Applying Ethical Theories in It
Question :
Discuss in detail an ethical theory that closely matches your ethical principles. If none of them is close enough, explain your own professional ethics philosophy and principles.
Evaluate the incident in the light of a different ethical theory. Explain how someone who adopts a different ethical theory might have reached a different conclusion or decision.
Answer :
Ethical theory (Utilitarianism Theory of Ethics)
I believe that there should be a clear distinction between right and wrong and every individual should measure the consequences of their action before taking the action. The utilitarianism theory of ethics closely matches with my ethical principles. The utilitarianism theory of ethics determines right from wrong by focusing on the result or consequences (Mill, 2016). It is also considered as a form of consequentialism.
This theory of ethics is very useful in determining ethical choice and holds that the most ethical decision is the one that produces the greatest good for a large number of people. It advocates that the action taken must produce a good result for almost every individual. Every individual should be benefited by the decision taken. It is also used in businesses to solve an ethical dilemma. This is the most common approach that businesses use for moral reasoning because with the help of this they the entrepreneur can conduct the cost-benefit analysis. However, there is a limitation of this theory (Amer, 2019). The future is very unpredictable and uncertain. Thus, it is very tough to know with certainty that the action taken can produce a good result.
Despite the limitation, the utilitarianism theory of ethics is the most appropriate and reason-based approach that determines right and wrong. Thus, it can be used while dealing with an ethical dilemma.
Recent incident
I have experienced an ethical dilemma while working on a project in my organization. Our team was assigned a project with a very short deadline. The project was one of the most complex projects. The whole team was not worked on such a complex project before. The project was technically very sound. And we had only 1 month to complete the project. The whole team was excited because they are considering this challenge as an opportunity for growth. However, they are also nervous and stressed considering the deadline and complexity of the project. The whole team worked day and night consistently as well as tirelessly for a month to complete the project. The team completed the project and submitted on time. Every individual in the team has contributed significantly to complete the project. But when it came to recognizing the team and every member of the team, the project manager took all credits of completing the project without even recognizing the effort of the team. It discouraged the whole team. Their motivation and morale reduce significantly. The decision of the project manager to take credit for the successful completion of the project was unethical.
The above situation presents an ethical issue because the whole team worked day and night to complete the project consistently for a month but the credit for successful completion of the project taken by the project manager. The whole team should have been given credit for the successful completion of the project. Their effort should have been recognized and rewarded.
According to the utilitarianism theory of ethics, the consequences of the action taken by the project manager did not produce good for any one of the team members. The decision of the project manager instead benefited him only whereas the decision of the project manager should have benefited the team members. Thus, in the eyes of the utilitarianism theory of ethics, the decision of the project manager was unethical.
So, it can be concluded that the behavior of the project manager was not ethical at all. His decision only benefited him. On the other hand, due to his unethical decision, the level of motivation and morale of all team members reduced significantly. The project manager would have rewarded the team members of their effort and recognized their effort within the organization to make his decision ethical.
In order to evaluate the decision of the project manager, the Deontology Theory of Ethics can be used as well. This theory uses rules to differentiate between right and wrong. According to this theory, people should follow the rules and their duties (Chandler, 2019). It does not believe in consequences. But this theory also cannot justify the decision of the project manager because it is the duty of the project manager to identify the high performer and recognize and reward them. Thus, using this theory as well, people could reach a decision that the project manager should have recognized and rewarded the team members instead of taking the credit for the successful completion of the project.
References
Amer, A. B. (2019). Understanding the Ethical Theories in Medical Practice. Open Journal of Nursing, 9(02), 188.
Chandler, R. C. (2019). Deontological Dimensions of Administrative Ethics Revisited. In Handbook of Administrative Ethics (pp. 205-220). Routledge.
Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven masterpieces of philosophy (pp. 337-383). Routledge.
