The Need
Suppose your company wants to close one of ten factories to save money. You must choose the factory.
The decision has ethical aspects. Does your company owe the employees? Did it promise them something, explicitly or implicitly? Did employees give up opportunities for the sake of company loyalty? What happens to the employees? Can they find new jobs? Jobs that use their skills? If not, so what? Should you help them?
Of course, many decisions like this are made by teams. Ethical discussions can be painful. Emotions can run high. Valuable business relationships can be damaged.
Why are things so difficult?
Problem 1: Doing ethics is hard.
The real world doesn't offer easy answers.
Ambiguity is the norm. We don't know why people act the way they do, what they want, or can even be certain that they know what they want. We often don't know the full history behind a particular situation. We don't know what actions are available to us, or what will happen if we choose a particular action.
Even if your company has a clear statement of values, it isn't always obvious what those values mean for action.
Problem 2: Working with others is hard.
Working in teams can be challenging. Goals conflict, egos clash, words are misunderstood, emotions flare. Being an effective team member requires a good amount of emotional intelligence.
But it gets worse...
The Uberproblem: Doing ethics work with others is VERY hard.
Take all the issues above (uncertain future, ego clashes, etc.), and add differences in values, religion, ...
Ethical beliefs are part of our identities. Many people are personally threatened by the idea that others disagree with them on ethical issues. They see differences of opinion almost as accusations of wrong doing. Ethical differences can split teams, and send fault lines throughout a company.
What to do?
You may be tempted to avoid ethical questions, but you can't. When you sidestep ethical issues, you are still making a choice about ethics. When you ignore the ethics of your employees, you'd better cross your fingers.
Recommended links:
- The Idea (how Dioptra is useful)
