Ethics and Human Resources Management International Project Week Metropolia Business School - Helsinki May 2011

Transcription

1 Ethics and Human Resources Management International Project Week Metropolia Business School - Helsinki May 2011 Session 2 : Ethical dilemmas and Management IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 1

2 Session 2: Ethical dilemmas and Management 1/Definition of an ethical dilemma 2/Managers values 3/Individual and organizational factors of ethical decision making within organizations 4/The main moral philosophies IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 2

3 Objectives To study the ethical decision process while confronted with an ethical dilemma To study managers values and their influence on ethical decision making To study the main philosophical approaches of ethics and their influence on managers IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 3

4 Ethical dilemma An ethical dilemma is a situation that will involve an apparent conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another. IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 4

5 Ethical dilemma (2) General Dilemma To accept a job in Finland Or To accept a job in Australia Ethical Dilemma To respect the confidentiality of the information concerning the policy mass redundancies Or To inform a colleague, whom you appreciate, that he/she will soon be made redundant Doesn t imply a moral reason to act one way or the other Imply a moral reason to act one way or the other IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 5

6 Managers values «A value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personnally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state existence» Rokeach 1979 «normative beliefs about proper standards of conduct and preferred or desired results» Nystrom 1990 IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 6

7 Value structures (Stern and al. 1998) Altruistic values Traditional values Egoistic values Openness to change values IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 7

8 The basic model of ethical decision making process (Rest) The way in which individual actually process or make ethical decision Problem recognition Search Evaluation Choice Outcome IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 8

9 The factors which influence ethical decision making (1) Individuals ethical perceptions are influenced by individual attributes, experiential and environmental factors, as well as the nature of the dilemma itself. The descriptive model of business ethics discribe persons who have personal cognitive and emotional attitude, have an history, specific demographic characteristics that interacts which situationnal factors. IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 9

10 The factors which influence ethical decision making (2) Societal level Industrial level Company level Personal level IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 10

11 Case study: Smoke signal case Identify the different ethical dilemmas Identify for each of them the conflicts of values or principles What would be for each of them a moral response or a self interested response? IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 11

12 Moral philosophies Two major frameworks in moral philosophy: deontology and teleology Teleological (or outcome based) theories tend to judge the goodness or badness of behavior on the consequence of the act Deontological (or duties based) theories focus on rule-based behavior IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 12

13 Teleological theories Teleological theories, such as utilitarianism (Bentham ), focus on the outcome of behaviors Fundamental questions when confronted with an ethical issue: What are the consequences of my acts on others? Are they beneficial for the greatest number? IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 13

14 Deontological theories Deontological theories such as Kant s categorical imperative focuse on the correctness of the act itself Fundamental questions when confronted with an ethical issue: Are the means which I use right? Is my conduct the right conduct for any person in similar situation? Do I treat others as ends in themselves? IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 14

15 The categorical Imperative Kant ( ) "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law. "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means to an end Groundwork of the metaphysic of morals IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 15

16 Ethics of responsibility Hans Jonas ( ) Temporal dimension of responsibility Restrospective responsibility refering to acts of the past Prospective responsibility concerning future acts Inequality of knowledge is the true condition of prospective responsibility IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 16

17 Fundamental questions when confronted with an ethical issue Which are the person for whom I am responsible? Do I assume the consequences of my past acts? Do I anticipate the future consequences of my acts? (precautionary principle) IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 17

18 Neutralizing verbalization The ability to find a formula which describes the unethical or illegal act in words which do not conflict with the image of oneself as a trusted person. (Cressey 1986) IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 18

19 Towards a more demanding business ethics in HRM Ethics of duty The principle of human-being respect applied to employees Ethics of rights Ethics of responsibility Ethics of justice Non discrimination and respect of private life Health at work, safety in the workplace Fair compensations IPW Ethics and HRM - Anne Sachet-Milliat - ISC Paris 19