Defining Moments: An Analysis and Discussion of Business Ethics - Research Paper Example

Defining Moments: An Analysis and Discussion of Business Ethics A “defining moment” by definition is: An occurrence that typifies or determines all related events that follow. The book in question, Defining Moments by Joseph Badaraco, provides three case studies of three individuals all of which contain similarities wherein the decisions they make are personal, social, and professional in nature, yet, all vary in their individual situations. The three characters must make a momentous decision, none of which have a simple resolution. Steve Lewis, an Afro-American Financial Analyst with a tremendous future is faced with a crisis of moral identity. He was asked to attend a paramount presentation for his company even though he had never worked on the project, but rather, was merely there to show the company’s diversity. He was only included because of his race. This was a trying decision for Lewis as his parents were both civil rights activists. His conflict with the company’s misrepresentation of diversity and facing the issues of; one, attending the trip and of being a team player and being on the “producing team” and advancing within the company, or: two, not attending the trip and being left behind because of his personal integrity and moral identity. Peter Adario, a manager in a marketing department faced with the dilemma of his professional commitment to his employer and his personal values. He is pressed with the decision of firing a dedicated single mother who works 60 plus hours a week, sometimes missing work because of family obligations; causing her to fall behind in keeping an account current. The female pressing Adario is a single female who, in fact, has no children. He takes into account that other women working at the company are mostly single with no children, giving them more flexibility in working longer hours. Adario had firsthand experience with this type of situation as his wife had to quit her job after having their second child because of her employer’s inflexible hours. He is was faced with the decision of whether or not to serve the interest of the shareholders and customers, or should he take into account each employee’s legitimate individual needs. She was talented and dedicated employee, but also had that same dedication to her child. Edouard Sakiz, the CEO for a pharmaceutical company that developed an abortion pill. Sakiz has to contend with the decision of keeping the pill off the market because of anti-abortion groups and the economical affect of potential boycotts. This decision was especially trying as Sakiz was first and foremost a physician, an advocate of women’s rights, as well as a corporate executive with obligations to the employees, the company, shareholders, and the best interest of society. His decision involves his personal integrity as well as his moral identity. INFLUENCES THAT SHAPE MY ETHICAL VAULES Influences that direct my moral compass and guide my professional commitment and obligations are: Firstly, my Catholic upbringing. With two devote Catholic parents, I was raised with a religious foundation and taught that every “defining moment” in my life will be a decision or choice I make that will affect many. This decision will potentially of call into question my values and ethics at times, but will ultimately direct me to a happy medium wherein I maintain my moral integrity and values, but also staying committed to my company and its stockholders (Badaracco, 1997). Secondly, a professor in college. Sometimes the people who impact our life the most and put things into perspective, are the ones who speak volumes with very minimal words spoken. These are the individuals whom make you often times look at the other side of things, and challenge our mindset both socially as well as personally (Khalid et al, 2012). This holds true for me. During college, there was a professor who challenged me rethink things and help lay the foundation in my ethical values and my drive for success. She taught me that success can be obtained with integrity and keeping my core values intact. She was an integral instrument in the striving for and obtaining success without compromising my morality. HOW PERSONAL INFLUENCES AND MY DEFINING MOMENTS IMPACT MY DECISION MAKING IN THE WORKPLACE When faced with a “defining moment” wherein I need a make a managerial decision that challenges my moral identity, negotiates my ethics, or just simple places me in the middle and in making that decision, I take into account my obligations to the company and reinforcing its mission statement or views, employees, shareholders, and the like. Before I make such decision, I ask myself these simple questions: One, what is my projected outcome? Two, will the decision compromise my moral and ethical values? And lastly, will my decision be fair and just to where there is an even divide between upholding my responsibilities as a manger, taking into consideration the company’s success and future earnings, without the risk of moral destruction. HOW MY FEELINGS AND INTUITIONS DEFINE FOR ME THE RIGHT VS. RIGHT CONFLICT? First, before making decisions, I effectuate my intuitions on the matter at hand before making the decision. I make a decision based on my feeling with regards to the determinate information as well as the point of view of where the decision might lead in the future. Although it is impossible to always have a full and fair line of sight with regards to each and every situation or ethical/moral set of issues that might present itself, seeking to recognize and follow a distinct subset of intuitions is not a net drawback; rather, it presents a type of inherent fail-safe mechanism that nature has been kind enough to gift to many within leadership. A RECENT RIGHT VS. RIGHT CONFLICT IN MY ORGANIZATION? With a recent increase with drunk-driving incidents within our city, we had been informed during briefing that we were to become more assertive in eliminating drunk drivers on the road on this upcoming holiday weekend. I was also directed to tell my officers to target people within the ages of 20-32, as they would fall within the age criteria of people having been arrested for drinking and driving. That by targeting people in that age bracket, we were guaranteed to catch many violations, and ultimately make the department recognized for its aggressive movement in deterring people from drinking and driving. Although this mission was to ultimately deter potential drunk drivers now doubled; therefore, encouraging them to rethink means of transportation if and when they were out on the town wherein drinking was involved. My dilemma was this: By telling my subordinates to specifically target a specific age group, was that, in fact, endorsing a form of social profiling? Of if in fact, I should be promoting the elimination of drunk driving as a whole and for them to take each and every driver on the road, into account as a potential violator? As I manager, I knew that ultimately I had to secure my position and the respect of my subordinates. I knew the objective of the organization was to the make the community feel save when going out on family events during a holiday weekend. I also knew that sending the wrong message to eager new officers, I would potentially be perpetuating the wrong views of my organization. I was now left with how to make the right decision for both employees, and the organization. I rationalized and thought of it in a different perspective. I imagined if we were to encourage officers to pull over male