number of people infected and dying through COVID-19? I think one answer to the renitent beha

Culture and Compliance vior of Turks to adapt the new behaviors required at this time can be found in Turkish culture. I can draw clear parallels to my professional life as an Ethics & Compliance Officer in a Turkish company. There is my daily job to make sure our employees make decisions and take actions in a way that is ethical, in line with the company’s values & behaviors, consistent with the company’s culture, that they follow company policies and procedures, rules and regulations - in spirit and to the letter - in order to mitigate risks to the company achieving its objectives. I am German, and when I moved to Turkey four years ago, I have noticed distinct challenges that this job is facing in Turkey. And I came to understand that they have two cultural root causes:

1. The usual approach taken to achieve people to behave ethically and comply with rules is “WEIRD”; and

2. “Turkey is different.”

The paradigm of what constitutes effective Ethics & Compliance is dominated

When taken together with power distance, which also includes respect and deference to elders, collectivism also avoids conflicts, so people will accommodate the needs and wishes of their elders for contact and support. Also the moral base of relationships is very important, because it can outweigh the obedience to the external authority.

by the U.S. American view, latest updated on April 30, 2019 in the guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on evaluating the effectiveness of corporate compliance programs. And this paradigm is “W.E.I.R.D.”3 , meaning white, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. It expresses a view of the world from an U.S. American cultural angle of how the world and the economy work (and should work).

But the cultural profile of Turkey is quite different from the U.S. In the 6D model of National Culture4 by Dutch professor Geert Hofstede, U.S. culture is an almost diametrical opposite of Turkish culture in the three dimensions Power Distance, Individualism and Uncertainty Avoidance that have very impor

tant connections to compliant behavior: Whereas the U.S. has a relatively low Power Distance, extremely high Individualism, and has a low Uncertainty Avoidance, Turkish culture is characterized by high Power Distance, Collectivism (low Individualism), and an extremely high Uncertainty Avoidance. In this respect, Turkey is clearly “different” from the Western countries.

What that means is, that interventions directly copied from the U.S. (or most WEIRD cultures) to influence peoples’ behavior in order to achieve compliance will most likely not work effectively or take effect only slowly in Turkey, because they will run contrary to peoples’ culture, to their innermost values and way of feeling and understanding how the world works; what Geert Hofstede calls “collective programming of the mind”5. How to Achieve Effective Compliance with COVID-19

So how can we understand the attitude prevention measures of Turkish people better from applying the Hofstede culture model and how can we make compliance with prevention measures against COVID-19 more effective?

With a high power distance score, Turkish style is described by Hofstede as follows:

“Dependent, hierarchical, superiors often inaccessible and the ideal boss is a father figure. Power is centralized and managers rely on their bosses and on rules. Employees expect to be told what to do. Control is expected and attitude towards managers is formal. Communication is indirect and the information flow is selective. The same structure can be observed in the family unit, where the father is a kind 6 of patriarch to whom others submit.”

The clearly means that instructions must come from the very top and people must be told what to do by authority figures. This is being done because it is the typical Turkish style and it is expected by society. The Health Minister and even the President are regularly seen on TV, the radio and quoted in the news media and tell people what they should do. So far, as I said before, the main mes

An example was the behavior or elder people after the announcement that people over age 65 were not allowed to leave their houses. This was (and still is) mostly ignored until the police started informing people individually and warning them to go to their homes and finally on the second day started levying monetary fines for noncompliance. In one newspaper I even saw a photograph of three old men hiding behind a small truck at the side of the road from a police car.

sage was “stay at home”, which is not very clear, and “isolate yourself ”, which can elicit fear. Also, at first there was no control, just appealing to peoples to follow these new rules. But high power distance means that control is expected. Compliance with rules that are not controlled is optional.

Turkey is a collectivistic society. Writes Hofstede:

“In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them ... . ... This means that the “We” is important, people belong to in-groups (families, clans or organizations) who look after each other in exchange for loyalty. Communication is indirect and the harmony of the group has to be maintained, open conflicts are avoided. The relationship has a moral 7 base and this always has priority over task fulfillment.“

The whole concept of “protecting yourself to protect all others” is in itself a highly individualistic concept – typical for WEIRD cultures. The message to “isolate oneself” is in absolute contradiction to Turkey’s traditional family and society structures. It is not only difficult to understand for people, but it’s also difficult to put into action. Many people, especially elders, depend on support from their extended families in their daily lives. It’s difficult for me to understand how the government could keep repeating this message without further elaborating in the beginning. Appealing to individual accountability is a concept that clashes with collectivism.

