The Decision to Make as a Manager - Assignment Example

1. What are the influences that have shaped your ethical values? The main influence that has shaped my ethical value system is the upraising I received from my parents. I learned what sacrifice and family is truly all about from my mom. She and dad both work early in their matrimony even after she had her first child. My mother was a nurse and when I was born she decided to retire very early in her 30’s to take care of me and my brother. My parents invested in my education early on and always had me studying in private schools. Both my parents always talked to me as a kid and would always explain to me why certain actions or situations were right or wrong. The desire of children is to have parents that who take a strong personal interest in helping them develop their skills and have find their way in life (Treybig, 2007). Higher parent involvement in a kid’s life increases the influence these power figures have in their children. The ethical values and moral development of adolescents are therefore shaped towards the value system of the particular family. Another source that influenced my ethical values was the education I received during my teenager years and early on in college. I always looked up to my teachers and college professors. They taught me the importance of integrity, professionalism and high ethical standards in life and in the workplace. I’ve taken some college courses on the matter and they have been very helpful at providing me with the theoretical concepts and practical examples on ethical matters. 2. How do your personal influences and your Defining Moments impact your decision making in the workplace? Remember Badarraco (1997) states that defining moments have three elements: revealing, testing, and shaping (57). One defining moment I had in a professional setting was when I work as a consultant for a family member during a summer in a start-up project. My uncle wanted advice on how to raise capital for his business. He had a great product, but needed money to bring it to the market. He heard of a consulting firm that had political influences and could help him land some seed money from some governmental programs for small businesses. I told him to go along with the idea and recommended a meeting with the individuals. During the first meeting I got a real glimpse of what corruption is all about. I originally thought these individuals were legit businesspeople whose connections were based on years of experience networking and dealing with the common problems of small companies. The first things they asked was for a few thousands dollars to get started without providing us with any details of the work they would actually perform. They had a complete schedule of additional payments with specific dates, but no actual work breakdown schedule of what tasks would be performed. I immediately inquired why they needed so much money, they straight out told me and my uncle the money was to bribe governmental officials. They said that was the only way to do business with them and get things approved. I felt offended and was totally against the idea of hiring these gangsters. We ended the meeting early and told them we would think about it. I told my uncle not to hire these people and if he wanted to continue I would immediately quit. My uncle heard they had gotten results for other business owners, but he stood by my recommendation and did not contact them ever again. 3. Some Defining moments/influences may hinder our decision making-capabilities at work. What can we do to balance that or overcome that? I work at an office in a university a few years ago. I had been working there for about six months part-time and one of the full-time employees went on a two month vacation. At that time my boss ncreased my work schedule by ten hours a week and gave me all the job responsibilities of the full-time worker that went on vacation. She told that I was not expected to keep up with all the work of my co-worker, but to do as much as I could without interrupting with my regular work duties. After three weeks my boss and immediate supervision were amazed at what I had accomplished. I performed all my work duties, complete all the new work that came in and put the office of my co-worker up to date. Her workload was supposedly a month behind. What impress my superiors the most is that I accomplished all that working a 30 hour work week, which included 20 hours allocated to regular duties. To be honest the work load standards of this office were not very challenging. People had gotten accustomed to taking it easy and any person that did some real work was seen an anomaly. At that time I told myself I would never let the lethargic behavior of others influence my work production or my ethical standards. I had work hard and my immediate supervisor told me that there was a full-time position available right now and he would recommend me for the job. He had been impressed with my performance all along, but the recent events where all the evidence he needed to know I was the perfect candidate for the job. I along with another coworker that was a contract worker applied for the position. A horrible rumor was spread that the job was going to be given to a family member of the Dean of the University. Our boss refuted the rumor and said she would never let bureaucracy or politics enter her office and the job would go to the best candidate. The dean’s niece was a recent graduate with cero work experience. In the end she got the job and me and my co-worker were left out to dry. I had performed tremendously recently and gave it all I had when the company needed me. My coworker had two years experience in that office and deserved a permanent position that provided job security. Things at that office were never the same and our boss loss credibility. For her it might have been a right vs. right dilemma in which she provided a promising recent graduate an opportunity and help herself by satisfying the Dean’s request. Picking either one of us would have been correct as well and would have followed the internal unofficial policy of promoting from within. The experience taught me never to trust a corporate officer in a managerial position. I believe they all have dirty hands. Badarraco mentions in his book that sometimes managers have to choose between alternative solutions in which multiple ethical responsibilities, personal commitments, moral hazards, and practical pressures and constraints influence decision-making (Badarraco, 1997). The situation I experience was a classical example of a dilemma of that kind. Tough decisions and situations at work help a person build character, mature and grow professionally. When a person faces a tough situation the best thing is to talk with someone about it instead of clogging the emotions and feeling inside. Negative emotions at work hinder our job performance, thus it is important for manager to monitor employee’s work routines and interactions with other people (Poggi). Talking to a friend, family member or a professional therapist can help a person facing work related problems. Relaxation techniques such as Yoga, imagery and meditation can also help reduce stress and perform more effectively at work (Mindtools, 2007). 4. How does understanding my ethical influences, defining moments, and decision-making style impact me as a leader and manager? A person that becomes a leader or manager of an organization is influenced by his ethical standards, the defining moments he lives and by his decision-making style. The ethical mindset of a person is influenced by his family upraising, formal education, social interactions and by the culture of the country in which he lives. For example if the circle of friends of a person believes in altruism and environmentalism, these views will influence the person since many activities and conversations within the group will surround around these matters and other subject of common interest. If a person’s views and opinions are contrary to his friends in many aspects it is probable that the relationships will not last. In countries such as Japan culture directly influences business ethics (Katz). The decision a person makes as a manager depend on the value system of the person. Defining moments are events that have a tremendous impact in the life of an individual. The decision a person makes when such an event occurs will truly reveal the values and ethical standards of the person. The situation I faced while working with my uncle with devious contractors revealed to me that I could not manage people with a lack of ethics and low moral standards. The decision making style of a leader influence which criteria he utilizes to make the decisions. A person may be inclined to make decision based on the best interest of his employees, the company, the stakeholders, his family, the clients or some other factor. Many times there is no wrong solution to a specific dilemma. The decision the manager makes simply benefits more a specific interest group. References Badarraco, J.L. (1997). Defining Moments. 6. Katz, J. International Business Ethics: Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from http://www.pitt.edu/~ethics/Japan/culture.html Mindtools.com (2007). Relaxation Techniques. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from http://www.mindtools.com/stress/RelaxationTechniques/IntroPage.htm Poggy, I. Emotions at Work. Universita Roma Tre’. 7. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from http://host.uniroma3.it/docenti/poggi/cursitopdf/emotionatwork.pdf Treybig, D. If Children could choose their parents. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn23/parents.htm Read More