Hispanics who resembled gang members with the hopes of finding any type of violation; ultimately encouraging racial profiling. Was this the right message to send? Was I portraying the organization’s role within society effectively? And what ethical values was I willing to choose as a guide? Am I going to take the lion approach and make a fearless decision without weighing the residual effects of my decision? Ultimately, I stayed true to my moral and ethical values, keeping in my the organization’s role to society, the employees, and shareholders. When I directed my subordinates in becoming more aware and assertive in catching potential drunk drivers, I knew my decision would both benefit the organization’s success as well as maintain the respect from my officers, all the while keeping true to my values. As a manager, I directed my team that during the course of their regular patrol to keep aware of all vehicles or any irregularities and only stop when warranted and our presence in itself would send the proper message to the community and maintain the organization’s integrity. And the end of that particular weekend, 15 arrests were made, five of which were drivers between the ages of 20-32 and the other ten were drivers well over 40 years of age. WHERE IS MY TENT, CANDLE AND PLAIN TABLE I recently had surgery on my knee wherein I was off from work for approximately three months; the first time in five years. Over the I had become a slave to my job, working endless hours, often times on little sleep. This became my “norm” as I was used to it all as an average course of my day. While off on sick leave, I was now facing hours of free time. What was I to do? Or better yet, what does a normal person do when they had time off from work? I could leave on an extended vacation as I had doctor appointments and therapy for my knee. It had been so long when I had a day off that having three months off, was perplexing to me. Living the past five years endless hours, always felt like a race for time, and now, I was faced with not the race for time, but in fact to do with so much time. I started taking my dog for long walks along the beach initially as an aid in a quick recovery, but while on my walks I started enjoying the peacefulness of the waves crashing against the shore, and found myself sitting down and just enjoying the sound of the ocean as it met the shore. I soon realized that I was reflecting more of what was important in my life and the importance of making my personal serenity just as important as I was taking my job responsibilities. When I returned to work, I took time during my lunchtime and sit in my car far away from the noise of the street traffic and reflect for ten minutes and I found a profound calmness and each day I look forward the that release I get, and that to me is my tent, candle, and plain table. DEFINING MOMENTS NOT ALWAYS DETERMINENT AND CLEAR CUT However, as the author notes, the issue of moral and ethical decision making is not often as clear and defined as mass media or cultural interpretations may have us believe. The fact of the matter is that rather than choosing between a good and a bad, managers and shareholders are often required to choose between varying shades of grey (Geva, 2000). This level of moral ambiguity is something that the reader would do well to consider as it fundamentally affects the extent to which the manager, leader, or supervisor is able to integrate informed decisions based upon key inputs. As such, I was faced with a similar situation in the past when a colleague of mine came to me and requested that I go with them to report an employee who she claimed had engaged in inappropriate behavior. Although I could most certainly sympathize with the ordeal she was relating, the fact of the matter was that I had not at any time been privy to or witnessed any actions that would indicate that what she was saying had occurred. This of course does not mean that she simply made up such a tall tale; rather, it implied that I did not have the moral right to report an employee for something that I had not witnessed nor been a part of at any point in time. The converse side of the situation called for a listening and supportive friend and coworker who could understand and appreciate the hardship she was going through while at the same time taking a neutral path with regards to erring on the side of caution. As a function of this, I encouraged her to go forward to upper management with her distress rather than merely continuing to endure what she claimed she had over the past several weeks and months. Although the reader may see this as a form of merely passing the buck, the fact of the matter was that her revelation placed both of us, and her coworker, in a sensitive spot. Whereas I identified with her needs, I had no relevance to the situation and could not offer any degree of expert information that I knew upper management would seek. In such a way, I was rather useless to the entire transaction. However, rather than merely standing there and listening to her request for help unmoved, I opted to encourage her to pursue the moral and ethical path within the given situation and gave her my full support as well as requested that she come to me again in the future if she ever had any issues whatsoever with this or any other situation. THE ANTICIPATION MATRIX Although there are many useful ideas and ethical considerations that the author presents to the reader in the course of the book, one of the most interesting that this reader found was what can be termed an anticipation matrix. All too often the manager, leader, and/or supervisor becomes so focused upon the day to day decision making processes and ethical dilemmas they are faced with that they fail to do something of pre-planning for these eventualities. A prime example of this is relating within the case study of the single mother who, although a good employee, is struggling to maintain both her personal and professional life. The text itself describes this situation not in terms of the final determination but with regards to the preliminary decisions that the leadership and/or management could have made with regards to the unique needs and issues that the employee herself represents. Such an approach holds a high degree of relevance to the many facets of decision making that each manager and/or leader engages with on a daily basis due to the fact that it is one of the only approaches that allows the shareholders to peer into the future and seek to ameliorate issues prior to them coming to a head at some point in the distant future. REALIZATION OF THE MOMENT Although the previous sections have helped to elaborate to the reader the importance of acting in an appropriate manner within the given situation, the single most important ideal that the author integrates with the reader is the concept of realization of the moment. This of course can be described as a function of analyzing the contributing factors and coming to an appreciation of the fact that the situation represented constitutes one of the moments of decision making that has been elaborated upon within the book as well as within this paper. References Badaracco, J. (1997). Defining moments : when managers must choose between right and right. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press. Geva, A. (2000). MORAL DECISION MAKING IN BUSINESS: A PHASE-MODEL. Business Ethics Quarterly, 10(4), 773-803. Khalid, K., Syed Agil, S., & Khalid, K. (2012). THE SYNTHESIS OF ETHICAL DECISION MAKING. International Journal Of Academic Research, 4(3), 47-50. Read More