unit 1 - moral decision making

Question 1

characteristics of individuals

Answer 1

cognitive biases
individual differences (personality etc.)

Question 2

process of individual ethical decision-making behavior (3)

Answer 2

ethical awareness
ethical judgement
ethical behavior

Question 3

characteristics of organizations

Answer 3

group and organizational pressures
organizational culture

Question 4

process of individual ethical decision-making behavior

Answer 4

Step 1. Recognize you are facing a moral issue (ethical awarenss)
Step 2. Enter decision making (Ethical judgment)
Step 3. Once decision is made you will engage in ethical behavior (ethical behavior)

Question 5

moral awareness: recognize moral issues when…

Answer 5

1. Peers consider it morally problematic
2. Moral language is used when problem is presented
3. Decision could cause serious harm

Question 6

ethical decision making - 8 steps

Answer 6

Step 1: Gather the facts

Step 2: Define the ethical issues

Step 3: Identify the affected parties

Step 4: Identify the consequences

Step 5: Identify the obligations

Step 6: Consider your character and integrity

Step 7: Think creatively about potential actions

Step 8: Check your gut

Question 7

ethical decision making - 8 steps (further explained)

Answer 7

FEPCO-CAG
Step 1: Gather the facts
Need information

Step 2: Define the ethical issues
Takes work
Balance the obvious and secondary issue
Characteristics of the situation

Step 3: Identify the affected parties
Some judgment rules go further with this (content or people
See who will be impact by your decision

Step 4: Identify the consequences
Look at the consequences of your decision

Step 5: Identify the obligations
Also if you made a promise not just how it would impact others

Step 6: Consider your character and integrity
Think about whether a person with good integrity would do the thing you’re about to do…

Step 7: Think creatively about potential actions
No obvious answer
Solve problem a little slower but looking at alternatives for your solution

Step 8: Check your gut
See if your intuition and see if you did x how you feel about it

Question 8

moral disagreement theory

Answer 8

“Moral disengagement theory (see Chapter 3) also supports the idea that if people can tell themselves that “everyone is doing it,” they are more likely to engage in unethical conduct.”

Question 9

illusion of morality

Answer 9

“One important symptom of groupthink is the group’s “illusion of morality,” the sense that the group simply wouldn’t do anything wrong. “

Question 10

ethical awareness (moral awareness)

Answer 10

With ethical awareness, a person recognizes that a situation or issue is one that raises ethical concerns and must be thought about in ethical terms

Question 11

neutral vs euphemistic language

Answer 11

neutral language can be used to make an unethical action seem less problematic

euphemistic language can easily keep individuals from thinking about the ethical implications of a decision or action

Question 12

group norrms

Answer 12

“Everyone’s doing it”
Made by the individual or the work group that you’re around

Rationalizing unethical behavior
Group is telling you their excuses for their behavior/justify

Pressure to go along
Kinda forcing/coercing you into doing something they know is shady but if you go along with it they will feel justified

Question 13

organizational effects/pressures

Answer 13

Rewards and punishments
- How is pay and bonus system set up
- You might do shady stuff for financial incentives
- If you behave in certain ways and get punished then you are more likely to behave unethically

Roles at work
- What is your job description
- Conflicting roles
- You might need to follow certain ethics but your boss wants you to act in a different way
- Roles may support your behavior in some cases

Diffusion of responsibility
- Cog in the machine so you feel like you have no impact on the bigger picture so if you’re asked to do something unethical you may feel like you should because there is little to no consequences presented

These can encourage OR discourage you from ethical behavior

Question 14

organizational culture - FORMAL SYSTEMS

Answer 14

Selection/training
- During the hiring process: did they ask ethically related questions? See how flexible you were?
- Training: how organization shapes you

Performance management
- Actual raises and promotions and systems for financial incentives and salaries
- How often are performance evaluation how thorough

Authority structure
- Whether ethical leaders are in place of formal organizations
- Are leaders doing the right thing? Are they ethical managers and training subordinates to be ethical?

Question 15

organizational culture - INFORMAL SYSTEMS

Answer 15

Role models/heroes
- Who are the people that everyone looks up to? why?

