managers often confront real ethical dilemmas where the appropriate course of action is not clear.

by Constantin Bayer 6 min read

How do managers deal with ethical dilemmas in the workplace?

Aug 24, 2011 · Managers often face ethical dilemmas in the workplace but may not aware of it. One reason is the manager is not trained in ethics so it is difficult to know when an ethical issue exists. The first step in making ethical decisions is to be sensitive to the ethical signposts. For example, consider whether conflicting interests exist in the situation.

What are the three common ethical issues facing managers in business?

Oct 21, 2013 · Although managers may not explicitly ask their subordinates to do anything illegal or unethical, they often turn a blind eye to how an objective is achieved so long as it is achieved. New entrants who may not be used to this type of pressure and who are inadequately prepared may get involved in unethical or illegal behavior in attempting to satisfy their managers without …

What are some examples of ethical dilemmas in real life?

Aug 15, 2006 · components of ethical codes that were perfectly appropriate in previous. generations may no longer apply. Although space limits us to 10 issues, the. ones we examine here are based on five main ...

What are the ethical considerations in resolving a dilemma?

Jan 13, 2022 · It’s an ethical dilemma! Here are some steps you can take to highlight your concerns without risking your job or your own ethics: Repeat Back and Clarify. Muse Career Coach Avery Blank says to tell your manager what you think the request is to ensure you have complete clarity. This may resolve the issue, either because you’ve misunderstood or because the …

What should a manager do when faced with an ethical dilemma?

How to Act and React to an Ethical DilemmaRepeat Back and Clarify. ... Ask Ethical Questions. ... Focus on your Manager's Best Interests. ... Suggest an Alternative Solution. ... Escalate Situations. ... Blow the whistle. ... Leave Unethical Environments, If Necessary.Jan 13, 2022

What are the ethical issues faced by managers?

If you are to run an ethical business, you first need to know what types of issues you can expect to face and may need to overcome.Discrimination. ... Harassment. ... Unethical Accounting. ... Health and Safety. ... Abuse of Leadership Authority. ... Nepotism and Favoritism. ... Privacy. ... Corporate Espionage.

What are the 4 ethical dilemmas?

According to Kidder, there are four dilemmas:Good for the unit versus good for the whole.Good for the short term versus good for the long term.Truth versus loyalty.Justice versus mercy.Nov 3, 2017

Why does an ethical dilemma occur in management?

Ethical dilemmas happen because ethics are inherently contradictory. Employees may face situations where compromising on telling the truth or following the law seems to serve other valued goals, such as maximizing profits or avoiding layoffs.

When faced with ethical dilemma a manager should first?

The first step in making ethical decisions is to be sensitive to the ethical signposts. For example, consider whether conflicting interests exist in the situation. Ask whether your decision harms one or more parties while benefitting others.Aug 24, 2011

What are some examples of ethical dilemmas?

Moral Dilemma ExamplesThe Unfaithful Friend. You go out with your husband for dinner at a new restaurant you have not frequented before. ... A Difficult Choice. ... An Office Theft. ... Midnight Death. ... Get Rich. ... Telling a Secret. ... The Life Boat. ... Sarcastic Friend.More items...•May 20, 2020

What are the 3 ethical dilemmas?

3 Ethical DilemmasEstablishing Guilt: A client suspects one of their employees has committed fraud. ... Insufficient Expertise: We sometimes come to another ethical crossroads when being approached with a situation that may be beyond our skill set.More items...

What are the four principles used as guidelines to confront ethical dilemmas?

These four principles are: autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence.Jun 27, 2018

What is an ethical dilemma in the workplace?

You may be faced with an ethical dilemma when something at work goes against your personal ethics, morals and values. This could be something that one of your colleagues or managers is doing, or something that you are doing yourself.Aug 13, 2018

Where do ethical dilemmas arise?

Ethical dilemmas arise when a difficult problem cannot be solved in a way that will satisfy everyone who is involved. The same dilemma might occur when a situation arises that involves a choice between equally unsatisfactory alternatives.

How can a manager check the ethics of a decision?

Decision tree analysis can be a useful tool for evaluating choices involved in ethical decisions. Laying out each consideration, potential action, and potential outcome can be useful in deciding which alternative is most likely to be consistent with your ethical and moral beliefs and values.

Privacy:Does Information's Availability Justify Its use?

Governments collect massiveamounts of data on individuals and organizations and use it for a variety ofpurposes: national security, accurate tax co...

Privacy:How Much Effort and Expense Should Managers Incur in Considering Questions Ofdata Access and Privacy?

