Ethical Decision-Making Process - Assignment Example

? Leadership and Organizational Behavior: Ethical Decision Making Process Leadership and Organizational Behavior: Ethical Decision Making Process The paper is aimed to present and to discuss one of the most important organizational processes which is the decision making process. The challenge in relation to the said issue is the common dilemma of arriving at ethical decisions. There are different factors that can affect the ethical decision making in an organization which includes the individual factors, organizational factors, the ethical issue intensity and the opportunity. Factors Affecting Ethical Decision Making Process In the decision making process of it is important to point out the importance of arriving at an ethical decision. Ethical decisions are gauged based on the evaluation of being right or wrong. There are no definite rules in arriving at such a decision but it is important to take note that all the groups pertinent to the decision should be considered in the process which includes the stakeholders, the people within the organization, the community, and other affected groups (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2009, p.122). Ethical-Issue Intensity Ethical-Issue Intensity can be defined as the level of importance of an ethical issue to the perspective of an individual, a work group, and/or an organization. This is important since the perspective of each level can vary on the basis of their needs during a specific point. This phase can be considered as the greatest challenge since conflicts among the individuals and work groups can be considered inevitable. In addition, in most cases the different groups within an organization contradict the views of the company as a whole. These conflicts are rooted from the differences in values, beliefs, needs, perceptions, the specific situation, and the personal pressures in the particular place and time where the decision is needed. Example of perspectives in the decision making process are that of the senior employees and the administrative department of an organization because they can be considered more influential than others, thus, they can affect the stand of the whole organization (p.122). Another point to considered in the ethical decision making process is the parallelism of the views of the individuals or work groups’ views. For example, a person’s perspective regarding an issue can be negative due to an experience of dealing with similar issue in the past with negative result. In addition, the individual members in an organization are commonly affected by different spheres of influence namely the workplace, family, religion, legal system, community, and profession (p.123). Moral intensity can also affect the ethical decision making process of an individual member or work group within an organization. It is the effect of social pressure and the different factors in the surroundings in the stance for a particular situation or issue (p.123). Individual Differences The individual factors can affect the ethical decision making process of within an organization. This can be attributed to the fact that every member of an organization has his/her own perspective regarding a particular issue. In cases wherein the stance of the organization is different from that of a person, a conflict within an individual can arise (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2009, p.122). Individual views regarding situation or issue can be considered as a gauge to determine the characteristic and integrity of the person or member of the organization. The main bases of the perspective of an individual include the welfare of family members, social groups, and religion. There are cases specifically for family owned companies wherein the views of the owners are the only factor that matters. In this situation, the welfare of the workers as well as the stake holders outside the company can be disregarded. Standard ethical decision making process dictates that the ethical and moral rules be followed and not the perspective of the influential group within the company (p.124). Aside from the innate characteristics and attitudes of the individual, the organizational culture also has a great impact on the capacity to achieve ethical decisions. If cheating, discrimination, nepotism and theft of the resources of the organization are included in the established norms and culture, the process of ethical decision making process can be questionable (p.124). In this note then, basic standards for ethical decision making process then should be based on extrinsic criteria. Aside from the individual’s characters and attitudes, there are other factors that can affect the capacity for ethical decision making namely ethical awareness, judgment, intent, and behavior. More evident factors include gender, education, work experience, nationality, age and locus of control (p.124). Evaluation of Organizational Ethics The ethical decision making process is dependent on the consensus, the leadership and the intentions of the whole group. In cases where wrong decisions were made, conflicts can arise specifically if the whole group had been divided in to different perspectives. Guilt is the common result of the deviation of an individual’s belief from that of the organization (p.130). To be able to feel better and improve the belief of a member of an organization, guilt can be resolved through different approaches. One is through financial reasons or the fact that one cannot afford to give up the position in the company. Another is the consensus or influence of the whole group to an individual through the mentality that if one can do it why not everybody. The third reason is giving up one’s belief to maintain a good relationship with company, regardless of the morality of the said decision. Another is the mentality that the end justifies the means. Lastly, the individuals view that anybody can do the job even if it’s wrong, thus, it is better that he performs it and be rewarded for it (p.130). These reasons individual members of the organization use to justify their actions can be considered as hindrances to the ethical decision making process. This can be attributed to the fact that when people arm themselves with such reasons to be able to settle guilt, they can consent to wrong and unethical decisions and live with the consequences. One of the ways to ensure and improve ethical decision making process of the company is through the improvement of the organizational culture. An ethical decision is well rooted on an ethical organization. Another is through the improvement of controllable factors such as the people within an organization and the process of decision making. Dynamic factors which are harder to predict and contain through should be studied, such as external or environmental factors (p.131). The leadership of an organization is also an important factor in the achievement of an ethical decision. If the leader is ethical, the whole organization can be influenced and affected into making ethical decisions. It is also important to consider that leadership style can also influence the achievement of ethical decisions. These are the important factors in the company’s achievement of ethical decision and establishment of ethical decision making process. It is important to consider that the said process is a complex interplay of the individual member’s perspectives, the collective perspective of the organization, and the needs and objectives of the situation that requires decision making. Case Studies There are different examples that can be presented in relation to ethical decision making process within an organization. One case is the occurrence of personal relationships in the workplace environment. Such cases although considered negative since it can hinder the performance of a person’s job can be considered inevitable due to the fact that close interaction can lead to intimate connections between two persons. There are different ethical repercussions in relation to personal relationships. One is the possible imparity due to the effect of personal relationships on the ethical decision making process. If an ordinary employee is having a relationship with a person who holds high position in the company, favors and benefits given can be questioned by other employees. This is where the consensual relationship agreement (CRA) comes in, that is as a solution to questions of people within an organization. When relationships in the workplace known through CRAs, ethical questions can be prevented (Merrill and Knox, 2010). Another view presented is that CRAs can also help in the prevention of sexual harassment cases in a limited aspect. When CRA is presented then sexual harassment is improbable. On a personal note, the limitation lies in the fact that it can protect the person being charged with a sexual harassment case as evidence that there is mutual consensus in the relationship (Chen and Sambur, 1999). Evidently personal relationships within an organization or a company can be considered as a challenge in the harmonious dynamics specifically in ethical decision making process, thus, it is often prohibited to prevent the evident complications that can affect the operation and performance of the company. Conclusion Through every step of the organization’s operation, ethical decision making is required. Every specific details and every major company action require the application of an effective decision making process. The paper explored the importance of stressing ethics in every decision made. By aiming for an ethical decision every time, the point of compromise among the different groups related to the organization can be achieved. This means that every decision made is for the welfare of the members of the organization, the organization as a whole, and the extrinsic group such as the immediate community and the society. References Chen, A.J. and Sambur, J.A. (1999). Are Consensual Relationship Agreements a Solution to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace? Hofsta Labor & Employment Law Journal, Fall: 165. Ferrell, O.C., Fraedrich, J. and Ferrell, L. (2009). Business Ethics: ethical Decision Making and Cases. Cengage Learning. Merrill, J. and Knox, D. (2010). Finding Love from 9 to 5: Trade Secrets of Office Romance. ABC-CLIO. Read More