Ethical competence and foresight competence

Ethical competence is manifested as skills in identifying and resolving conflicts and acting in an ethically sustainable manner in ambiguous and difficult situations. It is needed in  client encounters, corporate management and political decision-making alike. Knowledge of and compliance with ethical guidelines is a prerequisite for responsible  research and development.

At Laurea, ethical competence offers tools for developing professional competence and R&D quality. Ethical problems of health  and social care professionals have been studied in academic research projects, and comprehensive ethical competence models have been developed for the needs of continuous learning. Laurea has also been responsible for creating ethical rules and assessing social impacts in international projects. A number of ethical perspectives are incorporated in Laurea’s projects, including support for citizens' inclusion and opportunities to participate, corporate social responsibility and promotion of sustainable development.

While we cannot predict the future, we can influence it by our actions and choices. Foresight competence comprises versatile methods that can be used to pave the way for different future options in both global and local development. It is also important to identify undesirable, unexpected and unlikely alternatives. When considering the future, we take economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development into account.

Various projects at Laurea draw extensively on futures studies, with scenario work and vision processes, visionary conceptualisation and innovation processes, competences of the future and visionary leadership as priorities. Our development areas have included energy efficiency in housing estates, well-being in work organisations and alternative service paths for vulnerable customer groups alike. Our partners are public service providers, communities and companies that wish to succeed in the face of a changing operating environment.

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