Norms and rituals
- Takes work
- Cultural norms and parties/ceremonies for initiatives to maintain culture

Myths and stories
- What do people say about others in the organization in the past?

Question 16

cognitive biases

Answer 16

Cognitive biases: How people think that can reduce appropriateness and validity of decisions they make

Question 17

cognitive biases - fact gathering

Answer 17

Fact gathering
- Overconfidence about your knowledge of the facts
- Think that they got all they need

Falling into confirmation trap
- Once you gather information you might confirm for yourself that that’s the right stuff. Only using parts of data to confirm your beliefs

So… (solution)
- Think about ways that you could be wrong
- What may have I done (bias)?
- What did I miss?

Question 18

cognitive biases - looking at consequences

Answer 18

Looking at consequences
- Reduced number of consequences
- Brainstorm all possible consequences … you should broaden them

Consequences for self vs. others
- Biased towards our own consequences (how this impacts me)
- Also realize how your actions harm others

Consequences as risk
- Illusion of optimism and illusion of control
- People think they have things under control
- Humans have an optimistic streak (thinking they did the right thing) - this is a BIAS because you should consider how likely things won’t go well

escalation of commitment
- Haunted people in business
- You made a decision and no one will dissuade you from this decision. People cannot stop you from your decision. You are committed to your decision and won’t let it go.

So… (solution)
- Invite input, especially from those who disagree with you
- Talk to others about your decision
- Bring people who disagree with you
- You don’t want yes-men

Question 19

escalation of commitment

Answer 19

Haunted people in business
You made a decision and no one will dissuade you from this decision. People cannot stop you from your decision. You are committed to your decision and won’t let it go.

Question 20

cognitive biases - illusion of superiority and ethics of your profession

Answer 20

Illusion of superiority
- Everyone thinks that they are above average
- Must keep in mind that you might not have more integrity than others but you should make yourself stronger
- Don’t assume your actions are right just because you think you have integrity

Ethics of your profession
- Professional codes and ethics - accounting, legal etc. that might match your own morals
- You have to decide between codes vs. what you think about yourself
- Gives you an excuse to do something because of codes
- Code says this but i feel like i shouldn’t do that

So…
Find a middle-ground
Cognitive biases solution: Be aware of biases and make a back-up position

Question 21

kohlberg’s moral reasoning theory

Answer 21

Kohlberg’s moral reasoning theory is a cognitive developmental theory that focuses primarily on how people think about and decide what course of action is ethically right

Kohlberg’s cognitive moral development theory proposes that moral reasoning develops sequentially through three broad levels, each composed of two stages. As individuals move forward through the sequence of stages, they are cognitively capable of comprehending all reasoning at stages below their own, but they cannot comprehend reasoning more than one stage above their own.

This kind of development can occur through training, but it generally occurs through interaction with peers and life situations that challenge the individual’s current way of thinking

Question 22

Kohlberg’s cognitive moral development theory (stages): Level 1 (name)

Answer 22

Level 1: Preconventional
“A level I individual (labeled the preconventional level and including stages 1 and 2) is very self‐centered and views ethical rules as imposed from outside the self. Unfortunately, a small percentage of adults never advance beyond this stage, and managers must be ready for that possibility.”

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation
“Stage 1 individuals are limited to thinking about obedience to authority for its own sake. Avoiding punishment by authority figures is the key consideration.”

Question 23

Kohlberg’s cognitive moral development theory (stages): Level 2 (name)

Answer 23

Level 2: Conventional
“At level II (labeled the conventional level and including stages 3 and 4), the individual is still externally focused on others but is less self‐centered and has internalized the shared moral norms of society or some segment like a family or work group. “

Stage 3: Interpersonal Accord, Conformity, Mutual Expectations
“At stage 3, what’s right is thought to be that which pleases or helps others or is approved by those close to you. Interpersonal trust and social approval are important”

Stage 4: Social Accord and System Maintenance
“At stage 4, the perspective broadens to consider society. The individual is concerned about fulfilling agreed upon duties and following rules or laws that are designed to promote the common good.”

