Title: Ethical Dilemmas in Workplace
1 Ethical Dilemmas in Workplace
- Many large organizations set out their
purposes and values as a part of the job of
managing stakeholder relationships. Such
guidelines, or ethical codes, set out desirable
conduct and best practices, provide framework to
help employees resolve ethical dilemmas they may
encounter in their work.
2The individual at work
- We all have rights, duties, responsibilities,
powers, interests etc which accrue to us as
people within a society. - We do not lose these moral responsibilities as we
enter the work place instead we gain new ones
that are contingent to holding the post within
the organization. - These new powers, responsibilities, duties,
interests, concerns etc can be different from the
ones we had before, they may even be in conflict
with them - Many of the moral dilemmas faced at the workplace
are raised by issues that are not peculiar to
work but are to do with interpersonal
relationships with the people you are dealing
with.
3Power, Authority Trust
- We owe special degree of consideration who are
closest to us. What is laudable as a private
person becomes suspect once we are acting in
trust of a third party (organization). It is even
more suspect if what makes it possible for that
person to act in that way is that the power and
authority lent by the organization itself - Though it is clear in principle, drawing a line
between private and public is not easy.
4The Three Elements of Moral Courage
Principles
Courage that quality of mind which enables one
to encounter danger difficulties with
firmness or without fear or fainting of heart
Moral courage
Two types of courage Physical- Principle
related Moral- Principle driven
Endurance
Danger
Moral courage is the courage to be moral
whatever adheres to five core moral values of
honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness and
compassion
5Moral Courage in Practice
- Why should moral courage matter so much these
days? In part because we see so many examples of
its lack in corporate settings and legal
proceedings, in politics sports, entertainment
and in personal and social relationship. - But there is another deeper reason. The
proving of ones courage has long been a rite of
passage from youth to adulthood. With physical
courage less obviously in demand as we move onto
the 21st century, the young could begin testing
themselves against a courage that is moral rather
than physical. If the need for physical courage
is dwindling in everyday life, the opposite is
happening for moral courage and soon be an
indicator of MATURITY
6Cases
- A purchasing manager giving purchase orders to a
cousin (otherwise well qualified) who could be in
financial straits? - Show special consideration to friends and
relatives who apply for jobs within the
organization. Using your influence to get a
relative / friend a job though he is adequately
qualified. - Using organizations stationery or reprographic
facilities for work of a charitable organization
with which he / she is associated. - A financial journalist use the knowledge gained
from doing the job to tip off friends about risky
investments
7Resolving an Ethical Dilemma
- Generally there are three major approaches that
we use in handling ethical dilemmas. They are - Focusing on the practical consequences (results
oriented Utilitarian) of what we do --
Teleological ethics - Focusing on the fact that actions have intrinsic
moral value some actions are good (telling the
truth, honoring promises) while some are bad (
dishonesty, coercion). No matter how much good
comes out of lying, the action will never be
good. Deontological (action oriented
--Universalism) - Philosophical / Moral / Virtue ethics by
conducting through rational and secular outlook
that is grounded in the notions of human
happiness and well being
8Thinkers have debated the relative merit of these
approaches for centuries, but for getting help
with handling ethical dilemmas, think of them as
complementary strategies for analyzing and
resolving problems.It is however, assumed that
the relevant laws and regulations are duly
complied with.Three steps are involved1.
Analyze the consequences2. Analyze the
actions3. Make a decisionWhile the theories may
look conflicting at some stages, they actually
complement one another in practice. Each acts as
a check on the limitations of the other.
9Secrecy, Confidentiality and Loyalty
- The problem of protection of confidential
information and the circumstances under which it
is to be disclosed arises both in public and
private capacities. The duty to tell the truth
need to be qualified whether the person you are
telling the truth is entitled to know it. - Gossip has some value in organizational cohesion,
but those who engage in this, walk a thin line
between passing on what is justifiable in the
public domain (the weather, last nights episode
in the disco, new policy for space allocation),
or what one may know but not casually and
promiscuously disclose (Xs marital problem, Ys
alcoholism, Zs state of health)
10Contd
- It also matters how one came to be in possession
of such information. Many social positions and
occupations require one to be entrusted with
information which one may not deal with as if one
has learned it in a private capacity. - The confidentiality of medical report is near
absolute can be made available to other medical
person who may need this for further treatment or
to the court of law. - Contractual, professional and moral obligations
not to disclose specific information. Clearly,
the organizations have the right to protect the
information whose disclosure to the competitors
may threaten its prosperity or survival (client
list, industrial processes, management structures
things coming under Intellectual Property Right
IPR)
11The two scenarios 1
- Someone using skills and knowledge gained in one
employment to be used to get a new job (AIS
officers switching jobs during mid career, BBC /
National Geographic ? CNN trained technicians go
to a competitor). The law is very clear and
distinguishes between confidential information,
which is the property of the organization and can
not be passed on to the new employer and the
employees skills and knowledge which form a part
of the employees ability which he or she is
entitled to use for the furtherance of their
careers. - Case of Rati Kanta Basu taking employment with
STAR immediately after retirement from IAS (DG /
Doordarshan)
12Scenario 2 Whistle Blowing
- The law is very clear in this the duty to
respect confidentiality does not extend to cover
the breaches of law or other wrongful actions,
nor does it release an employee from a legal
obligation to disclose information to the
appropriate authority. - Though the law can protect the employee from
immediate dismissal for whistle blowing, it can
not protect him against loss of promotion, non
renewal of contract or other forms of
victimization. (A new law is in the offing for
the protection of such whistle blowers.)
