Journal of Business Ethics
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05253-4
ORIGINAL PAPER
Ethical Decision‑Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case
Study
Clare J. M. Burns1
· Luke Houghton1 · Deborah Delaney1 · Cindy Shannon1
Received: 25 March 2021 / Accepted: 7 September 2022
© The Author(s) 2022
Abstract
This case study details how and why integrating storytelling, empathy, and inclusive practice shifted QSuper, a large Australian finance organisation, from minimal awareness to moral awareness then moral capability in the delivery of services
to Indigenous customers. During the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation, and Financial
Services Industry, QSuper were recognised for their exemplary service with Indigenous customers (Hayne, Interim report:
Royal commission into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services industry, Volume 1. Commonwealth of Australia, 2018; Transcript of Proceedings, 13 August, Commonwealth of Australia, 2018). This position was in
stark contrast to the inaccessible service offerings of other financial organisations where some used predatory practices to
sell unethical financial products to Indigenous Australians (Hayne, Interim report: Royal commission into misconduct in
the banking, superannuation and financial services industry, Volume 1. Commonwealth of Australia, 2018; Hayne, Final
report: Royal commission into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services industry, Volume 1. Commonwealth of Australia, 2019a). Storytelling garned from visiting customers in remote communities and other meaningful
activities involving inclusive practice to facilitate ethical decision-making in finance is different to standard functionalist
finance approaches (Schinckus, Int Rev Financ Anal 40:103–106, 2015). Two empathetic questions asked within QSuper
complementing the storytelling, were: “What is the right thing to do by the customer?” and “How would I feel if this were
my mother?” Exploration into the lived reality of moral capacity is important based on the Commission finding many of the
490,000 finance staff do not know how to provide ethical services to vulnerable customers, in particular remote Indigenous
customers (Australian Bureau of Statistics. Labour force, Australia, detailed. ABS. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/
statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release, 2021; Hayne, Final report:
Royal commission into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services industry, Volume 1. Commonwealth
of Australia, 2019a). Furthermore, there is minimal literature on the role of Indigenous storytelling to heighten moral awareness in the finance industry which was found to lead to better ethical outcomes.
Keywords Indigenous · Finance · Ethical decision-making · Moral awareness · Moral capacity · Storytelling · Empathy ·
Inclusive practice-financial inclusion
Introduction
* Clare J. M. Burns
clare.burns@griffith.edu.au
Luke Houghton
l.houghton@griffith.edu.au
Deborah Delaney
d.delaney@griffith.edu.au
Cindy Shannon
cindy.shannon@griffith.edu.au
1
Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
Despite the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation, and Financial Services Industry (Commission) and numerous inquiries dating back to 1893 ethical
decision-making (EDM) in the Australian finance industry
remains in question (Hayne, 2019a; Hickson & Turner,
2002). The Commission found Indigenous Australians were
vulnerable due to low levels of financial literacy, a lack of
access to financial services, remote geographical locations,
non-conventional forms of personal identification, and language barriers (Hayne, 2018). Evidence was presented of
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finance products being sold to people in remote communities
which they could not use, pay day lenders targeting Indigenous teenagers leaving them indebted before 20 years of
age, and inaccessible superannuation (“super,” sometimes
referred to as “retirement savings”) practices described as
“stolen wages” (Joyner, 2019; Transcript of Proceedings, 4
July, 2018; Transcript of Proceedings, 13 August, 2018, p.
4705). More broadly the industry was labelled “dishonest
and greedy,” falling below community standards (Hayne,
2018, p. 73).
There was an exception, the Commission observed QSuper’s service was exemplary, calling them a “champion of
Indigenous superannuation issues” (Transcript of Proceedings, 13 August, 2018, p. 4713). Lyn Melcer, QSuper’s Head
of Technical Advice, with 40 years’ industry experience,
testified firsthand observations of the barriers customers
face to accessing services during a 2014 visit to the remote
community of Lockhart River. Melcer also stated prior to
2014 she was not fully aware of the inequity such communities experience. This community experience drove Melcer
to raise moral awareness through storytelling. Essentially
moral awareness can, and in this case did, lead to taking
ethical action, known as moral capacity (Schwartz, 2016).
This research asks how and why the moral awareness of
EDM in Indigenous finance initially came to be manifested
in QSuper, leading to the building of moral capacity. The
role of moral awareness within EDM in finance is important; whilst much has been “discovered regarding the EDM
process within business organisations, a great deal remains
unknown,” particularly within this industry (Schwartz, 2016,
p. 755; Trevino, 1986). There is a gap within the literature as
to how finance organisations transition from a state of minimal awareness (potentially unethical, amoral, or immoral
practice) to moral awareness leading to moral capacity
which informs EDM to serve remote Indigenous customers.
Given the significance of the role of large financial
organisations’ in the community, an appreciative case study
into “what works” ethically has been explored (Hammond,
2013). The question posed in this interpretive, qualitative
study was: “How and why does QSuper’s day-to-day decision-making deliver ethical finance services to Indigenous
customers?” In this research EDM is considered as a function of both individual participant and contextual elements
of QSuper (Ardichvili et al., 2009). The investigation operates within the premise that to understand what is going
on ethically there needs to be moral awareness internally
(Ardichvili et al., 2009; Meyers, 2004; Treviño et al., 1999).
Key concepts of Indigenous methodology were applied such
as ensuring the research was culturally safe, engagement
with the process of decolonising research, and researcher
accountability (Porsanger, 2004). The study sought to avoid
relying solely on corporate reports because these are known
to omit key elements of an organisation’s lived reality and
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this type of data holds elements of colonised functionalist
conventions. To address this omission a “yarning” interview
approach was adopted for the 29 participants which aligns
to the interpretive, Indigenous approach of participants and
researchers building a trusting relationship to co-construct
the research reality (Bell, 2013; Bessarab & Ng'Andu, 2010).
The other sources triangulating in the analysis process
were observational data and archival documents from the
organisation as well as industry such as Commission transcripts and industry publications. There was considerable
corroborating evidence between and within the various data
sources of EDM practice incorporating storytelling, remote
visits, and engagement in QSuper’s 100 + activities to do
with improving Indigenous customer service which reinforced how empathy is lived throughout the organisation.
Practitioner contributions on shifting from minimal
awareness, to raising moral awareness leading to growing
moral capacity to strengthen EDM in Indigenous service in
finance are offered. Practically demonstrating the lived experience of moral transition, which in QSuper’s case took six
years, aims to decrease the gap between academia and real
world application. Whilst moral awareness and moral capacity have been extensively discussed in the literature, it has
not been linked to EDM in Indigenous finance incorporating
storytelling in concert with empathy and inclusive practice.
The contribution of storytelling to facilitate building moral
capacity to deliver ethical services to Indigenous finance
customers is new. The next section, a literature review is
followed by the methodology, findings, implications, and
then conclusion.
Literature Review
Finance, in particular Indigenous finance, EDM, and
research context are covered in this review.
