Topic 4.5: Navigating ethical decision making
“Put simply, ethics is about what we ought to do or ought not to do. That is, it is concerned with what is good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust, or noble and ignoble, and how we can tell the difference. There are many different and often competing ethical frameworks, theories, and principles, and there is certainly no complete agreement about the ethical standards and behaviour that should apply in specific contexts. However, it is generally accepted that the domain of ethics embraces not merely the discrete actions of individuals but also the actions of groups of individuals – whether these groups are small, such as families, or large, such as nations and the international community. Hence, ethical inquiry – or what is often called moral philosophy – is not confined to the private sphere of life; it is equally relevant to the public realm, including the decisions of those who act on behalf of the public, whether at the national or sub-national level.” (Boston, Bradstock, & Eng, 2010, p.1)[1].
As you have already seen, there are a wide range of ethical frameworks and principles to consider in navigating your leadership and management role. You may also have noticed that ethical dilemmas do not often lend themselves to ‘binary’ solutions of what is ‘right and wrong’ or ‘good and bad’.
Instead, multiple lens need to be considered in agreeing a way forward that best reflects values and principles of a group or organisation.
Professor Manuel Velasquez, and his colleagues at the Markula Centre for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, reinforce the importance of understanding the earlier ethical frameworks discussed in the Horowitz video. They provide a good summary of the key ethical frameworks used – consciously and unconsciously – in decision-making.
They reinforce that ethical decision-making is not simply about the facts, because “Facts by themselves only tell us what is; they do not tell us what ought to be”. In addition to getting the facts, resolving an ethical issue also requires an appeal to values.
They offer a set of questions to help individuals and teams to explore ethical dilemmas in a thoughtful way:
- What benefits and what harms will each course of action produce, and which alternative will lead to the best overall consequences?
- What moral rights do the affected parties have, and which course of action best respects those rights?
- Which course of action treats everyone the same, except where there is a morally justifiable reason not to, and does not show favouritism or discrimination?
- Which course of action advances the common good?
- Which course of action develops moral virtues?
Recommended Reading
20 mins
- Boston, J., Bradstock, A. & Eng, D. (2010) Public Policy: Why ethics matter. Published by ANU E Press. ↵