13Resolving Dilemmas
- The ethical dilemmas at work place are supposed
to be product of the different roles that a
manager is expected play simultaneously. However,
should the ethical standards differ for the
different role play? Most argue that the ethical
standards should not be changed or ignored
because the context has changed - Managers sometimes, try to rationalize their
unethical behavior. In doing so they make a
reflection on their own character than that of
the organization - When the unemployment is high, people are more
willing to bend the rules to keep their jobs.
Social and organizational influences, therefore
have significant impact on the ethical behavior.
14Life Event Stress and Consequent Dilemmas
- Life events stress are concerned with
situational encounters and the importance that
the person attaches to that event. It refers to
our feelings that something of importance to us
is being jeopardized by the events in our daily
lives. - The most common events producing stress
are, pressure to work hard, major events,
vacation. Major stressors are deterioration of
health of a family member, relocation at work,
arguing with spouse etc. However, they are
Culture Specific
15Dilemmas of the college years
- Clustering of life changes
- Separation from parents
- Reintegration Developing new relationships
- Love and sex life
- Daily hassles
- Financial uncertainty
- Grade pressure
- Fear of failure / success
- Role difficulties (role overload, role conflict,
role strain, role ambiguity) - Life script, Identity formation and Career choice
- Anticipating post college challenges (selecting
and starting a career, adjusting to career
changes, striving for financial security,
preventing affluenza disease, living lightly on
earth, creating stable and satisfying family,
raising children, balancing work and family,
dealing with blended families, adjusting to new
work and community network, dealing with ethnic
and racial diversity, coping with high tech
demands, making time for exercises and relaxation
etc )
16Ethics, Economics and Law
- The ethics of hardball
- The cases of Toys R U and Child World
- Home Depot Good Ethics or Shrewd Business
- Business are economic organizations that
operate within the framework of law and are
critical to business decision making. But the
view that they are only relevant considerations
and that ethics does not apply is NOT TRUE. Even
hard fought games like football have a code of
sportsmanship in addition to the rule book. - A good test of moral point of view is whether
we would feel comfortable if our colleagues,
friends and family were to know about a decision
e have made.
17Advising Managers
- Why the normal value of private life tend
to break down or become ineffectual in business
context, Nash offers five reasons - The analytical framework the managers adopt
- The goals they set for themselves
- The organizational structure they belong to
- The language / methods they use to motivate
others - Their personal assumptions about the intrinsic
worth of other people - If ethical issues and concerns do not
figure in any of the areas, then it is UNLIKELY
that the organization will be fostering a climate
in which the ethical behavior becomes the norm.
18Dozen issues to encourage managers to be ethical
- Have you defined the problem accurately
- How would see this from the other side of the
fence - How did the situation occur in the first place
- To whom and to what you give your loyalty as a
person - What is your intention in making this decision
- Match your intention with the probable results
- Who is the decision going to injure
- Can you discuss the decision with the affected
party before you make the decision - Confident of the long term validity of the
decision - Can you share the decision with your loved ones
- What is the symbolic potential of your decision
of your action if understood and / or
misunderstood - Under what circumstances would you allow
exceptions to your stand
19Unethical behavior some safeguards
- Central Vigilance Commission
- Fear of punishment
- Ostracizing the corrupt
- Healthy activism against corruption
- Fighting organized crime
- Good laws and timely enforcement
- Protecting whistle blowers
- Active media
- Personal integrity
- Conscience of and equality before law
- Judicial activism
- Target unethical conduct at the top
- Reject unethical offers
-
20Indian Wisdom and the Workplace
- The Indian wisdom absorbs the supreme truth, the
essentials of infinitude and holiness of the
souls, the essential oneness and solidarity of
the universe as expressed in the Upanishads Aham
Brahamsmi. - Swami Vivekananda emphasized the idea of
education and all training programs should be
character building. Education is not the amount
of information overload that runs riot in the
brain, but should aspire to inculcate the habit
of analysis, action and moral response. Atmano
Mokshaya Jagat Hitaaya Cha Yagnayacharithartha
karma Parasparam Bhavayanthu
21Promoting Ethics at Workplace
- Managers in most organizations strive to
encourage ethical practices. The litmus test for
the ethical practices are - The golden rule act as the way you would expect
others to act towards you - The Utilitarian Principle act in a way that
yields greater good for the largest number of the
people - Situational but Natural action taken under
circumstances could be universal law or behavior - Professional Ethics peer reviewed by
professional - The TV test Can you share with a large audience
- The Legal Test Should be in conformity with the
laws - The four way test Is the decision truthful /
fair / beneficial to all concerned / generate
goodwill and foster friendship
22Examples of Ethical Dilemmas -1
- Your supervisor enters your office and asks you
for a check for Rs.2500.00 for expenses he tells
you he incurred entertaining a client last night.
He submits receipts from a restaurant and lounge.
At lunch, your supervisors girlfriend stops by
to pick him up for lunch and you overhear her
telling the receptionist what a great time she
had at dinner and dancing with your supervisor
the night before. - What do you do?
23Examples contd. - 2
- You have a student who is from a single parent
family. The student must work to attend college.
However, the job is interfering with the
students performance and several assignments
have not been turned in. You are determined that
a D is all that the student can make when a
counselor informs you that the student need a C
to qualify for an academic scholarship. - What do you do?
24References
- The Ethical Organization -- Alan Kitson and
Robert Campbell - Moral Courage R.M. Kidder
- Ethics Thomas White
- Business Ethics facing up the issues
- Edited by Chris Moon and Clive Bonny
- Why is Indian Business Interested in Ethics an
article by N.Vittal, CVC (The Economic Times,
19th Aug 1999) - An Ethical Organization The need of the day
Article by N.R. Narayanmaurthy, (The Financial
Express, Aug 10, 2002)