Finance
The purpose of finance in society is to facilitate economic
flourishing through a mechanism of distributing goods and
services which contributes to the common good (MacIntyre,
2007; Sison et al., 2019). Financial services organisations
need to know their social purpose, their telos and how it
is embedded at “both local and global, market, and nonmarket” levels (Asher & Wilcox, 2021; Moore, 2012, p. 7).
Financial services organisations also need to be enablers of
good practice where staff can “question existing cultures
and practices with others who share similar concern” (Asher
& Wilcox, 2021, p. 8). Reflective questioning of fiduciary
duty and knowing the customers they are there to serve,
is a challenge for large organisations given the variance in
their customer’s needs. The process of financialisation has
Ethical Decision-Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case Study
shut down some critical reflections on what constitutes an
organisation’s social purpose as well as subordinates working within those organisations’ ability to question their existing culture and practices (Palley, 2008). A financial organisation wishing to provide ethical services must know their
social purpose, their local market, and allow for questions
to be asked about their culture. Applying a one size fits all
approach to all Australian customers is not ethical—it does
not demonstrate knowledge of the local market, nor does it
fit the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre
(AUSTRAC) criterion of knowing your customer (Austrac,
2020). Across the globe there has been increasing discussion on inclusive practice, which the industry refers to as
financial inclusion (Kara et al., 2021). When there is a lack
of inclusive practice, therefore little consideration of financial inclusion, it impacts “the level of financial innovation,
poverty-levels, the stability of the financial sector, the state
of the economy, financial literacy, and regulatory frameworks” (Ozili, 2021, p. 457). Indigenous, non-white, low
literacy, and people with a disability are identified as being
less likely to be included in mainstream financial institutions
(Kara et al., 2021; Ozili, 2021).
Indigenous Finance
Financial disadvantage in collectivist Indigenous cultures
impacts entire cohorts, not just an individual—this collectivist culture differs from an individualist Western financial
management (Brimble & Blue, 2013; Lahn, 2012). Indigenous Australians have experienced “extreme financial disadvantage relative to other Australian citizens” (Breunig et al.,
2019, p. 34). The flow-on effect from Indigenous economic
inequality impacts housing, health, education, employment, imprisonment, and suicide rates (Coombes et al.,
2018; Lowitja Institute, 2021). Whilst financial literacy is a
longstanding, problematic issue in Indigenous communities,
minimal research into mitigating risk exists. Commentators
on Indigenous finance state organisational blindness prevails
in financial organisations because directors believe “economic prosperity simply boils down to choice” (Bergsteiner
& Avery, 2012; Pinto & Coulson, 2011, p. 75). Rationalising Indigenous financial disadvantage as a one-dimensional
economic choice does not acknowledge the complexity of
Indigenous barriers. Some academics have posited corporate
reporting needs to extend beyond economic accountability to
the triple bottom line: economic, social, and environmental
accountability (Elkington, 1998; Pinto & Blue, 2016); others
go further to a quadruple bottom line which includes cultural
accountability reporting (Scrimgeour & Iremonger, 2004).
The finance industry in Australia, in particular superannuation service provision, is complex (Brimble & Blue, 2013).
Various reports aimed at closing the gap between Indigenous
and non-Indigenous people state literacy inequality is an
ongoing issue—this is particularly problematic when customers are expected to use finance technology as the primary
means to access financial services (Commonwealth of Australia, 2020; Ozili, 2021). Underlying education, structural,
and cultural barriers contribute to individuals experiencing
shame about financial capability. There is “a lack of confidence… embarrassment… and racism (real or perceived)”
(Saunders & Piper, 2011, p. 7). To ignore these barriers is to
ignore the purpose of finance, which is the distribution of the
wealth of an economy for a good life to be shared amongst
all customers within the community (MacIntyre, 2007;
Sison et al., 2019). To mask these barriers, some organisations engage in blackwashing claiming they are committed
to serving Indigenous communities whilst simultaneously
rationalising not providing adequate, culturally appropriate
services (Aston, 2022). The use of euphemistic language
facilitates this rationalisation, stating “efforts for 3% of the
population [Indigenous] does not fit into its ‘right sizing’
practice” (Cragg et al., 2009, p. 766).
Day-to-day behaviour in finance has been studied less
than that in other industries; however, what is known is that
finance staff hold functionalist assumptions where trust
is placed in statistical instruments aligned to a positivist
epistemology (Burrell & Morgan, 1979; Schinckus, 2015).
Purely using statistical instruments for complex EDM does
not allow for alternative narratives, including the stories of
3% of the population.
Ethical Decision‑Making in Financial Organisations
Whilst there are numerous approaches to EDM, in the
context of exploring ethical practices in this case study,
EDM pertains to a climate “where employees are not only
expected to discern right from wrong, but go beyond this
minimum to explore and implement ethical decisions
when all choices seem right” (Ardichvili et al., 2009, p.
445). There are prescriptive approaches to EDM such as
the contingency framework (Ferrell & Gresham, 1985) and
moral intensity (Jones, 1991); however, these models do
not go beyond the individual into a large complex financial organisation (O’Fallon & Butterfield, 2013). Various
integrated EDM models have sought to display how moral
awareness moves to moral capacity through feeling, sensing, reflecting, consulting, judging, and then committing to
an action deemed right given the situation (Hannah et al.,
2011; Schwartz, 2016; Trevino, 1986). These models also
highlight when moral awareness is lacking, so too is moral
capacity, thus EDM falls short. A lack of moral capacity may
also indicate empathy is missing. Empathy is the ability to
relate to another, which in turn raises moral action because
ethical sensitivity increases, which simultaneously prevents
ethical erosion (Brown et al., 2010; Yuguero et al., 2019).
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There are elements of some EDM models which complement the ethical practice lens of this case because they
approach EDM from a perspective of people within an
organisation making decisions where there is a need for
moral awareness (Loe et al., 2000; Schwartz, 2016). Dayto-day norms such as consultation and learning approaches
need to be explored to ascertain how and why an organisation attains moral awareness (Schwartz, 2016). This is
important because it is possible for moral dilemmas to
be ignored or blocked by senior hierarchy, therefore, the
culture is not one where staff have the scope to discern
right from wrong (Ardichvili et al., 2009; Argyris, 2010).
Ethical decision-making involves the norms driving a
process that recognises a moral dilemma, using some criteria or moral principles which leads to learning and action
(Kohlberg, 1973; Schwartz, 2016). Unethical behaviour is
known to take place when there is weak moral capacity,
weak sanctions, as well as pressure from seniors and peers
to engage in unethical behaviour (Schwartz, 2016).
To transition from moral awareness where concepts may
be espoused (not lived) to moral capacity where morals
are enacted (a lived reality), there is a process involving
judgement, intention, and behaviour, as well as elements
such as reward and punishment within the culture (Heyler et al., 2016; Treviño et al., 2006). Capturing assumptions, instead of settling for espoused cultural scripts is
important to understanding how one relationship influences another in the EDM process (Schein & Schein,
2019). Studying the lived reality of Australian financial
organisations is of particular importance because some
moral issues have been overlooked since 1893 (Campbell,
1981; Hayne, 2019a; Hickson & Turner, 2002; Murray,
2014). More broadly investigating EDM in finance matters because it performs a “de-facto role as custodians of
society’s resources” (Herbohn et al., 2019).