This is an issue with bothinternal and external implications. All organizations collect personal data onemployees, data that if not properly safegu...

Ownership:What Can Employers Expect from Employees With Regard to Nondisclosure whengoing to Work For Another Firm?

Many people are required tosign NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) and noncompete clauses in employmentcontracts, legal documents that restrict their...

Ownership:What Part of An Information Asset Belongs to An Organization and What Is Simplypart of An Employee's General Knowledge?

Information, knowledge, andskills we develop in the course of working on projects can be inextricablyintertwined. You're the project manager for an...

Control:Do Employees Know The Degree to Which Behavior Is monitored?

Organizations have the rightto monitor what employees do (management is measurement) and how technologysystems are used. It's common practice to no...

Control:Does Data Gathered Violate Employee Privacy Rights?

Manyorganizations have started adding a credit and background check to the standardreference check during the hiring process. Are those organizatio...

Accuracy:Is Accuracy An Explicit Part of Someone's Responsibility?

Business has always had a love/hate relationship withaccuracy. Effective decision making is driven by accurate information, butquality control come...

Accuracy:Have The Implications of Potential Error been Anticipated?

Mostassembly lines have a cord or chain that can be pulled when a worker notices aparticular unit has a flaw. The line is brought to a halt and the...

Security:Have Systems been Reviewed For The Most Likely Sources of Security Breach?

As we mentioned in theprevious article on ethics, security used to be confined to locking the door onthe way out of the office or making sure the l...

Security:What's The Liability Exposure of Managers and The Organization?

Can system owners be heldpersonally liable when security is compromised? When an organization holdsstewardship of data on external entities—custome...

Who wrote the guest editorial for Quinlan School of Business?

The following guest editorial was written by John R. Boatright, Raymond C. Baumhart Professor of Business Ethics at Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago. It was published in the September/October 2013 issue of the Financial Analysts Journal.

What is corruption in the Middle East?

For example, in the Middle East, some people define corruption as not sharing what you have gained. Although many people in the West view this definition as the epitome of cronyism, in the Middle East and in other cultures where survival is a primary concern, people often depend on each other for survival.

What are the security challenges of technology?

Technology presents us with a whole new set of security challenges. Networks can be breached, personal identification information can be compromised, identities can be stolen and potentially result in personal financial ruin, critical confidential corporate information or classified government secrets can be stolen from online systems, Web sites can be hacked, keystroke loggers can be surreptitiously installed, and a host of others. (It's interesting to note at this point that statistics still show that more than 80 percent of stolen data is the result of low tech “dumpster diving,” and approximately the same percentage of oranizational crime is the result of an inside job.)

What is the impact of personal data on employees?

All organizations collect personal data on employees, data that if not properly safeguarded can result in significant negative implications for individuals. Information such as compensation and background data and personal identification information, such as social security number and account identifiers, all have to be maintained and accessed by authorized personnel. Systems that track this data can be secured, but at some point data must leave those systems and be used. Operational policies and procedures can address the proper handling of that data but if they're not followed or enforced, there's hardly any point in having them. Organizations routinely share data with each other, merging databases containing all kinds of identifiers.

Why do governments collect data?

Governments collect massive amounts of data on individuals and organizations and use it for a variety of purposes: national security, accurate tax collection, demographics, international geopolitical strategic analysis, etc. Corporations do the same for commercial reasons; to increase business, control expense, enhance profitability, gain market share, etc. Technological advances in both hardware and software have significantly changed the scope of what can be amassed and processed. Massive quantities of data, measured in petabytes and beyond, can be centrally stored and retrieved effortlessly and quickly. Seemingly disparate sources of data can be cross-referenced to glean new meanings when one set of data is viewed within the context of another.

How does an assembly line work?

Most assembly lines have a cord or chain that can be pulled when a worker notices a particular unit has a flaw. The line is brought to a halt and the unit can either be removed or repaired. The effect of the error can be contained. As complex interactions between systems and ever larger databases have been created, the downstream consequence of error has become vastly more magnified. So too has the growing dependence on highly distributed systems increased the potential for, and the cost of, error.

What is a nondisclosure agreement?

Many people are required to sign NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) and noncompete clauses in employment contracts, legal documents that restrict their ability to share information with other future employers even to the point of disallowing them to join certain companies or continue to participate in a particular industry.

Do organizations have the right to monitor what employees do?

Even without that disclaimer, they really don't need the warning to know this monitoring is, or could be, taking place.

What are the ethical responsibilities of a project manager?

