24319979 Models in Ethical Decision Making

7/30/2019 24319979 Models in Ethical Decision Making

1/21

Oxford University Press, 2005. All rights reserved.2 H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n

Models of ethical decision-

making


2/21


Stages in ethical decision-making

Recognise

moral issue

Make moral

judgement

Establish

moral intent

Engage in

moralbehaviour

Ethical decision-making process

Source: Derived from Rest (1986), as depicted in Jones (1991).


3/21


Relationship with normativetheory

The role of normative theory in thestages of ethical decision-making isprimarily in relation to moral

judgement. Moral judgements can be made

according to considerations ofrights, duty, consequences, etc.

However, the issue ofwhetherand hownormative theory is used by anindividual decision-maker depends ona range of different factors that

influence

the decision-making process


4/21

Oxford University Press, 2005. All rights reserved.2

H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n

Influences on ethicaldecision-making

Two broad categories: individual and situational(Ford and Richardson 1994) Individual factors.The unique

characteristics of the individual actuallymaking the relevant decision.

birth factors acquired by experience and

socialisation

Situational factors. The particularfeatures of the context that influencewhether the individual will make an ethicalor unethical decision.

the issue itself (such as the intensity oft

he moral issue)

the ethical framing of the issue.


5/21



Framework for understandingethical decision-making

Recognisemoral issue

Make moraljudgement

Establishmoral intent

Engage inmoral

behaviour

Situational factors

Individual factors


6/21



Limitations of ethicaldecision-making models

Useful for structuring our discussion andseeing the different elements that comeinto play but Not always particularly straightforward

(or sensible) to break down variouselements into discrete units

Various stages related or interdependent National or cultural bias

Must be aware that the model is intendednot as a definitive representation ofethical decision-making, but as arelatively

simple way to present acomplex process


7/21



Individual influences on

ethical decision-making


8/21



Individual influences onethical decision-making

Factor

Age and gender


9/21


10/21



Psychological factors

Cognitive moral development (CMD)refers to the different levels of reasoningthat an individual can apply to ethicalissues and problems

Criticisms of CMD Gender bias Implicit value judgements Invariance of stages

An individuals locus of controldetermines the extent to which theybelieve that they have control over theevents in their life


11/21



Psychological factorsStages of cognitive moral development

Level Stage Explanation IllustrationI

-Preconventional 1 Obedience andpunishment Individuals define right and wrongaccording to expected rewards andpunishments from authority figures

Whilst this type of moral reasoning isusually,associated with small children we can also

see that businesspeople frequently makeunethical

decisions because they think their companywould

(either reward it or let it go unpunished see).Gellerman 1986

2 Instrumentalpurpose and

Exchange

Individuals are concerned withtheir

own immediate interests and defineright according to whether there

isfairness in the exchanges or deals

they make to achieve those.interests

An employee might cover for the absence of aco

worker so that their own absences mightsubsequently be covered for in return a

you , scratch my back I ll scratch yoursreciprocity( ).Trevio and Nelson 1999II Conventional 3 Interpersonal

,accordconformity and

MutualExpectations

Individuals live up to what isexpected of them by theirimmediate peers and those close to

them

An employee might decide that using company,resources such as the telephone the internet

andemail for personal use whilst at work is

acceptablebecause everyone else in their office does

.it

4 Social accordand system

maintenance

Individuals consideration of theexpectations of others broadens to

,social accord more generallyrather

than just the specific peoplearound

.them

A factory manager may decide to provideemployee benefits and salaries above the

industryminimum in order to ensure that employeesreceive wages and conditions deemed

,acceptable by consumers pressure groups andother social.groups


12/21



Psychological factorsStages of cognitive moral development

(cont)Level Stage Explanation IllustrationIII -Post

Conventional5 Social

contract andIndividualrights

Individuals go beyondidentifying with others

,expectations andassesses

right and wrong accordingto the upholding of basic

,rights values andcontracts

.of society

The public affairs manager of a foodmanufacturer may decide to reveal

which of the firm s products containgenetically modified ingredients out

of respect for consumers rights to,know even though they are not

,obliged to by law and have not beenpressurised into by consumers or.anyone else

6 UniversalEthicalprinciples

Individuals will makedecisions autonomously

-based on self chosenUniversal ethical,principles

, ,such as justice equality

,and rights which they

believe everyone should.follow

A purchasing manager may decide thatit would be wrong to continue to buy

products or ingredients that weretested

on animals because he believes thisdoesn t respect animal rights to be

free.from suffering

Source: Adapted from Ferrell et al. (2002); Kohlberg (1969); Trevino and Nelson(1999)


13/21

Oxford University Press, 2005. All rights reserved.2H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n

Personal integrity & moralimagination

Personalintegrity Integrity is

defined as anadherence tomoralprinciples orvalues

Moralimagination Concerned with

whether onehas a sense ofthe variety ofpossibilitiesand moral

consequencesof theirdecisions, theability toimagine a wide

range of


14/21


Situational influences on

decision-making


15/21


Situational influences onethicaldecision-making

Type of

factor

Fact

Mor

I -r l


16/21


Moral Intensity

Jones (1991:374-8) proposes that theintensity of an issue will varyaccording to six factors:

Magnitude of consequences Social consensus Probability of effect

Temporal immediacy Proximity Concentration of effect


17/21


The same problem or dilemma canbe perceived very differentlyaccording to the way that the issueis framed

Language important aspect of moralframing

Moral muteness (Bird & Walters1989) because of: Harmony Efficiency Image of power and effectiveness

Moral framing


18/21


Systems of reward

Adherence to ethical principles andstandards stands less chance ofbeing repeated and spread

throughout a company when it goesunnoticed and unrewarded What is right in the corporation is not

what is right in a mans home or in

his church. What is right in thecorporation is what the guy above

you wants from you. Thats whatmorality is in the corporation

(Jackall, 1988:6)


19/21


Authority People do what they

are told to do or

what they thinktheyre being toldto do

Bureaucracy Bauman (1989,

1993) and ten Bos(1997) argue

bureaucracy has anumber of effectson ethicaldecision-making Suppression of

moralautonomy

Instrumentalmorality

Distancing

Denial of moral

A u th o rity a n d B u re a u cra cy

Wor ro es an


20/21


Wor ro es anorganisational norms &

cultureWork roles Work roles can

encapsulate awhole set ofexpectationsabout what tovalue, how torelate to others,and how to

behave

the group normswhich delineateacceptable

standards ofbehaviourwithin the workcommunity

Organisationalnorms and culture


21/21

Documents

24319979 Models in Ethical Decision Making