There are significant challenges to investigating large
financial organisations because of their complexity: multiple realities need to be considered rather than simple functional economic rationalism (Schinckus, 2015; Waddock
et al., 2016). Moral awareness is the first step in EDM (Rest,
1986). In this step, the realisation is made that the situation
“requires a decision or action that could affect the interests,
welfare, or expectations of oneself or others in a manner
that may conflict with one or more moral standards” (Butterfield et al., 2000; Schwartz, 2016, p. 772). In situations
where moral awareness is not present, the framing of an
issue does not include moral terms, rather it is perceived
in neutral or non-moral terms (Baucus & Rechner, 1995).
Here perception precedes decision-making because “for the
moral-decision process to begin, a person must recognise
the moral issues” (Jones, 1991, p. 380). When there is a
lack of moral awareness, that is, when people do not realise an ethical dilemma exists, there are either unintentional
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ethical consequences or unethical behaviour (Tenbrunsel &
Smith‐Crowe, 2008).
In the process of EDM, leaders (sensegivers of organisations) use moral theories such as deontology to help inform
their actions (Woiceshyn, 2011). These moral theories often
have a truth-telling element (Hunt & Vitell, 1986). Truthtelling is linked to the basic moral principal of honesty.
However, people working in finance have been found to have
less honest norms than those in other industries (Cohn et al.,
2014). Ethical storytelling has been used to convey honesty,
it is the “truth-telling of the lived reality” for Indigenous
governance which Elders state makes the world good and is
not about “fairy tales” (Corntassel, 2009, p. 138; Driscoll &
McKee, 2007). Indigenous Elders have used storytelling as
an analytical ethical tool allowing for processes to be constructed, conveyed, and contested for millenniums. Whilst
finance organisations often engage in storytelling to promote
sales and myths about their founders, it is not known how
storytelling is used to increase moral awareness and moral
capacity in finance (Kemp et al., 2021). Nor is it known how
storytelling could be used in an industry which generally
identifies with positivist, functionalist characteristics (Morgan, 1988; Schinckus, 2015).
Research Context
Two decades before the Commission, recommendations had
been made to the finance industry on providing more equitable services to Indigenous customers through engaging in
community-led activities, making long term commitments
for change, increasing collaboration and partnerships for
achieving cultural awareness, facilitating improvements to
financial literacy, and financial inclusion; in short inclusive
practice (Altman & Taylor, 2002; Banking Code Compliance Monitoring Committee, 2017). Whilst inclusive practice is a new concept for finance, health practitioners have
considered the importance of inclusive practice for decades
understanding a long term, people centred approach that is
culturally focused, particularly for those who are hard to
reach, is paramount (Bourke et al., 2021; Reserve Bank of
Australia, 2021). The Commission found only 4% of branch
buildings are located in regional and remote locations, yet
28% of Australians live there, which includes a number of
Indigenous communities (Hayne, 2018). The Commission
also found that branches in remote locations can still be
inaccessible because of overly overcomplicated issues with
performing a basic transaction. One case told to the Commission detailed a regional Indigenous finance customer’s
journey to accessing a basic bank account with the help
of a capable community worker. The customer needed to
travel 3 h to visit the branch a number of times because
the “banker embarked on a wide-ranging survey of the customer’s ‘needs’ evidently seeking to sell the customer other
Ethical Decision-Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case Study
bank products” (Hayne, 2018, p. 260). Finance’s defence to
the lack of remote branches is increasing electronic/fintech
services and call centres. English is spoken in call centres—
for some Indigenous customers English is their second or
third language (Malcolm, 2011). If call centres are not able
to respond to queries, customers are advised to visit a branch
(Hayne, 2018).
Finance organisations have not integrated the industry’s
Indigenous guidelines or lived up to their espoused values
(Hayne, 2019a). The Commission detailed financial advisers had been incentivised to use high-pressure tactics to
sell finance products to vulnerable communities, enhancing these organisations’ short-term profit (Hayne, 2018). In
effect, staff have been systematically rewarded for failing to
uphold their fiduciary duty (Magnan & Martin, 2018). The
industry’s behaviour has a sizeable impact on vulnerable
people, because it can cause economic loss, which in turn
has a negative impact on individuals and communities: psychologically, socially, and physically (Hayne, 2019a, 2019b).
As a whole, the Australian finance industry is one of the
least trusted (Endelman, 2022); only 20% of people believe
banks are ethical and just 21% believe financial services
organisation have their best interest at heart (Punt, 2018).
The next section details how complex EDM in finance in
this case study has been explored.
Methodology
An interpretive case study is a good fit for exploring how and
why QSuper deliver ethical financial services to Indigenous
Australian customers. Numerous design options were considered to investigate the phenomena before opting for a single case study involving three data sets (yarning-interviews,
archival documents, and observations), to enable particularisations to be identified (Weick, 2007; Yin, 2018). This methodology incorporates Indigenous epistemology to “make
visible what is special and needed, what is meaningful and
logical in respect of Indigenous peoples” (Porsanger, 2004,
p. 107). A storytelling (“yarning”) approach was adopted for
the interview process; and within the individual interview
process multiple forms of yarning conversations occurred
(Kvale, 2007). The somewhat relaxed yarning approach differed from the more formal narrative inquiry to encourage
“a journey both the researcher and the participant share as
they build a relationship and visit topics of interest to the
research” (Bessarab & Ng'Andu, 2010; Geia et al., 2013,
p. 15).
When the researcher met a participant there was initially
“social yarning,”an informal and unstructured conversation to build trust so participants were then comfortable
to share knowing that “the researcher is accountable to the
research participant” (Bessarab & Ng'Andu, 2010, p. 40).
This was important at the time of interview and all throughout the research process (Gibson et al., 2020). During the
unstructured social yarning time, topics included COVID-19
adjustments, news, and shared knowledge about Indigenous
communities in different parts of Australia. Once the participant was ready, the dialogue switched to “research topic
yarning”: semi-structured interviews, “through participant
stories that are related to the research topic” (Bessarab &
Ng'Andu, 2010, p. 40).
Reflexivity was a multi-faceted process throughout the
case study (Lucas et al., 2021). From the outset there was
transparent self-reflectivity. The majority of the research
team are not Indigenous including the primary interviewer
who was raised in a Western-context which could create distance because ontological Western thinking can be destructive to Indigenous knowledges (Martin, 2017; Nicholls,
2009). Non-Indigenous researchers discussing first-person
positioning with Indigenous researchers was helpful, particularly on appropriate language use. Interpersonal reflectivity was also important. For example, during social yarning
it was important to be aware of people at the base of the
organisational hierarchy could feel their voice was of less
importance; therefore, to actively promote a psychologically
safe space (Porsanger, 2004). Interpersonal reflectivity also
facilitated staying on topic. In one instance a researcher
and participant connected on a shared concern for people
accessing hostels (accommodation for people who would
otherwise be sleeping on the streets) during COVID-19 lockdowns (Nicholls, 2009). Without reflectivity social yarning
could have circumvented topic yarning. Reflexive practice
when writing up the post-interview notes detailing elements
of the social yarning was also beneficial to the researcher’s
sensemaking of the issues.
