Susan Wehrspann & Associates
Link to Home Page Link to Our Approach Page Link to Training Information Page Link to Seminars Page Link to Consulting Page Link to Workshops Page Link to Performance Page Link to Our Firm Page Link to clients Page Link to Comments Page Link to Articles and Newsletters Page Link to Contact Us Page
Making  Ethical Decisions

Sounds easy, but making ethical decisions can be challenging. Yet it is always important. For we live with a common truth: everything we say and do has in impact, and represents a choice. How we decide determines the shape of our careers. Making ethical decisions requires the ability to make distinctions between competing choices.

This is a down-to-earth workshop that helps you  think  through tough decisions so that you won’t be concerned about them later. It gives examples, techniques to refine your approach,  and helps you enhance discernment, discipline, dignity, scrutiny, humanity, and  accountability in your decision making.

 
 CONTENT

  • The Crisis: What are the Dangers and Opportunities

 Ethics in Your Organization

  •  Which Behaviors Are Supported By Written Or Unwritten Guidelines Of Conduct?
  • Which Actions Are Promoted, Forbidden, Frowned Upon?
  • How Do Ethical Considerations Influence Product Or Service Quality, Pricing, Marketing Practices, Treatment Of Suppliers, Employees, Etc.?

 
Ethical Choice: How Do We Make Decisions?

  • Case Studies: Case Studies Describe An Ethical Dilemma, And Ask What You Would Do About It, And Why.
  • How To Assess The Impact Of A Decision, By Looking At Individualistic, Altruistic, Pragmatic And Idealistic Consequences
  • How To Find The Balance Most Appropriate To You And Make Your Decisions Effectively

 
How Do People Face Dilemmas?

  • How To Understand The Underlying Ethical Principles Used In Confronting And Resolving Ethical Or Moral Dilemmas. 
  • How To Assess The Degree To Which Individuals Are Influenced By Certain Other Ethical Principles. 
  • Develop A Greater Appreciation Of The Diverse Ethical And Moral Beliefs Of Others
  • Enhance Your Ability To Communicate With And Understand Others, Especially Across Personality Types, Cultures And Backgrounds. Therefore, It Is Valuable To Be Familiar With All Six Types.
  • Decisions Are Not Necessarily Better; But They May Be Different Depending on Type

What Are the Ethical Types?

  • Egoism.  Utilitarianism, Existentialism, Divine Command, Deontology, Conformism In Decisions
  • How is Ethical Type Developed? Education experiences, peer behaviors, organizational culture?

 
What Are Some the Ways Managers Think When Facing Ethical Decisions?

  • Everybody Else Does It
  • Fairness Equals Sameness
  • The Exemplary Employee
  • What is Ethical Managing Day by Day?
  • Ensuring That   Employees Have The Information They Need To Be Effective
  • What Is Expected Or Required For Them To Survive And To Be Successful (Tasks And Ethics)
  • Sharing "How They Are Doing" At This Point In Time (Tasks And Ethics). What Is Expected Or Required For Success?
  •  What are Three Quick Tests for Ethical Congruence?
  • The Self-Test a.k.a. The Butterflies Inside Test
  • The Authority Test a.k.a. What Would Mamma Say?
  • The Public Scrutiny Test a.k.a. What Would the Neighbors Think?


Why Good People Do Bad Things?

  •  What Influences Bad Choices or Unethical Behavior?
  • Eight Rationalizations For Ethical Compromise

1. I have to cut corners to meet my goals.
2. I lack the time /resources to do what is right.
3. My peers expect me to act this way.
4. My superiors want results, not excuses.
5. I don't think it is really wrong or illegal.
6. Others would think that it is a good choice.
7. No one will ever know the difference.

 

Ethical Decision Making

  • Analysis of the Situation
  • Who are the people involved in the dilemma?
  • What authorities, laws, cods of conduct, policies, morals, and ethics govern in some form?
  • How are they interrelated?
  • What is involved?
  • What facts are in question?
  • What values are in conflict?
  • What concepts need clarification?
  • How do you identify the values, issues or ethical dilemmas involved?
  • How do you make a concise statement of the problem and the state the conflict involved?
  • How do you analyze alternatives?
  • What courses of action are possible?
  • What are the likely results of such actions?
  • What guidance some form Professional Code of ethics?
  • What institution policies are in operation?
  • What principles of law might apply?
  • What guidance comes from personally held principles?
  • What is the relationship between such principles and convictions of faith?
  • What decision best fits with principled convictions?
  • What practical steps must be taken for implementation?

 Putting it  All Together- The  Morality  Bridge

 
Link to Home Page Susan Wehrspann and Associates Address and Phone Number Link to return to the top of this page

Contact Susan Wehrspann