Question 24

Kohlberg’s cognitive moral development theory (stages): Level 3 (name)

Answer 24

Level 3: Postconventional or Principled
“A level III (postconventional, sometimes called principled reasoning—stages 5 and 6) principled individual has developed beyond identification with others’ expectations, rules, and laws to make decisions more autonomously.”

Stage 5: Social contract and individual rights
“At stage 5, the emphasis is still on rules and laws because these represent the recognized social contract, but stage 5 thinkers are willing to question the law and to consider changing the law for socially useful purposes. A stage 5 individual would take into account moral laws above society’s laws, such as considering what decision would create the greatest societal good. “

Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles
“Following ethical principles of justice and rights. Acting in accord with principles when laws violate principles.”

Question 25

locus of control employee example

Answer 25

An employee with an internal locus of control who has a controlling boss will be uncomfortable with the boss’s request to do something inappropriate. So, due to that high internal locus of control, this employee will be more likely to resist the boss’s influence and more likely to look for an opportunity to leave and find a more compatible boss and work situation. An employee with an external locus of control is more likely to see his or her fate in the boss’s hands and simply do what the boss asks.

Question 26

honesty-humility

Answer 26

Honesty-humility has been defined in general terms as “the tendency to be fair and genuine in dealing with others, in the sense of cooperating with others even when one might exploit them without suffering retaliation.

Those high in honest- humility (individuals who are sincere, modest, and fair) are significantly less likely to engage in these counterproductive or unethical work behaviors.

Question 27

Level of moral development - Kohlberg’s model of moral development (LECTURE): Level 1: Rewards/punishments, exchanges

Answer 27

Very young - Toddler

ST 1: Focused on rewards and punishments
Actions based on these

ST 2: Focused on exchanges
Deal making with sharing with others

Question 28

Level of moral development - Kohlberg’s model of moral development (LECTURE): Level 2: Shared norms, societal obligations

Answer 28

ST 1: Shared norms -
- In family we believe in _ (shared norms of family or community) and you recognize your place in that group and that to be valued you must act in that way (shared norm)

ST 2: Societal obligations
- This is how society works so I have to act in certain ways to make sure society runs
- System and flow of society and you are part of that
- Your decisions impact the flow

Question 29

Level of moral development - Kohlberg’s model of moral development (LECTURE): Level 3: Principled, autonomous

Answer 29

Become principled person
You focus on your own principles (not just others) so you value your virtues and what you think is right

TOP LEVEL - theoretically: Becoming fully autonomous
No one really got to this it seems
Justice theory: idea you become an autonomous moral being and do not worry about other people

Question 30

Level of moral development - Kohlberg’s model of moral development (LECTURE): moral adulthood

Answer 30

Moral adulthood
Surveyed many people about what they would do in different moral situations
From a very young age they are morally immature but as they age they go through stages that eventually stopped (matured)

Question 31

locus of control

Answer 31

Locus of control
Personality variable that impacts decision making
People are either internal OR external

Internal locus of control:
Take responsibility for your actions
Recognize that the consequences of your actions are caused by you
Found that people like this are actually more likely be behaving ethically

External locus of control:
Would think “Oh well I couldn’t help it… they made me do that.. They did this.. It’s not my fault.. etc.”

Question 32

ego strength

Answer 32

Linda Trevenos
Ego strength - someone who has a healthy ego is more likely to actually behave ethically after making an ethical judgment than a weak ego
Someone who is confident
Trusts their own opinions
Act according to their own judgment than someone with a weak ego
Not as focused on external world

Question 33

These three characteristics show whether you will be successful in achieving ethical behavior

Answer 33

ego strength, locus of control & kohlberg’s model of moral development

Question 34

desired moral approbation

Answer 34

Desired Moral Approbation
“Desire for moral approval from oneself or others”
Humans desire approval especially for morals
Process people go through from possible decisions to actions when other people can approve or disapprove

Study discovered three types of DMA
DMA from others–Praise
You wanted to be praised by others

DMA from others-Blame
You may be sensitive to blame or critique
Wary of blame not really pursuing praise

DMA from the self
Human beings need approval from themselves - feel good as person
How would I feel about myself if I did that?