Collective reflexivity took place at multiple points (Ripamonti et al., 2016). For example, at the end of topic-related
yarning, to facilitate the interviewer accurately capturing the
participants voice, there was a circling back on key participant points to ensure their most salient arguments were captured and allow space for clarification. Collective reflectivity
also occurred when working through the analysis between
the researchers. In several instances these discussions led
to recursive action between the analysis phases and to what
initially appeared as a theme, later with more reflection, was
a concept. One other element of collective reflexivity was
the researchers going back to QSuper with findings and discussing themes with them on multiple occasions.
A purposive approach was used to engage QSuper
because it met the criterion of a large financial organisation which was reported by the Commission to be delivering
Indigenous services ethically (Lewis, 1985; Transcript of
Proceedings, 13 August, 2018). Established in 1913, initially
to support Queensland Government staff, this superannuation, insurance, and investment organisation is now open to
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C. J. M. Burns et al.
anyone. In February 2022 QSuper merged with Sunsuper,
the newly formed not-for-profit organisation, Australian
Retirement Trust (ART), has over 2 million customers with
more than $230 billion funds under management (Australian
Retirement Trust, 2022).
Twenty-nine participants (16 men and 13 women), from
all levels of the QSuper hierarchy were engaged in research
topic yarning (semi-structured interviews). Each interview
lasted an hour on average, resulting in 1616 pages (290,663
words) of transcripts. Two participants identified as Indigenous. The yarnings were designed to draw out participants’
day-to-day lived experience (Weick, 2017); therefore the
majority of interviews (71%) were conducted face-to-face
in the participants’ work environment. The other interviews
(29%) were conducted over the phone because of distance
and COVID-19 restrictions. A requisite variety of data generated 50–90 initial codes from each yarning engagement
(Bencherki et al., 2019).
Observation notes and archival documents were triangulated with the yarning data (Polkinghorne, 2005; Tracy,
2010). Archival documents included reports and transcripts
from the Commission, industry publications, QSuper annual
reports, as well as QSuper documents given to the researchers from the participants. These QSuper documents included
emails from Indigenous Elders of the communities they had
visited, internal e-news communications with staff, as well
as documents QSuper provided to the Commission (Hayne,
2018; Indigenous Superannuation Working Group, 2019).
Of note was a document listing 101 of QSuper’s activities
to improve and facilitate its Indigenous customer service,
a version of this document was presented to the Commission. Activities included participation at Indigenous working groups, QSuper staff mentoring young Indigenous entrepreneurs, projects with different regulators, commissioning
local Indigenous artists, and cultural training—it also listed
engagement with 78 external organisations.
The 101 activities document was helpful in corroborating evidence with other data sources. For example, in one
yarning session, participant E42 discussed commissioned
Indigenous artwork, “We have created bespoke artwork
using local artists for each of our offices across the state to
provide a more welcoming environment and to educate our
staff and clients.” When the researcher entered the building
and one of the meeting rooms they saw local “Gilimbaa,”
artwork as described by E42 and detailed in the 101 activities document. Further corroboration of this particular artwork and the artist’s organisation was its display in some of
QSuper’s corporate reports.
To ascertain themes from the data a four phase thematic
content analysis was conducted which encompassed coding (I), categorising (II), conceptualising (III), and deriving
themes (IV) (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Clarke & Braun, 2018;
Cunliffe, 2003; Saldaña, 2015). The benefit of this four
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phase manual analysis was that it enabled the identification
of underlying assumptions, rather than settling for a collection of content domain summaries (Holloway & Todres,
2003; Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Nowell et al., 2017). Initially
coding of five yarning scripts revealed some categories, the
most dominant being “customers are at the heart of all we
do,” which ultimately ended being a key concept. During
this time there was some triangulation with the other data
sources to gain confidence as to whether some categories
would go forth to become a concept based on corroborating
evidence. Yarning-interviews continued until data saturation
was reached (Fusch & Ness, 2015).
Once all the transcripts were coded there was further triangulation with the other data sources. Key categories were
detailed into excel spreadsheets, concepts were then identified through the use of notetaking, mind mapping, listening
and re-listening to the yarning, and reflective discussions
on the keyness of concepts, not just volume, to establish
what concepts were corroborated or contradicted (Braun &
Clarke, 2006; Tee et al., 2014). Whilst time intensive, this
manual coding was important for sensemaking and ensuring latent themes were not missed (Clarke & Braun, 2018).
As mentioned earlier, the ongoing reflexive process called
for recursive action across the four phases as data codes
and themes were re-read, discussed multiple times, notes
expanded upon, mind maps redrawn, transcripts re-read,
and reflected upon until interpretive awareness was reached
(Cunliffe, 2003; Nicholls, 2009).
Findings
Key themes to emerge from the QSuper data on EDM for
Indigenous customers were storytelling, empathy, and
inclusive practice. How the organisation engaged in these
behaviours day-to-day gradually shifted them from minimal awareness of the need for increased focused on EDM
when serving Indigenous customers to moral awareness,
then moral capacity over approximately six years. Participants were quick to point out that whilst progress had been
made, “It’s a learning process, we’ll learn something new
next week” (E51). The next sections unpack each of the key
themes which have brought the organisation to a state of
moral capacity.
Storytelling
Story Telling Leading to Moral Awareness
Melcer’s 2014 Lockhart River visit has become part of the
organisation’s story: a number of participants referred to it
during their interview, “Lyn initially coming out to Indigenous communities with Australian Securities and Investment
Ethical Decision-Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case Study
Commission (ASIC), it means we, Indigenous people, work
more with serving our customers” (F49). Externally, Melcer’s visit has featured in industry publications, as well as
the Commission hearing (Braddon, 2017; Transcript of Proceedings, 13 August, 2018). When Melcer told her story to
the Commission, she shared there was initially a low moral
awareness of the barriers Indigenous customers experience:
…having difficulties meeting our rules on identification. Driver’s licenses don’t exist, passports don’t
exist… I thought we treated all our customers equally
because we had exactly the same rules for everyone.
What Lockhart River showed me is not everyone starts
in the same place… We assume everyone has a driver’s
license but they don’t (Transcript of Proceedings, 13
August, 2018, p. 4714).
In 2014 when Melcer shared her story with the QSuper
board the exchange created a new moral awareness. This
awareness became the “first interpretative step of the ethical decision-making process,” in improving Indigenous
customer service for QSuper (Brown & Treviño, 2006, p.