Ethical responsibilities of a project manager as defined in the PMI guidelines focus a lot on “black and white” issues, such as conflict of interest. While all that is very well, a trained and certified project manager is also duty bound to do whatever is in the best interest of the project at all times.

What is a project manager?

A project manager is responsible for managing the dependencies, but there will always be situations when somebody you are depending upon does not have your task at the top of his or her priority list. Project managers are often made to run around in circles and left to fend for themselves.

Why is project management important?

Project management is an important occupation that contributes to building organizations, communities, and nations. Helping the profession is not just a noble cause that must be done in spare time, but an ethical responsibility that a project manager must strongly identify with.

What does "leaders" mean in project management?

By “leaders” we mean senior management, superiors, or sponsors, or all of these. Project managers need their support to be successful. But leaders are often too busy or simply not equipped to understand what the project needs from them. Especially in times of crises and key decision points, project managers must make sure they provide leaders with the right information and motivation to act in the best interest of the projects.

Why is it important to be accountable?

To be accountable and to be able to hold others accountable is a very important aspect of influencing project outcomes and learning from them and it is the project manager's job to assign responsibility where necessary. A project manager has the responsibility to look for the real root causes and try to resolve them.

How to Act and React

Depending on the situation, you may be a victim of unethical behavior, such as discrimination, sexual harassment or bullying in a toxic workplace culture. You may be the witness to your manager’s or coworker’s unethical behavior, or you may be asked by a manager or client to do something unethical.

Know Your Ethics

There are ethical aspects to every individual and organizational decision. Unfortunately, when an organization’s leadership makes unethical decisions or even asks employees to conduct business in an unethical matter, this can permeate the company culture and the ethical decision-making process of the entire organization.

How to deal with ethical dilemmas?

Ethical dilemmas in the workplace can be more effectively dealt with if managers follow a few simple steps: 1 Identify the ethical issues. Ethical issues exist, in a broad sense, whenever one’s actions affect others. In the workplace, a manager’s decisions might affect employees, customers, suppliers, creditors and shareholders. These are the stakeholders of an organization. 2 Identify alternative courses of action. Every dilemma affords more than just one opportunity. The cautious handling of workplace ethics issues can resolve personal and business dilemmas. By identifying the alternatives, the next step can take place. 3 Using ethical reasoning to decide on a course of action. Ethical reasoning skills are essential to making ethical decisions. A variety of methods exist including:

What are ethical issues?

Ethical issues exist, in a broad sense, whenever one’s actions affect others. In the workplace, a manager’s decisions might affect employees, customers, suppliers, creditors and shareholders. These are the stakeholders of an organization. Identify alternative courses of action.

Why is value based decision making important?

Values-based decision making can be a complimentary thought process because the ethical values to be emphasized in the workplace mirror the rights and obligations approach. Decision makers should act in accordance with certain virtues of behavior, or character traits, such as truthfulness, trustworthiness, respect, fairness, responsibility, ...

What is ethical reasoning?

Using ethical reasoning to decide on a course of action. Ethical reasoning skills are essential to making ethical decisions. A variety of methods exist including: Egoism: Egoism looks at each decision by considering the effects of a decision only as it relates to the individual decision-maker.

What is unethical decision?

Unethical decisions can lead to cover-up and more unethical decisions down the road. Remember, ethics is about what you do when no one is looking. In other words, you are what you do and ethical people are motivated to do the right thing, not make a decision based on selfishness – egoism.

What is utilitarianism in law?

Utilitarianism: Here the decision-maker evaluates harms and benefits of alternative decisions using a calculus/weighting approach. Under act utilitarianism, the decision would be to select the act where the benefits to the stakeholders exceed the harms (i.e., net benefits are greater than any other act I might take).

What is the ethical question?

The ethical question is whether to inform the owner of the car and, if so, how to do it. These incidents create ethical dilemmas because the way we deal with them says a lot about our character and whether we act in our own interests or the interests of others.

What is ghosting in interviewing?

Ghosting occurs when a candidate abruptly disengages from the interview process without explanation. The candidate might fail to inform the interviewer that they have accepted another position. In some cases, a candidate has accepted a position only to accept a second one and not inform the first employer.

Why is monitoring important for teens?

Monitoring can help to control predatory behavior that threatens a teen’s well-being. Discussing online behaviors can be used as a teachable moment to explain what’s meant by respecting others and how online behaviors promote civility in relationships.

Where is the Drag Queen story hour?

The area around Lafayette, Louisiana, is one of the country’s most conservative. So when the Lafayette Public Library added Drag Queen Story Hour to their event calendar, Aimee Robinson knew it was going to be controversial. Aimee’s an activist and has lived in Lafayette for over twenty years.

