Module 7 Ethical Questions
Reflection Blog: Ethical Questions
Prompt
In his article A New Model for Ethical Leadership (EBSCO/Hunt Library),
Max Bazerman stated that answering ethical questions should be guided by the goal of creating the most value for society. Considering this thought and article, think about creating the most value for society through your ethical decision-making.
Do you consider how to create the most value for society when making decisions in your organization or your personal life? How does that choice impact your decisions?
Ethical Questions
Prompt 1
The article by Bazerman (2020) is intriguing in that the highlights for a model of ethical leadership are maximizing value, overcoming barriers, creating value through trade-offs, using time to create value, integrating one's ethical self, and increasing one's impact as a leader. Specifically, Bazerman (2020) discusses that utilitarianism is often categorized under the umbrella of ethical behavior in that "ethical behavior is behavior that maximizes 'utility' in the world," or 'value,' where moral decisions focus less on self-interest and tribal behavior (i.e., nationalism) and more on the greater good for all. However, this type of thinking has its issues because the word 'value' is still subjective for every person. Moreover, it is very difficult to make this objective. For example, there is no perfect way to determine if one person or group should be catered to more than another given limited resources. Bazerman (2020) discusses that leader's must work to rely less on their pure intuition, instinct, and emotion (i.e., System 1 thinking) and more on deliberative, logical, conscious, and rational thinking (i.e., System 2 thinking) because this can lead "to more ethical behaviors." Additionally, Bazerman (2020) suggests that if people utilize a "veil of ignorance" when making ethical decisions, they will "create more value" because some biases and unfairness are eliminated from consideration. Furthermore, leaders who learn to leverage each individual's unique "comparative advantage" (i.e., "when they can perform a task at a lower opportunity cost than others can") can create more value when allocating limited resources like time (Bazerman, 2020). Ultimately, leaders are the cornerstone of their organizations and serve as role models for behavior. "People follow the behavior of others, particularly those in positions of power and prestige. Employees in organizations with ethical leaders can be expected to behave more ethically themselves" (Bazerman, 2020). Leaders should strive to be more deliberate and rational in ethical decision-making, which requires conscious engagement, operate behind a veil of ignorance, and act like everyone is watching even when no one is (i.e., integrity).
To assess one's own ethical behavior is a difficult task on its own, let alone considering how to create value and impact when making decisions. The first step is to understand what is ethical and moral within one's own value and belief system, and also what is ethical and moral universally. As previously stated, each person has their own values and beliefs that they stand by, so it is difficult to sway someone to think and operate differently. As a leader, one must strive to be open-minded to other opinions and be willing to change where necessary. Palazzo et al. (2012) discuss the concept of ethical blindness which is something that "results from a complex interplay between individual sensemaking activities and context factors." Their argument is there are many models that exist for ethical decision-making that "assume that people decide rationally and are in principle able to evaluate their decisions from a moral point of view," but their morals may be unethical to begin with (i.e., "people might behave unethically without being aware of it") (Palazzo et al., 2012). From a personal perspective, I can honestly say that exercises of ethical dilemmas and arguments that require individual critical thinking paired with collaborative discussion afterward is essential to developing a more worldly understanding of ethics and morals.
Personally, I mostly agree with Bazerman (2020) that my ethical decision-making is guided by creating the most value for society. But sometimes there are special cases that are not so clear cut. The majority of the time, I strive to take a long period of time to make decisions, especially big ones. This may be due to my analytical mindset, but I also understand my past, primarily my childhood, in which I acted according to my emotions and made bad decisions. As a leader, I have learned that I cannot please everyone in any decision I make, for the most part, but I have to make a decision that benefits the organization in the best way. Usually, this means that I make a decision for the greater good and avoid any semblance of selfish or favoritism behaviors. However, I have a tendency to withdraw into wanting to be selfish at times, such as when preserving my time, so much so that it causes negative impacts to the organization. At times in my personal life, I screened phone calls from friends and family to be selfish with my time, and that has caused some negative implications on my relationships. But it is hard to be selfless all the time; it is vital to strike a balance.
I can also say that I have not always made the best decisions. I remember as a young manager I was scolded for not accomplishing a task that was due. My supervisor gave me until noon the next day to get the task accomplished, but I acted emotionally and made my entire team stay late after work to get the task accomplished so it was not a worry for me the next day. I did not allow my team the opportunity to come in early or re-prioritize their tasks to get this job done. Many members on my time had children in daycare (which they made me aware) and had to spend extra money to have their kids in daycare longer or had to get a spouse, family, or friend to help. I was irresponsible and emotional in this situation and it cost me as I destroyed morale and relationships with my team. While this is a small example, decisions with trade-offs like these can become more significant as leader's rise up the leader in power and privilege.
I believe that I need to work toward using a veil of ignorance when making decisions which helps me be more objective and less emotional. Many problems can be solved with out-of-the-box thinking, and it is best to try to work toward creating the most value for all. In my example, I created value for myself because we completed the task and my supervisor would be happy, but detracted value from the members of my team. In my opinion, ethical decision-making and behavior requires understanding the values and beliefs of others and society as a whole. Leaders should not be tribal and selfish, but instead aim to be holistic in their understanding such that they are humane and rational in their decision-making. Ethical behavior requires looking at a situation from alternative perspectives because what is good for one organization or person may be devastating for another.
References:
Bazerman, M. H. (2020). A New Model for Ethical Leadership. Harvard Business Review, 98(5), 90–97. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=144910747&site=ehost-live
Palazzo, G., Krings, F., & Hoffrage, U. (2012). Ethical Blindness. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(3), 323-338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1130-4
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