602). So impactful was the storytelling a former CEO said:
“Lyn, we need to do more of this. You tell me what you
want” (E50). Melcer credits some of the board’s emotion
and rationalisation, which led to action (moral capacity), to
the principle that “with human stories, there’s no way you
can not want to help.” Evidence of the efficacy of storytelling impacting moral capacity years later was apparent in the
yarnings of six QSuper directors, who gave endorsement
for ethical Indigenous customer service. One referred to the
work of improving Indigenous services as what they have
been most proud of during their board tenure, “I’m particularly happy with the work we do with Indigenous communities, connecting and engaging them with their super” (D27).
Other directors spoke of participating in remote visits (D29)
and sponsoring Indigenous entrepreneurs (D30).
Melcer’s storytelling spread throughout the organisation.
Participants spoke of Melcer’s passion for vulnerable customers: “Lyn’s got this wonderful trustee spirit, she also
knows a lot and because of the values she legitimately puts
our customers first holistically…It means people [staff] are
more consistent and courageous with our principles” (E33).
One element that made Melcer’s storytelling impactful was
her technical background: “Lyn is known as a technical
expert, the technicalities she knows is just incredible—she
gets the importance of relationship building too” (D26).
Technical finance practitioners are generally highly analytic
in their methods and do not normally opt for storytelling;
however, Melcer believed the Indigenous service issue was
of such moral significance that this approach was imperative.
Melcer was explicit in setting the tone for the storytelling:
human-centred, where vulnerable people must not be blamed
or seen as transactions. This focus on right language use is
consistent with how Melcer behaves day-to-day. Other participants corroborated how Melcer’s human-design approach
flowed throughout QSuper, differentiating it from other
financial organisation’s processes because “We use customers’ names,” (F44) rather than transaction numbers.
Service Access
Participant stories of Indigenous service access incorporated
known and unknown barriers. Known barriers participants
wanted to see addressed directly and indirectly included
“racism” (E52), “transport” (E50), and “literacy” (F49).
One barrier participants said is increasingly overlooked in
other organisations such as government, health, and banking,
is the “utilitarian one size fits all approach” (E50). Utilitarianism is problematic for superannuation organisations
attempting to ethically serve remote communities because
they are reliant on other institutions to complete elements of
their claim form. For example, a medical review is needed to
complete an early release claim form; however, if a remote
customer cannot access this service it may mean they do not
receive their funds before they die.
Another barrier story participants spoke of which is not
covered in the academic literature was non-conventional
forms of identification (ID). On remote visits, QSuper staff
assist anyone wanting to access their superannuation regardless of the financial organisation holding the funds. Participants assisting community members from other finance
organisations told stories of the other finance organisations
not being aware of, or adopting, new AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) legislation
on non-conventional forms of ID (AML/CTF Rules) which
meant vulnerable people could not access their funds (Austrac, 2020). Other organisations had inaccurately advised
Indigenous community members saying: “We can’t do that
because we’re breaking the law,” the participant added, “It’s
not breaking rules, we’ve got this ability to use flexibility
[AML/CTF Rules]” (E51).
Trust
Participants told stories of the importance of being continuously trustworthy with communities, “They will be watching
you as soon as you land” (E51) and then the need to follow
through on their word when working with Indigenous customers and associations. Melcer said: “One of the things that
we do that I’ve heard others don’t do is, we always follow
through.” The consequence of not following through Melcer
explained was “it breaks the trust of the community,” and
the organisation would not be welcomed again. One benefit
of being trustworthy with a community is they tell positive
stories about QSuper to other communities: “You could not
have paid for how well these people were promoting us [to
13
C. J. M. Burns et al.
another remote community] we didn’t have to say anything”
(E51). This action of follow through was not dissimilar to
the concept of governance which emerged strongly in the
analysis. Detailed processes, reminiscent of government processes, supported staff’s adherence to compliance. Directors
and middle managers spoke of products and processes which
were required to be trustworthy. Participants were aware of
the need to be a trusted person, “A fiduciary, acting in the
best interest for another person” (E37). Stories were plentiful
of supporting customers experiencing “financial hardship,”
(D28) and, or uniting people with their “deceased loved
one’s superannuation accounts” (E45). There was considerable pride and a sense of purpose in helping hardworking,
“loyal public servants” (F49) achieve their long-term financial goals. The next sub sections in the findings feature more
exerpts from participant’s stories.
Empathy
Vulnerable Customers are at the Heart of What we do
Throughout the data there was overarching corroboration
of “customers being at the heart of what we do” (D30); that
QSuper people were serving fellow Queenslanders—the
word Queensland being used 80 times by the 29 participants. This customer centric assumption incorporated vulnerable customers. Empathy for the customer was embedded throughout the organisation, its origin deriving from the
organisation’s government beginnings. Now, as a non-government business the empathic value is driven by directors
through role modelling, recruitment, and resource allocation.
Two questions asked throughout the organisation fostering ongoing empathy are: (a) “What is the right thing to
do by the customer?” (E48) and (b) “What if this was my
brother, mother, father, sister?” (E51). These questions have
deep moral implications which help guide individual staff
as well as teams and the broader organisation in day-to-day
EDM. Melcer spoke of how the questions helped her and
her team navigate change internally and externally, “The
number of times I hear me say ‘what’s the right thing to
do?’” Similarly, directors stated when making decisions on
policies, programmes, and products, they referred to: “What
is the right thing to do by the customer?” (D25). The CEO
stated that asking the question was the rationalisation for
“sponsoring DV [domestic violence] Connect, that has major
benefits for our police and ambulance customers” (D25).
Other participants referred to how the two questions provide
ethical guidance in their daily work because, “That’s in the
best interest of the customer—having the customer heart”
(E36). There was a concern for the long-term financial welfare of the customer, that today’s service will benefit people
in “10, 20, and 30 years’ time” (D28) as well as considering
13
how the decisions or advice will impact customers “kids and
grandkids” (F46).
All participants wanted to, and many felt, they “make a
difference” (E31) in their customer’s lives. There was also
a strong awareness they were “looking after other people’s
money” (E39); therefore, they needed to avoid unnecessary
spending on advertising, workplace facilities, technology,
and travel. The importance of recruiting customer centric,
trustworthy staff was mentioned by many participants, as
was extensive vetting in onboarding to ensure there was
a proper cultural fit. Reinforcing this “fit” (D28) was the
balanced scorecard remuneration (REM) approach which
incorporates living the organisational values.
Customer empathy was also expressed in the way participants explained superannuation is complex: “it’s not a topic
most people understand and there is no word for it in Indigenous language” (E51). Another expression of this empathy
was ensuring every customer, “even difficult customers are
listened to and respected” (F44). High levels of service were
expected whether the customer was a “judge, member of parliament, nurse, or police officer,” (E50), “retiree struggling
to pay the rent, or a widower of a deceased customer” (E46).
Empathy Differentiates QSuper
Most participants spoke of how QSuper was different from
the “big four” (E37) banks and other finance organisations.