When taken together with power distance, which also includes respect and deference to elders, collectivism also avoids conflicts, so people will accommodate the needs and wishes of their elders for contact and support. Also the moral base of relationships is very important, because it can outweigh the obedience to the external authority.

Turkey has a feminine culture.

“This means that the softer aspects of culture such as leveling with others, consensus, sympathy for the underdog are valued and encouraged. Conflicts are avoided in private and work life and consensus at the end is important. Leisure time is important for Turks, it is the time when 8 the whole family, clan and friends come together to enjoy life.” This sympathy for the less powerful, caring for people in need, caring for relatives, family members, socializing and spending time together with family and friends are important values in daily life. This cultural tendency directly opposed the notion of “isolation” or “social distancing”, unless the term is clearly explained to mean “physical” distancing.

Lastly Turkey has a very high Uncertainty Avoidance.

“The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways . ... [t]here is a huge need for laws and rules. In 9 order to minimize anxiety, people make use of a lot of rituals.”

This means that in particular if the government wants to achieve effects quickly and effectively, people need to be told clearly and in detail what they are expected to do and what they are expected not to do. Otherwise, people will compensate the ambiguity of “evde kal” with their own interpretations or “follow the herd” (collectivism) and behave according to the majority; unless there are clear and specific instructions for everyone (rules for children, rules for adults, rules for elders), unless there is visible control of these rules and sanctioning for people who do not follow them, compliance will neither be achieved quickly nor in a large extent of the population. An example was the behavior or elder people after the announcement that people over age 65 were not allowed to leave their houses. This was (and still is) mostly ignored until the police started informing people individually and warning them to go to their homes and finally on the second day started levying monetary fines for noncompliance. In one newspaper I even saw a photograph of three old men hiding behind a small truck at the side of the road from a police car.

As I have been writing this article over that past few days, the

instructions of the Health Minister in his evening press conferences have become more and more detailed. And this is necessary. I wish the government had started with clear and specific rules of behavior earlier.

To summarize, what is needed to achieve quick result in a culture like Turkey’s is different from the typical Western approach that emphasizes individual accountability and gives few high level guidelines for safe behavior. What Turkey needs to get compliance fast is:

1. A loud, clear, consistent and specific message from the top by authority figures: physical distancing but still social “proximity” through social media and telecommunication.

2. Turning the message of “protect yourself to protect all around”: Protect your loved ones, your social in-group, be loyal to them and express the importance of the relationship and the respect for others by first protecting each single member. Even if this is not what you would normally do. Now it is necessary. This is the most paradox message for collectivistic society.

3. Detailed, clear and specific roles of Dos and Don’ts for different groups of people. For the risk groups (elderly people, people with pre-existing immune deficiency conditions etc.), as well as for their relatives, adults, children. Everybody has to be clear which rules apply to them leaving as little ambiguity as possible. Such rules – for a certain time – could include, but are not limited to: a. Staying at home means your home. Don’t go visiting other parts of your (extended) family by driving to their home. b. Don’t visit grandparents, uncles, aunts. Kids, don’t hug your grandparents. Grandparent, don’t ask for your grandchildren to visit you. Instead call – with video. c. Don’t play your with cousins – unless it’s via the Internet. d. Don’t kiss hands, don’t embrace and kiss cheeks for greetings. e. Don’t pray in groups together. Don’t break your fast together (iftar!) in the upcoming month of Ramazan. Organize “virtual iftars” via video chats. f. Do use all available live social media like WhatsApp video calls, FaceTime, Zoom to talk and spend time with family and friends. Use these to keep socially close and empathize with people, even though physically apart. g. Do explain these rules to your elders and convince them that they – as authority figures – need to embrace and impose them, to be effective. h. Do stick to these rules through the COVID-19 times even if your inner value compass may tell you that you are disrespectful. i . ... and of course wash your hands...