How do I know if my organization's ethics policies are actually being followed?

This is the question Sor Juana would ask first. She understood that written ideals and lived practice are often strangers to each other. Start by looking for the gap: What does your handbook say versus what you actually see happening in decisions, hiring, resource allocation? The real test isn't the policy document—it's whether people feel safe calling out contradictions without career risk. Does your organization have anonymous reporting channels that people trust? Are there consequences when leaders violate the same rules everyone else follows? Sor Juana learned that institutions survive on consistency, not perfection. You're looking for evidence that accountability flows in all directions. Interview people at different levels anonymously if possible. Notice which violations get addressed and which get quietly managed. The uncomfortable truth is that most organizations have strong ethics policies and weak ethics cultures. If your policies feel like theater—something for compliance documents—that's the starting point for change. Ask yourself: Would I report a senior leader's misconduct in this place? If the answer makes you pause, your organization knows it too.