QSuper’s empathy logically led participants to “keep customer fees low,” (D30) which in turn led to why their REM
assumptions differed from industry—for why REM bonuses
were a “lower reward” (E36) than others. Some advocated
for the complete elimination of bonuses, “I don’t see a lot
of other professions getting bonuses” (E34). Similarly participants spoke of the way QSuper views and reviews how
they can pay an insurance claim “even if it’s not better for
us [short-term] it’s better for the customer,” (E45) whereas
other organisations focus on avoiding claim payment: “working for one of the big four the bottom line was more important than the customer” (E45).
Customer empathy at QSuper was a lived reality compared to an individual revenue focused business model at
other finance organisations. F42 explained: “The conversations [in previous organisation] were around how much
money did you make this week? Never around how did
you help someone.” F42 went on to say “QSuper’s ethical
focus is what attracted me. I left working in a bank because
I wanted to be somewhere more aligned with my ethics.” In
addition to the formal vetting processes to facilitate recruiting candidates with empathetic values, there was informal
behaviour to protect the moral integrity of the organisation. Some participants told stories of protecting the culture
through actively discouraging unethically behaving former
colleagues from applying for a job at QSuper because they
Ethical Decision-Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case Study
were: “Too focused on themselves, on how much money
they make, not on the people on the street who are our customers. There’s lots of really hard-nosed people, not empathetic” (E38). E38 relayed a story of being disgusted a past
colleague did not face any disciplinary action for writing
“Mrs Smith agrees to $7000 in fees [where signature should
be],” in their previous workplace (E38). A number of participants said they did not want past colleagues who forge
customers’ signatures and engage in fee gouging to bring
such behaviour into QSuper.
Practical Action: Signs of Moral Capacity
Between 2014 and 2020, QSuper moved from one person
having moral awareness of the barriers Indigenous customers experience to decreasing barriers and proactively engaging with communities, in the process building internal moral
capacity in this area. Practically, one of the first behaviour
changes was a focus on five postcodes which have a high
Indigenous population: “We proactively reviewed customer
postcodes in Far North Queensland looking at unclaimed
money, lost accounts, and deceased accounts in those areas”
(E50) (QSuper, 2020). QSuper then contacted customers,
or loved ones of the deceased, to reunite them with their
superannuation, in time becoming more efficient with the
assistance of the Australian Tax Office (ATO). Knowledge
gained from providing better Indigenous services was shared
at Indigenous finance summits, as well as with regulators,
and when assisting other institutions to conduct remote
visits (Indigenous Superannuation Working Group, 2019).
Part of QSuper’s sharing at these forums involved emphasising the importance of consultation and collaboration with
Elders, Indigenous businesses and associations as well as
others involved in service access and delivery. One example
of a collaboration was the development of a Memorandum
of Understanding with Queensland’s Registry of Births,
Deaths, and Marriages to facilitate identification. Melcer
said: “People who have got issues with identification, have
issues with financial literacy, it stops our customers being
able to access their money.” QSuper also addressed vulnerable customer ID issues through its relationships with legislators and regulators, such as AUSTRAC and ASIC. Melcer
was part of a working group that facilitated a review of the
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing
Rules Instrument Act 2006, which now recognises non-conventional forms of ID for vulnerable community members
(AML/CTF Rules).
Learning—Decreasing Stigma
Indigenous participant F49, spoke of complexity in the call
centre and how deep listening is needed to avoid stereotyping
customers. There is a risk, F49 explained, of perceiving a
customer as unintelligent because English is not their first
language:
Don't assume that they’re dumb because they’re not.
They’re very intelligent people. If you go into a conversation with an Indigenous person, with respect of
their history, their culture, and who they are, you will
achieve a lot together. From my experience, you need
to spend time to understand the challenges faced in our
remote communities around accessing basic services,
such as a phone, the internet, it’s so different” (F49).
F49 shared that call centre people had benefitted from
Indigenous learnings, which provided insights into better
servicing Indigenous customers, as well as other vulnerable
customers, such as new migrants and victims of domestic
violence.
At the time of interviewing, an increasing number of
QSuper teams had started to acknowledge Traditional Custodians at the beginning of their meetings. In the insurance
area Indigenous learning has been incorporated into the
business coaches’ remit. Business coach F45 relayed a case
of an Indigenous customer accessing their superannuation
before they died and that without the improved tailored service, the customer would not have been have achieved this:
We changed our procedure for him [customer] because
he was financially illiterate, he could not fill in forms.
Our outreach person worked with the social worker to
interview the doctor so we could pay his claim. This is
what you need to be doing, not treat people as though
one size fits all. (F45).
A further element of this case involved prompting the
customer to identify a beneficiary of their finances, because
they were about to die without explicit instructions (a valid
will). Once the customer’s case was closed, the coach (F45)
and frontline staff managing the case shared with their
team how they addressed the initial problem and worked
to resolve the issues, as part of their approach to ongoing
learning.
Inclusive Practice
Range of Activities
A key element of how QSuper developed moral awareness
for ethically serving Indigenous customers was through
inclusive practice. This involved staff working side by side
with Indigenous people, rather than the top-down traditional
Western approach of we know what is best for you (Porsanger, 2004). Middle manager E52 spoke of the importance of actively seeking local Indigenous insight because
community differences can be substantial. Before a visit to
13
C. J. M. Burns et al.
Thursday Island, an Elder highlighted QSuper’s proposed
customer information packs had land-based artwork, which
could cause offence because “It doesn’t have any water references, which is Torres Strait” (E52). E52 described this as
“a good lesson of engaging appropriately before going into
a community.”
The commencement of QSuper’s moral awareness journey would not have started if Melcer had not been open to
engaging in inclusive practice on a remote community visit.
One of the norms of Melcer’s day-to-day work is consulting internally as well as externally. Evidence to corroborate
these norms included participants making comments such
as, “Lyn got on the Indigenous superannuation working
group” (E51), as well as articles in industry reports. Directors and staff now participate in inclusive practice which
takes a range of forms—many of these engagements are
detailed in the 101 activities document such as working
alongside Indigenous finance counsellors to serve customers
and develop culturally sensitive learning resources (QSuper,
2020).
Know Your Customer
One element of inclusive practice that differentiated QSuper from others within the industry was understanding the
importance of “knowing their customer,” which includes life
expectancy. In remote communities the average life expectancy can vary significantly from the Australian population
average of 81 years for men and 83 for women (Australian
Institute of Health & Welfare, 2021). The average life expectancy for Indigenous men in some remote locations, such as
Cape York, Queensland is 58 years which falls below the
standard superannuation industry release date of 60 years
(Barker, 2019). Melcer alluded to the lack of inclusive practice regarding age of access as amoral and a prohibitor to
Indigenous customers engaging in finance organisations saying: “They go ‘Look I really can’t be bothered with super
because I’m probably never going to get to retirement age
and I don’t understand it.’” The scenario of the dying customer detailed earlier is another example of the importance
of knowing your customer.
