Chapter 18 • Ethical Decision Making
d. Would I want everyone to make the same decision and take the same action if faced with these same circumstances? e. How would I feel if I were on the other side of this decision? Step 6 Think creatively about alternatives. More alternatives can often be identified than just the choice between doing or not doing something. Try to be imaginative when considering options. For example, what could you do if a grateful client sends you an expensive fruit basket that you cannot ethically accept? To keep it would be wrong. But if you returned it, you may appear ungrateful and make the client feel foolish; you could even cause the fruit to spoil. So, another possibility might be giving the gift to a homeless shelter, then penning the client a thank-you note mentioning that you passed the fruit along to the more needy. You would not have violated your policy or set a bad example for your staff. Meanwhile, you also would have graciously informed the client about your policy and probably discouraged future gift giving. Step 7 Check your intuition. Quite apart from the rational decision-making process, you should also ask yourself, “How does this feel in my gut? Will I be proud of myself?” Step 8 Prepare to defend your action. Will you be able to explain adequately to others what you are about to do? Will they also likely feel it is ethical or moral? You may want to refer to the ethics check in Exhibit 18.2 when preparing this step. Principles for Ethical Decision Making After gathering as much information as possible about the situation through an ethical screening, the decision maker can apply a set of ethical standards to evaluate the options for managing an ethical dilemma. Some of the key principles to apply are:7 • • • • • •
Reliability: Keep promises, agreements, and other commitments. Transparency: Be honest. Act in a truthful and open manner. Dignity: Respect the dignity of all people. Fairness: Deal fairly with all parties. Respect the rights of others. Citizenship: Act as a responsible member of the community. Responsiveness: Be responsive to legitimate claims and concerns of others.
• Legality test: Will I be violating either civil law or company policy? • Fairness test: Is it fair to all concerned in the short term as well as the long term? Does it promote win–win relationships? • Visibility test: Would I feel good if my decision were published in the newspaper? Would I feel good if my family knew about it? Will it make me proud? • Generality test: If everyone in similar position took the same course of action, would I be comfortable with it? • Legacy test: With respect to my handling of this situation, is this how I want my leadership to be remembered? EXHIBIT 18.2 Tests for Ethical Actions. Source: Adapted from K. Blanchard and N. V. Peale, The Power of Ethical Management (New York: William Morrow, 1988), p. 27; R. J. Aldag and L. W Kuzuhara, Organizational Behavior: A Skills-Based Approach (Dubuque, IA: Kendal Hunt, 2009), p. 308.
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