The Ethical Decision Making System - Term Paper Example

Managers in their everyday decision-making have to come across various situations in which they have to make ethical decisions. The ethical decision-making system I would prefer to apply as a manager is making decisions in accordance with the utilitarian rule of ethics. The utilitarian rule of ethics is a consequence-based ethical decision-making system and according to this system, those decisions are considered correct that offer the highest amount of utility and the lowest amount of cost to the overall society as compared to any other decision that may take place in the same scenario. According to Kohlberg’s levels of moral development, I am in the third level of moral development as I do not give preference to the interest of individuals and take decisions while paying emphasis to the interest of all those who are being affected by others (Treviño 77). I believe that the decisions I make as a manager should not interest one part of the organization, my decisions should be profitable for all the individuals including the top level and the lower level of the organization. Lastly, all my decisions will be made in a rational manner, this means that my decisions will be made after all the facts and figures are taken into account. As an individual and even as a manager I have an internal locus of control. This means that I believe in taking responsibility for all the actions and events that take place in the organization and I do not hold others responsible for all the events taking place. For example: if the organization experiences success under my management, I would believe that the organization experienced success as the hard work of my team and I was not only the person who should take credit for the success. Similarly, if the organization experiences losses, I would believe that the loss was caused because I failed to manage properly. Machiavellianism refers to the dark side of the personality of an individual, those who score high on the scale of Machiavellianism tend to be self-oriented, they give priority to their own interest over the interest of others and tend to live for themselves. Those who score low on this scale give preference to the overall society and believe in the interest of the overall society instead of giving importance to individual interests. I score less on this scale because I am more people-oriented and keep the interest of the overall organization in mind while making decisions. Moral disengagement is a term used to define a situation in which an individual or an organization believes that they do not have to operate in accordance with the moral standards under a particular situation. This means that an individual believes that certain moral standards do not apply in certain scenarios. I am in favor of moral disengagement where the purpose is to serve and benefit the overall organization. For example: firing an employee for a mistake may be bad for the overall society, but I would still take the decision if it is in the best interest of my organization and the people working within the organization.

The four ethical values that I assume to be of great importance include integrity, honesty, charity, and responsibility. Integrity is important to me as I am a manager and I have to give importance to the ethical code of conduct in order to operate as an example for people working under me. Honesty is the most important ethical value to me because, without honesty, one cannot maintain trust which is very essential if an individual wants to lead while in a managerial position. My truthfulness towards my delegates and my work will become an example for my delegates and they will follow my example. I believe in charity because I believe that everyone needs assistance at some point in time and if I will assist my employees in solving their everyday family and professional issues, they will even do the same when I need them. Taking responsibility is important because individuals who do not take responsibility fail to manage situations in an effective manner. The three rights that hold great importance in my life include legal rights, human rights, and natural rights. Abiding by these rights will assist me in managing people in the best possible manner, while managing people great importance needs to be given to legal rights as if these rights are violated, they can not only harm my position as a manager, they will even harm the organization I am managing.