The Integrity Minutes: How Lockheed Martin Turns Ethics Into Everyday Action

Why a Minute Matters 

When Lockheed Martin marked the 30‑year anniversary of its Ethics & Business Conduct (E&BC) program in 2025, the message was unmistakable: ethics is no longer a checklist, it’s the truth that guides every decision, from a next‑generation fighter jet to a supplier contract. At the heart of that cultural evolution is the Integrity Minute —a three-part series of scenario‑driven videos that make abstract corporate values relatable and relevant whether on the shop floor, in a meeting room, or even at the cafeteria.

What an Integrity Minute Looks Like 

Length: Just over 60 seconds for each segment (released over consecutive weeks)—short enough to watch on a coffee break.

Story:  Real‑world ethical dilemma(s) addressed by the E&BC team (e.g., a “small‑site” culture allowing toxic behaviors to fester; an employee’s foreign object debris (FOD) oversight; or the employee who tells inappropriate jokes, manipulates travel time to earn points, and pilfers snacks without paying.  (The latter became one of  our more recent Integrity Minutes.)

Production:  Authentic scenarios are achieved by partnering with an experienced external producer who films at a Lockheed Martin facility using professional actors.  This ensures each vignette has a cinematic feel.

Purpose:  Our values—Do What’s Right, Respect Others, Perform With Excellence—become tangible moments that resonate with employees and spark water‑cooler conversations.  The Integrity Minutes reinforce the message that employees who observe misconduct have a duty to speak up and take action using our “Voicing our Values” techniques.  (This could be the topic of another article!)  The Ethics Office is a phone call away.

From Idea to Screen: The Production Pipeline 

1. Scenario Identification – Ethics officers review contacts, employee feedback, and audit findings for dilemmas that may be trending and which resonate in the workplace.
2. Script Development – Full‑time Ethics professionals draft a script framing the ethical tension, embedding the relevant LM core values, and asking the viewer, “What would YOU do?”
3. External Production – An external production house produces the story, using professional actors and realistic settings, often at a Lockheed Martin facility. The Ethics team reviews the draft footage for accuracy and alignment with values.

This process guarantees every minute is both relevant (actual events) and compelling (cinematic production). 

Rolling It Out: Frequency & Channels 

Three new Integrity Minutes are released each year.  Each IM has three episodes, released over a three week time frame.

Emails are sent to employees worldwide as each episode is released. Many employees watch the videos as they are released with eager anticipation of the next installment. Others prefer to wait until the third week and binge watch.

The videos are posted on an Ethics portal that allows auto‑play and provides a discussion forum.  (Robust discussion that we see means people are watching and we are raising awareness!)

Although viewing is voluntary, the Integrity Minutes consistently ranks among the most‑watched internal communications.  The Integrity Minutes’ brevity, relevance, and measured humor drive repeat viewership. 

Why you Should Consider your own version of an Integrity Minute 

1. Scalable & Low‑Cost – A three-to-five minute video can reach tens of thousands of employees worldwide, delivering consistent messaging in a budget-friendly way.
2. Behavioral Reinforcement – Short, scenario‑based content taps into the brain’s pattern‑recognition circuitry, transforming ethics from theory into instinctive behavior.
3. Metrics‑Driven – Success is measurable through view rates, survey results, and discussion feedback. At Lockheed Martin all three of these measures have indicated real impact.
4. Cultural Alignment – The Integrity Minutes embed our core values and drive our cultural behavior imperatives—Collaborate to Win, Accelerate Change, Hear and Be Heard—into everyday moments.

Closing Thought 

From a modest compliance checklist program in 1995 to today’s vibrant, values‑driven and award-winning ethics program, the Integrity Minute series today, produced by Lockheed Martin’s Ethics & Business Conduct organization shows how focused, well‑produced storytelling can make ethics an integral part of the employee experience. The cadence, professional production, and measurable results have transformed a simple video into a powerful cultural driver—one that other organizations can adopt in order to embed integrity at the heart of their own operations.[1] 

For a deeper dive, a sample Integrity Minute, or to discuss how your organization might launch a similar program, feel free to reach out.

[1] While the Integrity Minute should be professional in quality, this tool can fit any budget using available resources.  Smart phone videos and editing tools available online can meet this standard.  As with any communications vehicle, however, it is important to test it out first to ensure the quality and impact meet your objectives.