Summary Organization and management
Seminar 2 – Ethical foundations in organizational behavior
(Ch. 2 Individual and organizational ethics)
Ethics: the values and principles that distinguish right from wrong.
Stages of moral development:
Stages of moral development are
stages through which individuals evolve,
ranging from the lowest stage
(obedience and punishment orientation)
to the highest stage (universal ethical
principles).
Obedience and punishment stage:
Avoid punishment or obtain approval
An individual at the obedience and punishment stage does the right thing to
avoid punishment or obtain approval.
Instrumental stage:
To satisfy my self-interest
An individual at the instrumental stage becomes aware that others also have
needs and begins to defer to them to get what the individual wants. Proper
behavior is what satisfies the person’s self-interest.
Interpersonal stage:
For the approval of other people and conform to the norms.
An individual at the interpersonal stage considers appropriate behavior as
that which pleases or is approved by friends or family. Proper behavior
exhibits conformity to conventional expectations, often of the majority.
Law & order stage:
Do your duty, respect authority, maintain social order.
An individual at the law-and-order stage recognizes that ethical behavior
consists of doing a person’s duty, showing respect for authority, and
maintaining the social order for its own sake.
,Social contract stage:
The greatest good for the greatest number.
An individual at the social contract stage is aware that others hold a variety
of conflicting personal views that go beyond the letter of the law. An
individual at this stage understands that, although rules and laws may be
agreed on and for the most part must be followed, they can be changed if
necessary.
Universal stage:
Because there are universal principles.
an individual at the universal principles stage views appropriate conduct as
determined by a person’s conscience, based on universal ethical principles.
Moral intelligence:
Moral intelligence: the mental capacity to
determine how universal human principles
that cut across the globe should be applied to
personal values, goals, and actions.
The moral principles in moral intelligence
include:
- Integrity: acting consistently with
principles, values, and belief; telling the
truth; standing up for what is right; and
keeping promises.
- Responsibility: taking responsibility for personal choices; admitting
mistakes and failures; embracing responsibility for serving others.
- Compassion: actively caring about others.
- Forgiveness: letting go of one’s own mistakes; and letting go of
others’ mistakes.
Ethical intensity:
Ethical intensity: the degree of moral importance given to an issue. It is
determent by 6 factors:
- Magnitude of consequences is the harm or benefits accruing to
individuals affected by a decision or behavior.
- Probability of effect is the likelihood that if a decision is
implemented it will lead to the harm or benefit predicted.
, - Social consensus is the amount of public agreement that a proposed
decision is bad or good.
- Temporal immediacy is the length of time that elapses between
making a decision and when the consequences of that decision are
known.
- Proximity is the sense of closeness (social, cultural, psychological, or
physical) that the decision maker has for victims or beneficiaries of the
decision.
- Concentration of effect is the inverse function of the number of
people affected by a decision.
Ethical
justification principles:
Self-serving principles:
- The following three ethical principles are used to justify self-serving
decisions and behaviors.
Hedonist principle: You do whatever is in your own self-interest.
Might-equals-right principle: You do whatever you are powerful enough
to impose on others without respect to socially acceptable behaviors.
Organization interest’s principle: You act based on what is good for the
organization.
Balancing interest’s principles:
- The following three ethical principles are used to justify decisions
intended to balance the interests of multiple individuals or groups
Means–end principle: You act on the basis of whether some overall good
justifies a
moral transgression.
Utilitarian principle: You act on the basis of whether the harm from the
decision is
Seminar 2 – Ethical foundations in organizational behavior
(Ch. 2 Individual and organizational ethics)
Ethics: the values and principles that distinguish right from wrong.
Stages of moral development:
Stages of moral development are
stages through which individuals evolve,
ranging from the lowest stage
(obedience and punishment orientation)
to the highest stage (universal ethical
principles).
Obedience and punishment stage:
Avoid punishment or obtain approval
An individual at the obedience and punishment stage does the right thing to
avoid punishment or obtain approval.
Instrumental stage:
To satisfy my self-interest
An individual at the instrumental stage becomes aware that others also have
needs and begins to defer to them to get what the individual wants. Proper
behavior is what satisfies the person’s self-interest.
Interpersonal stage:
For the approval of other people and conform to the norms.
An individual at the interpersonal stage considers appropriate behavior as
that which pleases or is approved by friends or family. Proper behavior
exhibits conformity to conventional expectations, often of the majority.
Law & order stage:
Do your duty, respect authority, maintain social order.
An individual at the law-and-order stage recognizes that ethical behavior
consists of doing a person’s duty, showing respect for authority, and
maintaining the social order for its own sake.
,Social contract stage:
The greatest good for the greatest number.
An individual at the social contract stage is aware that others hold a variety
of conflicting personal views that go beyond the letter of the law. An
individual at this stage understands that, although rules and laws may be
agreed on and for the most part must be followed, they can be changed if
necessary.
Universal stage:
Because there are universal principles.
an individual at the universal principles stage views appropriate conduct as
determined by a person’s conscience, based on universal ethical principles.
Moral intelligence:
Moral intelligence: the mental capacity to
determine how universal human principles
that cut across the globe should be applied to
personal values, goals, and actions.
The moral principles in moral intelligence
include:
- Integrity: acting consistently with
principles, values, and belief; telling the
truth; standing up for what is right; and
keeping promises.
- Responsibility: taking responsibility for personal choices; admitting
mistakes and failures; embracing responsibility for serving others.
- Compassion: actively caring about others.
- Forgiveness: letting go of one’s own mistakes; and letting go of
others’ mistakes.
Ethical intensity:
Ethical intensity: the degree of moral importance given to an issue. It is
determent by 6 factors:
- Magnitude of consequences is the harm or benefits accruing to
individuals affected by a decision or behavior.
- Probability of effect is the likelihood that if a decision is
implemented it will lead to the harm or benefit predicted.
, - Social consensus is the amount of public agreement that a proposed
decision is bad or good.
- Temporal immediacy is the length of time that elapses between
making a decision and when the consequences of that decision are
known.
- Proximity is the sense of closeness (social, cultural, psychological, or
physical) that the decision maker has for victims or beneficiaries of the
decision.
- Concentration of effect is the inverse function of the number of
people affected by a decision.
Ethical
justification principles:
Self-serving principles:
- The following three ethical principles are used to justify self-serving
decisions and behaviors.
Hedonist principle: You do whatever is in your own self-interest.
Might-equals-right principle: You do whatever you are powerful enough
to impose on others without respect to socially acceptable behaviors.
Organization interest’s principle: You act based on what is good for the
organization.
Balancing interest’s principles:
- The following three ethical principles are used to justify decisions
intended to balance the interests of multiple individuals or groups
Means–end principle: You act on the basis of whether some overall good
justifies a
moral transgression.
Utilitarian principle: You act on the basis of whether the harm from the
decision is