Remote Visits
QSuper’s visits to remote communities is not a functionalist,
discrete activity, rather, it involves extensive remote community consultation and the inclusion of organisations such as
the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, ATO, Centrelink, and Good Shepherd Micro Finance. The learning which
takes place on remote visits is highly impactful for driving
staff’s “focus and passion” (D29). Staff learn what roles people perform in the community, which assists them later with
problem solving on non-conventional identification. Barriers
13
remote customers face become very real to staff when they too
are faced with not being able to access their phone “up there
[remote community] Optus [telecommunications provider]
doesn’t work, you may be able to use one other telco but they
charge you for it, so that’s not fair” (E51). One director relaying
their remote visit said, “It certainly throws up the challenges
in how we service remote and disadvantaged work—there is
more to do” (D29). Part of the inclusive practice incorporates
reflective learning. Evidence of QSuper engaging in reflection came from stories as well as a document covering common questions and answers from remote visits—this working
document is also shared as a resource Indigenous financial
counsellors draw upon in their day-to-day work.
Synthesis of Findings
Figure 1 details a synthesis of the findings. That is, how the
large finance organisation shifted from minimal awareness to
moral awareness and eventually moral capacity. Three core
interacting factors help to inform and enhance the other:
empathy, inclusive practice, and storytelling. Initial moral
awareness occurred in a relatively short period of time with
the directors’ support: 6–12 months, when the three factors were enacted. For sustainable organisational change
enactment of the three factors needed a longer time frame
of 4–6 years to build moral capacity. The text box in the figure, emphasises this point: the three factors which brought
about moral awareness are also what brings about moral
capacity when they are sustained and embedded throughout
the organisation. For example, an inclusive practice experience such as listening to an Indigenous customer on a remote
visit and asking what the right thing to do is, then engaging
in one off storytelling will raise moral awareness initially.
However, it is the ongoing asking of what the right thing is
to do throughout the organisation, continually engaging with
Indigenous communities, and the normalising of storytelling
from all staff which builds moral capacity. Having the three
factors role modelled by directors facilitated the behavioural
engagement; that is, the tone from the top meant it was right
for staff to feel empathy for Indigenous customers and make
time to participate in activities where they will hear and tell
stories to ethically serve Indigenous customers. In this case
study moral capacity means EDM for Indigenous customers is not an activity policy makers engage in once a year,
rather, it is a day-to-day consideration for all people in the
organisation hierarchy.
Ethical Decision-Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case Study
Fig. 1 Enhancing moral capacity for Indigenous services in
large finance organisations
Minimum awareness
Empathy
6-12
months
Inclusive
pracce
Storytelling
Moral awareness (board engaged)
The progression from moral awareness to moral capacity
required the organisaon to go deeper into empathy,
inclusive pracce, and storytelling throughout the
organisation so ethical decision-making for Indigenous
services could become a day-to-day norm
4-6
years
Moral capacity
Implications
Practitioner Implications
Key implications for practitioners wanting to improve
EDM in Indigenous customer service are customer centricity, incorporating the vulnerable, empathy, and visits
to remote communities. These were approaches QSuper
took, which saw them move from minimal awareness
to moral awareness, and then moral capacity. Melcer
was keen to stress there were no cost or low costs to the
organisation for these changes: “We haven’t hired any
staff, this hasn’t cost us anything.” One example of the
no cost approach was embedding customer centric values
to ensure it included vulnerable customers. This financial
inclusion-customer centric value was actively embedded
by directors. There was an awareness one size does not
fit all, which extended to taking action (moral capacity),
ongoing learning and altering processes to serve different
customers (Schwartz, 2016). “We share stories”(Melcer);
was another no cost way QSuper sought to address barriers, facilitate truth telling, and solve problems.
Prior to 2014, recognition of vulnerable customers was
part of QSuper’s culture; however, it did not fully extend to
recognising the barriers Indigenous customers encounter.
Effective storytelling heightened moral awareness of Indigenous customers which fitted into the organisation’s existing values and knowing their customers. This awareness is
indispensable in some communities where life expectancy
is 58 years, and the standard preservation date for many
superannuation funds is 60 years (Barker, 2019). Organisations who do to not know their customers risk denying them
access to their funds whilst they are living.
Implicit in QSuper’s customer centric value is trust.
Several participants spoke of the importance of keeping their word: “Staff say they follow-up and they always
do”(D27)—we “follow our principles” (E39). If an organisation failed to keep their word it is unlikely they will be
trusted to come back to community, because the storytelling between communities would be negative. QSuper
staff’s empathetic ethic connection with Indigenous communities resulted in them being highly recommended to
other communities.
Proactively engaging with Indigenous customers in
remote areas provided learning, which cannot be taught
from reading a document in a city building; it also offered
scope for internal storytelling. Having internal creditable
technical staff leading the storytelling, rather than a sleek
PR campaign, was beneficial for engaging the emotion and
judgement of staff in a functionalist business area.
The ongoing empathic questioning of “What is the right
thing to do by the customer?” and “How would I feel if
this was my mother/family?” creates fertile soil for moral
awareness. Participants shared that the need for financial
inclusion involved ongoing learning to receive: “education
from Elders and the community” (E52) and other Indigenous associations. E52, who had worked on a number
of QSuper’s Indigenous initiatives, emphasised the need
for a long term approach explaining the development of
moral capacity was not achieved through a one-off training
activity, rather, a concerted integrated effort over multiple years. Storytelling, empathy, and remote visits will
assist financial practitioners wanting to make a lasting,
positive legacy in their organisation: “because nothing
replaces meeting and talking to people, visiting people
firsthand—it is so powerful” says Melcer. Initially making
a small step to create moral awareness, can lead to moral
13
C. J. M. Burns et al.
capacity in staff, connecting them with the organisation’s
ultimate telos, whilst simultaneously making a big change
in Indigenous customers accessing their finances. These
approaches could also be applied to other large organisations, such as telecommunications and energy providers to
improve their ethical delivery to Indigenous customers, as
well as other vulnerable groups.
Academic Implications
This study fills a gap in the literature previously unexplored:
storytelling within finance organisations to improve EDM in
Indigenous service. Within this case study, storytelling did
not sit in isolation, rather it was integrated with empathy and
inclusive financial practice. A key advantage of storytelling
is its engagement with the left hemisphere of the brain for
everyday language tasks, as well as the right hemisphere,
for comprehending complex tasks (Jung-Beeman, 2005).
Superannuation products are complex. Engaging in process
changes for a complex superannuation product requires
bringing together complex cognitive processes (neurological
microcircuitry) with the logical everyday language function
(emotional–imaginative) (Jung-Beeman, 2005). This is why
storytelling can assist learning in finance. Indeed storytelling played a critical role in shifting QSuper, and could move
other finance organisations, from low levels of awareness to
higher levels of moral awareness and then moral capacity
when serving Indigenous customers.
The integrated EDM approach posited here directs organisations to listen and engage with customers Indigenous
economic principles and morals, as well as longstanding
issues such as financial literacy, physical access to services,
and cultural recognition (Peterson & Taylor, 2003, p. 105).
Inclusive practice stands in stark contrast to a Westernised
decision-making approach where there is little scope for storytelling that may reveal lived experiences of organisations
preventing vulnerable customers accessing finance. What
differentiates this study from the abundance of case studies
on inclusive practice is the other literature is mostly situated
in a healthcare setting—there is minimal literature detailing
how empathy, inclusive practice, and storytelling is beneficial for EDM in finance (Allen et al., 2020).
