How Personal Can Ethics Get - Assignment Example

? HOW PERSONAL CAN ETHICS GET? Edwin Lakie Leadership and Organizational Behavior Business 520 August 1. Discuss how personal differences and preference can impact organizational ethics. The person in an organization is an embodiment of dreams, aspirations, personal goals, motivations and of hierarchy of needs. Social psychologist like Maslow viewed an employee as driven to work to meet one’s basic needs such as food, clothing, home and other essential personal necessities such healthcare and to defray expenses for services. Anent to these are their desire for fair working conditions, just compensation, professional development to boost competence, enjoy promotion, and cultivation of personal integrity (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). As such, national labor policies are often translated in corporate policies that regulate human capital with sensitivity to these personal and professional goals of each worker. Business managers must make it as a corporate policy to uphold diversity to recognize the different capacities, competences and skills of these employees. Through that, management can systematize performance to attune these all to corporate goals and objectives. If all workers are nurtured by management to be goal-oriented and to be proficient in their tasks, albeit personal and motivational differences, it is perceived that the corporation would likely earn high achievement level (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). This is possible if the company was able to harness the participation of the employees in decision-making and in sharing them incentives as reward for great performance. It’s also helpful for the company if its sensitive to business ethics. This calls for management leadership that can help provide direction to workers on what is relevant; regulate to boost their efforts and motivation; offering reward to the nature of persistence illustrated by employees; and ability to formulate strategic business plans that is contributory to the goals of the company. AllState Insurance Company, for instance, demonstrated their competence to understand and maximize diversity as how they made it as a policy to maximize it for corporate competitiveness (p. 215). This strategy is helpful for organizational internal development and for external relations with its diverse customers. AllState Company with 36,000 employees, have undertaken the following steps to cultivate competitive advantage using diversity: a. Succession Programming – the company accommodated employees with diverse motivation for professional development and enthusiasm for opportunities. As such, they employed women employees and those which came from other nations, including those who came from ethic communities but with high educational attainment. b. Development—All employees of AllState underwent career development training o improve their skills and competence. They can opt for more education or through mentoring, coaching or training (p. 215). c. Measurement- The company also enforce Diversity Index assessment which contain quarterly Leadership Measurement System (QLMS) to ascertain their quality service to their diverse customers; to determine their ethical behaviors at work albeit diverse personalities; and about how they gravitate in the workplace with mutual trust among co-employees and managers (p. 216); d. Accountability and Reward—AllState used the Diversity Index as one of the bases to determine compensation to encourage employees to maintain commitment and their responsibilities to contribute to corporate goals (p. 216). It also affords benefits to proficient workers and incentives through free services (p. 216). 2. Discuss how organizational policies and procedures can impact organizational ethics. Organizational policies and procedures are essential in the upholding and promotion of organizational ethics of a corporation. Policies are internal regulations made by the company in consonance to corporate codes and labor laws that are imperative in strategically directing the goals and performance of a company (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). Policies may refer to the hours of work, salary scheme, expected behaviors of the workers, responsibilities and commitments. For company’s stockholder, this may also refer to regulations in the dispensation of capital, maximization of profit and provision of rewards and benefits to proficient workers. Procedures relate to systems on how business is being carried about. This is maybe part of the policy. It relates to methods and systems how a relation within the workplace is managed using policies as guidelines. Procedures are built to improve employees’ efficiency and effectiveness in their performances to achieve goals (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). Thus, it is vital that objectives and goals are shared to employees with clarity, with specifics on desired outcome in all employees, teams and sections or departments. As a mechanism to improve performance and satisfaction in jobs, managers must aid them on how to simplify tasks and coordinate efforts or strategies in order for them to sustain commitment for job satisfaction (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010). 3. Discuss the ethical dilemmas that Valerie is facing. Valerie Young is an immigrant worker in America with temporary work visa. In the course of her work, she uncovered an issue where her manager violated a company policy by illegally sourcing monies or corrupting monies using his private company, apparently taking advantage of his position. Her dilemma is either to report or not to report the case as she is also considering possible retaliatory action from this manager that might caused her eventual deportation to her country or the loss of her job. The case however was shared to her boyfriend who advised her to keep the issue unknown. Valerie however thought that she can keep the issue to herself for self-interest; or may relate the case when she’s able to finish her studies and get done with such job; or to bare the whole case to save other sections of the company from the manager’s indiscretion. Mitchell (2010) opined that the dilemma cost Valerie issues about role ambiguity on the responsibility to report the case; confusion about how this would impact to her career development; worries that baring it may negatively impact to her professional growth. Valerie’s case is commonly shared by employees whose managers lacked business ethics and sensitivity on corporate goals. 4. Recommend what Valerie should do. Provide a detailed explanation. Based on the facts shared, Valerie should consider the following foundations of company: (a) corporate objectives and (b) employees’ goals. As an employee, Valerie is bound by policies which bind her to the company. Such meant that her behaviors, action and thoughts must all be contributory to the overarching goal of the company to ascertain sustainability of its operation. She is responsible to perform her tasks expected of her by the company. On the other hand, she expected to be salaried, awarded, harnessed for better competence and be cared by the company and its management. Her subsequent discovery of the fraud done by the manager will have its eventual impact to company’s operation and sustainability; to employees who relied on vibrant company’s income for salary; and to the company itself. Thus, addressing the issue is an urgent and an imperative concern because if manager is continually doing this continually with impunity, it will not only cause its eventual death or closure and joblessness. Corruption is an issue that is plaguing in all system. Empirical experiences proved that this has been among the many causes of companies’ closure. Is Valerie with the moral ascendancy to correct this practice? Yes, she has. But correcting this issue can be done implicitly and with prudence. Without being confrontational on the issue and without illustrating brazen arrogance, Valerie can dialogue or talk with the manager personally about the discovery of such practice, maybe in a zestful cool manner. It is imperative to remind the manager that kickbacks can negatively impact to business operations, salary schedules of employees, mismanagement of capital and cash flows and will eventually result to business’ death. While the manager is certainly expected imbued with these knowledge, however his incapacity to put theory into practice, calls propriety of action. The discourse can be done peacefully, in a friendly tone and with hope that understanding of the context and impacts of such improper acts can be positively dealt with. In case, Valerie lacked the courage to personally talk with the manager, she can opt to discuss the issue during consultative meeting or during evaluation period. Without necessarily mentioning the name of the manager as culprit, she can expound the ethical and economic impact of corruption to the sustainability of the company. By doing so, she is able to communicate that managing business meant financial management too, in as much as such capital is the lifeblood of the company. Hence, she’d be able to assert that honest and transparent of cash flows is relevant to maintain company’s competence and leverage in the market. This can move the manager to keep tract with the interrelation of business goals and ethics. Business ethics call for leadership that can walk-the-talk. The company truly needed to replace its manager to ascertain commitment and value-system if indeed incorporator wishes to strategically position itself in the market in the next ten to twenty years. Thus, the company incorporators should prefer business leaders who could maintain its business stature based on its vision, mission and goals. Honesty, transparency, and being goal-outcome oriented are values that is worth keeping at the utmost. REFERENCES Hellriegel, Don, Slocum John (2010) Organizational Behavior 13th Ed. SouthWestern Centage Learning Inc., Mason, USA. Mitchell, Bradley (2010). How Personal Can Ethics Get and How ethical Dilemmas Affect Workers. Strayer University. http://www.bradleymitchell.net/LessonPlans/Samples/Personal%20Ethics.pdf Accessed August 1, 2011. Read More