Deontology and Utilitarianism - Essay Example

Deontology and UtilitarianismDeontology is an approach to ethics that judges the morality of an action based on the action’s adherence to a rule or rules (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Deontology). A person who knows the rules and follows them is said to be a good deontologist. More emphasis is given on the action/s made and sticking to the rules. The outcome may not always bring happiness, and the situational context may differ, but it is certainly believed to be correct by deontologists. An example of this would be Jake, a student who must study his lessons, who does so very diligently and does it with dedication and perseverance.

He is attentive at school, does his homework, participates in class, is cooperative and cheerful, but he doesn’t have much friends. Jake may not have an active social life which makes him unhappy, but he is practicing good deontology. On the other hand Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its outcome or utility in providing happiness or pleasure (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Utilitarianism). In Utilitarianism, if it benefits the majority, then it is the right choice.

For advocates of Utilitarianism, the end justifies the means (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequentialism). For this example, we will use Sheila, a classmate of Jake. Sheila is very pretty, but does not perform as well as Jake academically. However, she has a lot of friends since she joins a lot of extra-curricular activities. Sheila allows most of her male friends to do things for her like homework and projects, which is mutually beneficial for both – with this, Sheila can be marked a bad deontologist but a good utilitarian.

Now, applied to the office scenario, the basic premise should be that employees are expected to do their job in the workplace. A business enterprise will not succeed if personal agenda will take precedence over an employee’s duties and responsibilities. Personal matters can be done during breaks but not during business hours. Anything outside of this premise should be considered a breach of company policies and violator/s will have to be dealt with accordingly. The VP suggesting the installation of spyware and dislikes wasted productivity adheres to Deontological Ethics.

Conversely, the VP who values privacy over productivity is a follower of Utilitarian Ethics. Although the respect for privacy is given more weight and is applicable for the majority, it does not necessarily mean that this choice is correct. These are the two frameworks which compose the possible options which can be taken. Each differs from the other in that in the first one the actions (improper use of computers during office hours) are given more weight, and in the other, the common good (privacy) is given greater preference over employee performance.

As discussed in the introductory paragraphs of this piece, the two theories -- deontology and utilitarianism -- are diametrically opposed ideas and yet we can adapt the good points from each. As a manager, I would prefer to follow the Deontological point of view since this is the more rational option. It would mean sticking to the rules and doing what one is expected to do. However, I would not be a very rigid deontologist. I would not recommend installation of spyware anymore since it would lower employee’s morale and give a negative image of management.

I also agree that respect for employees’ privacy is an important ideal, and shall therefore be retained. Self-regulation would be the key, and break time (coffee and lunch) browsing would be allowed, with supervisor-aided monitoring. In such a manner, everybody would be benefited, and employees in all levels of the organization would be pleased. So in the final analysis, it would be a combination of both the Deontological and Utilitarian principles applied. Works Cited