The empathetic contribution: questioning the right
thing to do and alternating the word customer for mother,
challenges opportunistic finance actions, characteristic of
“organisations as being machines made up of parts and the
purpose of organisations as being solely profit-making activities” (Pavlovich & Krahnke, 2012, p. 136). Organisations
engaged in day-to-day empathic questioning cannot operate
in moral blindness when it comes to vulnerable Indigenous
customers, because they would soon hear Indigenous stories. As implied throughout the case study, the whole of the
organisation was engaged, so too the proposed contribution
13
posits moral awareness throughout the different parts of the
organisation needs to be interconnected so the entity as a
whole can connect to the community it serves. Empathy creates connection between the parts of an organisation and
the communities they serve, which contributes to a society
becoming united (Waddock, 2009).
The three integrated factors in this finance context are
posited as an academic contribution. Empathy initially drove
Melcer to engage in inclusive practice, that led to storytelling, which then led to moral awareness and eventually
moral capacity. Prior to 2014 QSuper’s functionalist industry
knowledge had not supplied the organisation with sufficient
impetus to engage in EDM in Indigenous customer service
at a deep level. It was not until staff started engaging in
inclusive practice, listening to people’s stories, that a more
comprehensive understanding of vulnerable customers’ reality occurred (O'Connor, 2009; Shahid et al., 2019). Whilst
this inclusive practice is new to finance, Indigenous communities have known the benefits of such learning practices
for millennia (O'Connor, 2009).
The Western positivist paradigm normalised in finance
where profit maximisation is the primary value was found
to be incompatible with EDM to serve Indigenous customers. QSuper differed from the norm through its embedded
vulnerable customer value which calls them to be trusted
stewards for people they esteem as family. This empathic
value serves as an organising mechanism to create a more
humanistic and caring work environment; it also has the
capacity to dissolve the Western power-distance between
self and others (Pavlovich & Krahnke, 2012). Participants
spoke of the significance of community visits: “The stories
we [QSuper] get from serving, the impact its having on our
staff who are coming back and telling those stories—its having an effect” (E52). This “effect” on EDM when integrated
with the day-to-day work be it investment, policy development, or call centre work appears to be creating a balance
between: “social good and self-interest, trust-based and legal
relationships, teamwork and individual achievement, risk
taking and caution, business and society, locally sensitive
and foreign” (Chen & Miller, 2010, p. 22).
In essence QSuper’s evolving EDM process involving
three factors is some of the “why” QSuper were recognised
as being different from other finance organisations in the
Commission. The normalised sharing of real world finance
stories of Indigenous customers combined with asking what
the right thing is to do (?) does not allow them to continue to
operate at the same standard as everyone else if the standard
is questionably unethical. The moral behaviour of QSuper
working in different departments, performing different roles,
has not come about by chance. Rather through an intentional
engagement with storytelling, empathy, and inclusive practice, to continually build moral capacity.
Ethical Decision-Making in Indigenous Financial Services: QSuper Case Study
Conclusion
The exploratory, interpretive analysis into QSuper’s EDM
when serving Indigenous customers posits integrating storytelling, empathy, and inclusive finance practice contributes
to increasing day-to-day EDM leading to increased moral
awareness and eventually moral capability. Whilst EDM in
finance has been explored before (Boatright, 2013; Prentice,
2007), it has not incorporated the role storytelling plays for
shifting an organisation from minimal awareness to moral
capacity when providing ethical services to Indigenous customers. It is acknowledged storytelling has been explored
as beneficial to improving ethics in industries such as education, healthcare, and the arts; however, it has not been
discussed in literature relating to financial EDM (Driscoll
& McKee, 2007; Rieger et al., 2018). Two questions which
tilled the soil of the case study’s culture to facilitate inclusive practice and normalise storytelling were: “What is the
right thing to do by the customer?” and “How would I feel
if this was my mother/family?” The Commission and other
investigations found financial organisations contribute to
Indigenous customers’ disadvantage through decision-making which fosters systematic, exploitative practices, and significant unintended consequences (Hayne, 2019a; Saunders
& Piper, 2011).
QSuper was recognised in the Commission as different:
their moral awareness was apparent from the six years of
inclusive practice which led to building moral capacity.
Through storytelling, a QSuper technical manager engaged
directors’ emotions and then others, to lead their organisation to judgement and action. Since 2014, directors have
delivered congruent messages, internally and externally, on
the need to increase Indigenous financial capability because
this aligns with their enacted (vulnerable) customer value.
This value has propelled QSuper to advocate for improved
regulations for identification and increased financial capacity
nationally. Internally QSuper adjusted its policies, products,
and services impacting Indigenous customers and other vulnerable groups.
Whilst QSuper engages with many Indigenous stakeholders, this study was limited to staff. One limitation of this
case was only two participants identified as Indigenous. It
is recommended that future studies incorporate a broader
scope to capture more Indigenous voices. A similar case
study to this one could also be carried out on another large
organisation in a different industry, such as telecommunications or energy, to identify corroborating or contradictory EDM themes and barriers. Another acknowledgement
is the design of the study follows Indigenous methodology
and is appreciative regarding EDM on Indigenous service.
This research does not assert all QSuper activity (now ART)
undergoes EDM. The reasoning behind the design was to
explore what works and to “do no harm” to the participating
organisation (Hugman et al., 2011, p. 1271). Few financial
organisations in the post-Commission climate are open to
such enquiry. QSuper’s opening to external consultation, an
action many organisations refer to in their corporate reports,
is not in reality frequently engaged in at a meaningful level.
This lack of integrity is a disservice to many of the 490,000
finance staff who seek to make a positive difference in their
customer’s life yet are denied the opportunity to ethically
serve through barriers which can be broken down through
moral awareness.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the reviewers
for their constructive comments which have significantly improved
the paper. Thank you also to Karl Morris, former chair of QSuper,
who gave permission for the study to be conducted. The researchers
wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which
practices are referred to in this paper, pay their respect to the Elders,
past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people.
Funding Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and
its Member Institutions. The funded was provided by Ecstra (Grant
no. 16625525162).
Declarations
Conflict of interest There is no conflict of interest. QSuper as an
organisation and as individuals gave their consent for this research.
Obtaining consent aligns with Griffith University’s Ethics approval
considerations (GU ref: 2019/1026), as well as Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (Australian Institute of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2012). Both guidelines
were incorporated into the research design. An AU$5,000 Ecstra and
Australasian Business Ethics Network grant facilitated the development of this research. No direct or indirect commercial benefits to the
researchers conducting this study occurred; however, in the spirit of
full disclosure, the lead researcher, Clare JM Burns, wishes to state
she was employed by the Queensland Government from 2012 to 2014,
where QSuper was the default super fund.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source,
provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes
were made. The images or other third party material in this article are
included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated
otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in
the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not
permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will
need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a
copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
13
C. J. M. Burns et al.
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