CHAPTER 12: Ethics Flashcards
Ethics
Code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviors of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong
3 Ethical Principles/Decision Criteria
Utilitarian
Rights
Justice
Utilitarian Principle
- Behavior is ethical if it delivers the greatest good to the greatest number of people
- Focuses on outcomes; ends justify the means
- NOTE: Requires proper assessment of the stakeholders of a decision
Rights Principle
- Behavior is ethical if it respects the fundamental rights shared by all human beings
- Charter of Rights and Freedoms, free speech, due process, privacy, life and safety, etc.
Justice Principle
- Behavior is ethical if it is fair and impartial in its treatment of people
- Impose and enforce rules fairly
- Can be informed by Equity Theory
- Question to ask: “Is a group being systematically disadvantaged?”
- Does the group receive fewer outcomes?
- Does the group have the same opportunity to provide inputs?
Ethical decision steps (using the 3 decision criteria):
- Perform an initial ethical assessment of a decision
- Is an ethical concern identified?
- If so, then search for an alternative decision/solution
- Chosen alternative would ideally pass all three ethical criteria
- In rare cases this might not be possible, so there may be a need to make an informed judgment between alternatives (e.g., based on comparison of ethical implications)
Advantages and Disadvantages - Utilitarian Principle
- Promotes efficiency, productivity
- Ignores rights of some individuals
- Difficult to apply to values that cannot be easily quantified (e.g., health, life, employment)
Advantages and Disadvantages - Rights Principle
- Protects individuals from injury consistent with freedom and privacy
- Creates overly legalistic environment
- Hinders productivity and efficiency
Advantages and Disadvantages - Justice Principle
- Protects interests of under-represented and less powerful
- Encourages sense of entitlement
- Difficult to agree on the definition of “fairness”
- Reduces risk-taking, innovation and productivity
Common ethical themes across professions
Honest communication
Fair treatment
Special consideration
Fair competition
Responsibility to the organization
Corporate social
Respect for law
Causes of Unethical Behaviour
Bounded ethicality – When people unknowingly violate their ethical standards.
People fail to recognize conflicts of interest or favoritism (e.g., hiring biases).
Ethical lapses often start small and escalate (“slippery slope”).
Factors influencing ethical decision-making
o People tend to be more ethical in the morning (“morning morality effect”).
o Psychological exhaustion increases unethical choices.
o Workplace reminders (e.g., family photos) can improve ethical behavior.
Personality causes for unethical behaviour
Need for power, Machiavellianism (part of the dark triad of personality), Risk taking, Moral identity
Situtational causes for unethical behaviour
- Gain (e.g., anticipation of reward or lack of punishment)
- Role conflict
- Competition/Scarce Resources (e.g. price fixing)
- Pressures to conform
- Social modeling
- Anonymity/Lack of accountability
- Organization/Industry Culture
- Extreme performance pressure
- Bottom line mentality (focusing solely on financial indicators) can lead to ethical shortcuts and abusive supervision.
Whistle-blowing
- Whistle-blowing involves reporting unethical practices within an organization.
- Whistle-blowers often face retaliation, making external watchdogs crucial.
- Most organizations lack clear channels for whistle-blowers, relying on vague open-door policies
Strategies to Make Better Ethical Decisions
- Identify the impact on people
- Stakeholders
- What is the potential for harm?
- Costs and benefits
- Organizational systems
- How does the organization usually do business?
- What policies/procedures help? Norms, laws, ethical codes, etc.
- Choices
- What other alternatives are available?
- What are the risks of behaving ethically (or unethically)?
Signaling Theory
- Applies when there is information asymmetry between sender and receiver
- High cost (honest) signals communicate fitness (and survivability)
- Ethical initiatives signal the fitness of the organization
- Actions signal the ethical nature of the leaders and the business
Ethical Leadership
demonstrating normatively appropriate behaviors through actions and relationships.
* Positively related to: Subordinate ethical behavior, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational voice (i.e., suggestions for positive change), trust in leader, job performance
* Negatively related to: Subordinate work stress, deviance, turnover
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
management’s obligation to make choices and take action so that the org contributes to the welfare and interest of all organizational stakeholders
Sources of Ethical Values in Organizations
- Personal Ethics
- Role of leaders (Role model, “Linking-pin”)
- Organizational Culture
- Organizational Systems
- External Stakeholders
Formal Structure and Systems
Assigning ethics committee or ethics officer
Disclosure Mechanisms: Visibly reward ethical acts and punish unethical ones
Code of Ethics: Used by an increasing number of organizations
Training programs
