Ethics brings to mind dusty volumes of impenetrable text, heated arguments that go nowhere, and an overbearing concern with political correctness. But my thirty years as an ethics consultant has taught me something different. Ethics is really about releasing the forces of innovation in an organization. The reason for this is simple. To have ethics in an organization is to have ways in which employees can jump the line of command without fear of reprisal. And this same jump-the-line-of-command philosophy can make innovation a powerful organizational force.