ORGL-503: Organizational Ethics

Expected Competencies:

1. Ethical Decision-Making: Ability to critically analyze ethical dilemmas within leadership contexts and recommend appropriate courses of action.

2. Personal Reflection on Ethics: Competence in articulating and describing personal responses to ethical problems, grounded in a well-defined personal worldview.

3. Balancing Virtues and Organizational Values: Skill in aligning personal virtues with organizational values, ensuring that leadership decisions reflect both personal integrity and the organization's ethical standards.

4. Community Building: Capability to foster and sustain a cooperative community within an organization by promoting shared values and collective ethical practices.

5. Strategic Ethical Leadership: Proficiency in developing and implementing strategies to address ethical challenges in leadership, integrating moral considerations with effective decision-making.

Achieved Competencies:

1. Application of Ethical Decision-Making Models: Successfully applied Cooper’s Model to identify and navigate moral decision-making processes in organizational leadership contexts.

2. Critical Reflection on Worldview: Demonstrated the ability to reflect on personal worldview and its influence on ethical decision-making within organizational settings.

3. Topic Selection and Ethical Analysis: Developed the skill to choose relevant topics and apply ethical approaches to analyze and address complex moral challenges effectively.

4. Integration of Personal Morality with Leadership: Showcased the ability to integrate personal moral beliefs with organizational leadership principles to guide ethical decision-making.

5. Development of Actionable Ethical Solutions: Gained competency in creating actionable and ethically sound solutions based on structured ethical decision-making models.

Competencies Applied:

Ethical Considerations of Extremely Low Birth Weight Babies: Throughout my exploration of applied ethics in healthcare, I have critically examined the complex decisions surrounding the care of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants born before 24 weeks of gestation. I focused on the ethical dilemmas neonatologists face when deciding whether to resuscitate these vulnerable infants, balancing current medical guidelines—which typically consider infants under 24 weeks and below 400 grams as nonviable—with ethical principles like ethical egoism, utilitarianism, and Kantian ethics. This work has deepened my understanding of the biases that can influence informed consent and highlighted the need for advanced planning in neonatal care. By recognizing the rare exceptions that challenge established norms, I have emphasized the importance of ongoing ethical reflection and research to guide resuscitation decisions in an environment of uncertainty and limited resources.

Overcoming Group Think: In reflecting on the concept of groupthink, I have deepened my understanding of how it can undermine ethical decision-making within organizations. By examining the film "12 Angry Men" through the lens of groupthink, I have critically analyzed the symptoms of overconfidence, close-mindedness, and group pressure that often lead groups to prioritize unanimous agreement over reasoned problem-solving. This analysis has allowed me to apply leadership principles in professional settings, emphasizing the importance of encouraging independent thought, fostering open dialogue, and ensuring that decisions are based on thorough examination rather than preconceived biases. I recognize the importance of asking open-ended, unbiased questions to facilitate critical thinking and prevent the pitfalls of groupthink. This experience has reinforced my commitment to promoting ethical and effective decision-making within the organizations I lead, ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered and that the final decisions are grounded in reasoned analysis rather than conformity.

Ethical Considerations of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine: In examining the ethical dilemma of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine and its purported link to Autism, I investigated Theresa A. Deisher, Ph.D.'s controversial claims about the vaccine being contaminated with fetal DNA and other fragments. Despite these concerns, the scientific community has thoroughly debunked Deisher’s research over the past decade, finding no credible evidence linking the MMR vaccine to Autism. Using Cooper’s Ethical Decision-Making Model, I assessed whether parents should vaccinate their children by evaluating the vaccine’s necessity, the benefits of herd immunity, and the moral challenges of its development process. I considered principles such as autonomy and nonmaleficence, religious views like those of the Vatican, and the ethical responsibility to seek alternatives and advocate for better vaccine production. Ultimately, I concluded that while parents should continue to vaccinate to protect public health, they should also be aware of the ethical issues and strive for more ethical vaccine development practices.

Work Ethics: In exploring work ethics, I reflect on its role as a moral law emphasizing diligence and commitment to meaningful work, contrasting sharply with laziness, which Catholics associate with the sin of sloth. Influential figures like Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis underscore the value of work ethics in developing the resilience necessary for academic success. My upbringing as a German-Italian, shaped by strong family influences, instilled in me a deep respect for work ethics. My biological father’s heritage and my adoptive father’s experiences, along with my Italian grandfather’s achievements, underscore the significance of hard work and perseverance. Despite these values, my experiences in Klamath County, where welfare often outweighed the perceived benefits of work, highlighted a stark contrast between my ethical beliefs and the local culture. This disparity, coupled with my observations of the welfare state’s impact, led me to critically assess the virtues of work ethics, including beneficence, justice, and autonomy, as described by Wall’s Theory of Obligation. Through personal and professional challenges, including a period of unemployment to care for my son, I have remained committed to meaningful work and education. My goal is to pass on the values of work ethics to the next generation, building on the legacy of my family and continuing to embody these principles in my own life and career.

References:

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (1993). Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lumet, S. (Director), Fonda, H., & Rose, R. (Producers), & Rose, R., & Hopkins, K. (Writers). (1956). 12 angry men [Motion picture]. United States: United Artists Corp.

Nicholi, A. M. (2002). The question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud debate God, love, sex, and the meaning of life. New York: Free Press.

Key Words:

Ethical Decision-Making; Personal Reflection on Ethics; Balancing Virtues and Organizational Values; Community Building; Strategic Ethical Leadership; Cooper’s Ethical Decision-Making Model; Worldview and Ethical Decision-Making; Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare; Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW) Infants; Groupthink and Leadership; Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Ethics; Vaccine Controversies; Work Ethics and Resilience; Theories of Ethical Obligation; Family Influence on Work Ethics