Why should teens not be monitored?

Reasons not to monitor. There are a few good reasons for not monitoring as follows. Teens have a right to privacy and may not want their parents to see everything they do on social networking sites; they may perceive it to be invading their sacred online space.

What does ghosting mean?

Ghosting occurs when someone you believe cares about you, such as a person you have been dating, disappears from contact without any explanation at all—no phone call, email, or text. They just seem to disappear.

Ethical Responsibility

The question of ethics in business has been formalized in the discipline of corporate social responsibility, or CSR. This field examines ways that large corporations are responsible to their communities and to the environment in ways that don't fall within the dictates of a free-market profit system.

Discrimination

Questions of discrimination are common in the workplace, and managers are often called upon to deal with them. Historical discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation has made many individuals sensitive to these problems. Accusations or lawsuits charging discrimination are serious.

Fraud

Fraud is a serious ethical breach in the workplace. A manager who is made aware of fraudulent activities within the workplace is ethically required to report this to the relevant authorities. This can be particularly awkward if the fraud is being perpetrated by the manager's employers.

Marketing

Marketing is the practice of educating the public about the products or services offered by a business and of convincing the public of the value of these products and services. Because of the huge financial incentive that lies behind effective marketing, there is a strong motive to engage in practices that might be considered dishonest.

Abstract

  • Ethical responsibilities of a project manager as defined in the PMI guidelines focus a lot on “black and white” issues, such as conflict of interest. While all that is very well, a trained and certified project manager is also duty bound to do whatever is in the best interest of the project at all times. Every too often, we find project managers who are otherwise on the correct side of the gu…
See more on pmi.org

The “Correct” Project Reports

  • Even within the parameters of being factually correct, project status or progress reports could be any of the following: Then there is the issue about how much of the truth should be revealed. Should the customer be informed about a week's delay in an intermediate milestone? Should the team be informed about an impending paradigm shift in project objectives as soon as it become…
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Protect The Interests of “All” Stakeholders

  • Paraphrasing a famous quote, “all stakeholders are equal, but some are more equal than the others”! Stakeholder management calls for the project manager to master the art of diplomacy. For instance, can the interests of a “project-affected” person be as important as that of your boss? Is the customer really “always right” even if he or she is demanding that your team work 60-hour …
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Remaining “Objective”

  • In a typical project, a project manager has to deal with teams and individuals whose jobs are adversarial by nature. For example the “development” team in a software development project, whose job it is to write error-free code and the “test” team, whose job is to find defects in code. Project managers often knowingly or unknowingly become “biased” toward one team over the ot…
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Get Leaders to “Act” For The Project's Benefit

  • By “leaders” we mean senior management, superiors, or sponsors, or all of these. Project managers need their support to be successful. But leaders are often too busy or simply not equipped to understand what the project needs from them. Especially in times of crises and key decision points, project managers must make sure they provide leaders with the right informatio…
See more on pmi.org

Get The Right Level of Authority

  • A project manager is responsible and accountable for the success of the projects. But responsibility without authority calls for super-human qualities from the project manager and is unfair. It is a project manager's professional duty to ensure that he or she is empowered enough to carry out all duties. If this is not automatically bestowed upon him or her, he or she must ask f…
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Accepting and Assigning Responsibility

  • A project manager is ethically bound to accept responsibility for a project's success or failure. It does not mean that he or she “alone” is responsible. To be accountable and to be able to hold others accountable is a very important aspect of influencing project outcomes and learning from them and it is the project manager's job to assign responsibility where necessary. A project man…
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Use The “Right” Process

  • I often come across project managers; even PMPs who say that what they learn is fine in theory, but never works in practice. Not only do I believe it can work in practice, it is indeed the project manager's responsibility to the profession to make it work. For example, if the risk management practices in a project are missing or inadequate, the project manager must insist on bringing in t…
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Help Other Project Managers

  • This is indeed one of the responsibilities mentioned in the PMI code of ethics. Unfortunately for most people, this is often confined to “gathering the requisite number of PDUs.” Project management is an important occupation that contributes to building organizations, communities, and nations. Helping the profession is not just a noble cause that must be done in spare time, bu…
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Conclusions

  • Some of the specific recommendations stated here may be up for debate. But it is my belief that they represent ethical dilemmas as much as they do management trade-offs. A project manager true to his or her profession has to be capable of making the “right” choices in these situations, rather than simply plump for the most “convenient” or non-controversial option. And the right ch…
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