It is impossible not to be awed by the sense of duty of the Japanese workers who are fighting to secure and clear up the Fukushima nuclear power station after it was knocked out by a tsunami. Exposed to high levels of radiation, they expect to die, but still they work.

The numbers involved have varied: at one point, it was reported to be 300 – which immediately evoked the memory of the Three Hundred Spartans, a suicide battalion who marched against an unbeatable enemy fully aware that there was no hope of survival.

The workers have also evoked memories of an honourable tradition within Japan’s own culture – that of the Samurai, the warrior-servants for whom death was preferable to the disgrace of failing their lords.

Western managers look on with a little envy mixed with their admiration. Would Western workers behave as Samurai in a similar situation? Or would they be straight on the speed dial to their personal injury lawyers?

If, as we suspect, the latter is more likely, can anything be done to infuse our own employees with more of the Japanese work ethic? This is a question with which Western managers have long been obsessed. Some may remember that, from the 1960s until the end of the 1980s, there was a real vogue for all things Japanese in Western corporate circles.

Western executives bought katanas, took karate lessons, and read the likes of Miyamoto Musashi and Yamamoto Tsunetomo – usually missing their main points entirely – in the vain hope that all this would, somehow by osmosis, result in Japanese levels of productivity.

It never worked, and the fashion faded with the Japanese economy. The great secret of Japanese management is that it was always a product of a broader culture of mutual loyalty and obligation of employer and employee that extended beyond the workplace, and which did indeed go all the way back to the relationship between a Daimyo and his Samurai.

It is impossible to replicate that relationship without the associated broader culture, and the culture is itself the unique product of centuries of Japanese history. Indeed, many assumed it was dying out even in Japan – or at least they did until Fukushima.

You would imagine a survey of “ethical violations” in fictional portrayals of business on television would have a lot of raw material. From the evil deeds of JR Ewing in Dallas to the compulsive roguery of George Bluth in Arrested Development, scriptwriters find it annoyingly convenient to equate the businessman with the crook.

Yet an organisation going by the rather Orwellian name of Global Compliance has missed the point. It describes breaches of its own notions of “diversity”, “equal opportunity”, and “process and policy integrity” as ethical violations. Ironically, the show that offends most against these peculiarly leftist ideas of ethics, the brilliant 30 Rock, is fronted by two actors, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, with impeccable leftist credentials.

Global Compliance must be a joyless place to work. A dynamic organisation should encourage, within broad limits, the free expression of ideas. Workplace banter is a sign of organisational strength, even – no, especially – when it is challenging or passionate. It should be part of a broader corporate culture of flexibility and openness.

Such a culture is itself ethical. Yes, ethics matter – but real ethics, not the pseudo-ethics of a Global Compliance. At this time of New Year’s Resolutions, here are the principles that should be monitored: -

1.   Truth. The business world is an increasingly small place and reputation is easily lost. It may be possible to get away with lies for a little while, but not for long, and then a business career is finished for good. It is therefore good policy to be careful to speak only the truth, and certainly never be caught telling lies.

2.   Financial Probity. Again, it might be tempting to fiddle a little cash here and there, but a reputation for scrupulous honesty with money is far better for business in the longer term. You might listen politely to someone boasting of over-claiming on expenses, but you would make a mental note never to employ him.

3.   Loyalty. Go out of your way to look after your customers, your employees, and your suppliers, and they are more likely to go out of their way for you.

4.   Courtesy. This is not the same as the notion of “respect” being pushed by the likes of Global Compliance. Old fashioned good manners were designed to make people comfortable in social situations, but the “political correctness” of Global Compliance makes everyone uncomfortable. Lead by good example, not fear.