Management Ethics Flashcards
Discuss the importance of communication in avoiding ethical problems with an appropriate example.
Ethics, respect for people and communication are all linked. An ethical approach requires one to think of the employee not just as someone who works for the company but as a human being with equal needs for respect. This means that one must communicate with other people in the organisation on a two-way basis. That is, despite the organisation having a hierarchy there is a willingness to listen and respond to information and views of those lower in the hierarchy.
Communication is much more than the physical transmission of information. Its starts with the will to communicate. To be successful both the transmitter and the receiver must believe in the need for communication. If the transmitter of information does not believe that the information will be acted upon or that it is not wanted, it will not be passed on - the motivation to communicate will not exist. If the receiver of the information believes that he or she already has all the answers to a particular problem, the information will not be truly received. Also, there will be no motivation to seek information if there is no understanding of the requirement for information.
In some cases it is clear that there appears to be no attempt by executives to understand the practices in the organisation. If attempts are made to communicate they are ignored and certainly no active challenging comes from upper echelons of the company. There is no indication of any common purpose.
By taking a more positive stance the management could reassure their staff, government and the wider public that they care about issues. A view that ‘if I did not know then it is my fault for not finding out’ would be more palatable for all concerned, and may ameliorate damage done by actions in the first place. It would also demonstrate responsibility and a degree of respect for their employees as such actions are not divisible from the environment which makes them possible - and the environment is the responsibility of management.
