EthicsTalk LIVE: Enabling good decisions through better communication

This blogpost summarises the key takeaways from the EthicsTalk LIVE: Enabling good decisions through better communication on October 9th, 2025. The panelists included Michaela Ahlberg, Ville Ojanen and Satu-Anneli Kauranen. More information on the panelists on the event page.

In a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and polarization, legal and ethics & compliance (E&C) professionals are being asked to do more than interpret rules and regulations – they’re being asked to enable ethical decision-making.

Humans Aren’t Machines – and That Changes Everything

Psychologist Ville Ojanen challenged the assumption that rules and structures guarantee rational decisions. “Humans aren’t mechanistic process animals,” he said. “We’re emotional, relational beings. Rules only work when we care.”

This insight reframes the role of legal and compliance systems. Instead of relying solely on governance structures, professionals must understand the emotional and relational drivers behind decisions. Ethical behavior emerges not from control, but from connection and reflection.

Takeaway: To influence ethical behavior, we must engage with people’s emotions, relationships, and capacity for empathy, not just their logic.

Ethics Is a Conversation, Not a Checklist

Michaela Ahlberg, a seasoned E&C expert, emphasized that ethics is not about having the “right answer.” It’s about creating space for honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations. Lawyers are trained to provide solutions, but the best ones ask questions, especially the hard ones.

Satu-Anneli Kauranen added that legal advice is often expected to be definitive, but in reality, it’s interpretive. “Law is a baseline, not the whole answer,” she said. “We must consider broader impacts on trust, reputation, and future relationships.” When practicing law, working with diverse stakeholders and high stakes situations are the norm. Satu-Anneli reminds that “You can’t storm in with your own opinion. Friendly professionalism is key. Give something, get something. Calm yourself. Prepare. Remember that even bad news leads somewhere. Present alternatives and hold your ground with professionalism.”

Takeaway: Legal and E&C professionals should act as facilitators of dialogue. Ethical growth happens when we hold space for disagreement, discomfort, and diverse perspectives.

Psychological Safety Isn’t About Comfort – It’s About Courage

Ville introduced the concept of adaptive space, where psychological safety meets strength. In competitive environments, leadership must balance tolerance and courage. This means allowing friction, disagreement, and vulnerability, rather than avoiding them.

In multicultural and hierarchical settings, Michaela urged professionals to move from “speaking up” to advocacy. Corporate environments aren’t used to human language and we must create space for real dialogue. Warmth and strength are hard to balance -but essential.

Takeaway: Psychological safety enables innovation and ethical decision-making. Leaders must foster environments where people feel safe to speak out – even when it’s uncomfortable.

Practical Steps for Legal and E&C Professionals

• Practice Self-Reflection
  Regularly examine your own biases, emotions, and decision-making processes.
• Facilitate Difficult Conversations
  The best professionals don’t just solve problems – they spark deeper understanding by asking tough questions, welcoming diverse views, and embracing disagreement as a catalyst for learning.
• Balance Warmth and Strength
  Be empathetic and decisive. Ethical leadership requires both even if we are not used to it.

Ethical decision-making isn’t about having the right answer. It’s about creating the right conversation. As Ville put it, reflection is like “combing your messy hair.” Before we can truly help others, we must first align our own emotions and systems by getting our hair in order and not hide under a fancy hat.

Let’s use these insights to grow as professionals, leaders and humans.

If you want more of the same topic, make sure you watch the webinar recording from Nordic Business Ethics’ YouTube channel.