Management has evolved following technological advancements and the need to factor in diversity and inclusivity. Therefore, the management is tasked with recognizing the impacts of digitalization on the workplace culture, diversity, and organizational performance ( Townes-Whitley, 2017) . Adopting collaborative leadership approaches may be ideal for development and productivity. There are also ethical considerations that come with the integration of technology in organizational operations. Ethical perceptions vary from one individual to another, requiring tremendous input from organizational leaders regarding ethical decision-making processes. Leaders should ensure that they hold crucial discussions surrounding technology, ethics, and diversity, enhancing their capacity to overcome impending ethical challenges.
Potential Ethical Issues Leaders May Encounter in Managing Technology and Diversity in an Organization
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Digitalization has significantly affected the work environment, prompting organizations to cultivate continuous change management. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most adopted technological advancement across the board, with many organizations having adopted technologyand transforming their operations remarkably ( Nuseir &Ghandour, 2019) . AI technology confers organizational systems with the capacity to decode data input, extract lessons, and apply the information towards realizing organizational goals. The outcome is enhanced productivity and the ability to perform increasingly complex tasks at higher speeds and significantly lower costs. Nuseir&Ghandour (2019) highlight shortcomings regarding system bias.AI automation has proven biased in such scenarios as recognizing particular data sets, ultimately reducing system accuracy regarding recognizing specific skin tones or facial sizes.
The application of artificial intelligence in the healthcare has also elicited ethical concerns. The automated algorithms used in clinical research databases necessitate the use of large sets of data. The information encompassed in the data sets is often collected from majority population segments introducing high probabilities of inaccuracy. The chances of algorithm failure are thus high when applied to underrepresented populations or underserved patients. The use of technology has also led to overreliance issues. Although the goal of developing the systems is to minimize medication errors and optimize patient safety, system bias and failure infer inaccuracy, jeopardizing the overall purpose of AI. According to Safdar et al. (2020) , there are loopholes, which spiteful people could use to introduce malware into the system, corrupting the algorithm, resulting in inaccuracies and inconsistencies. Technology in the healthcare sector thus harbors a host of ethical concerns that developers must address as soon as possible.
Technological development also poses a threat to individual autonomy and privacy. Tech applications, including artificial intelligence, are built around interpreting tones of information and learning from it. With several feeding procedures, machinery and robots can decode huge data sets and recognize different aspects. According to Martin et al. (2019), e thical concerns surrounding the development of systems smarter than humans have since been on the rise. Engineers must, therefore, dig into the implications of developing systems and the future possibilities around them. Besides posing a threat to autonomy, tech systems have also proved to threaten privacy ( Martin et al., 2019) . There are deep-learning software intruders can use to access and decipher the information keyed into AI systems, often exploiting such data for malicious reasons.
The financial aspect in management also introduces a sensitive ethical concern when modern organizations finance digitalization initiatives with the proceeds in mind. Scholars have raised concerns in the recent past, regarding such tenets as knowledge, privacy, and trust ( Martin et al., 2019) . An organization’s commitment towards protecting its customers’ privacy, for instance, may be compromised when its marketing algorithm is pegged on analyzing consumer data and sending promotional messages based on customer needs. Technological applications that reduce the financial burden in business are less likely to be harshly scrutinized even when they compromise privacy and trust. Martin et al. (2019) emphasize that t here is a need to align the role of technology in business to allow managers to implement tech in a manner that pays attention to humanity value for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, and system users.
Strategies a Leader Can Use To Mitigate Potential Ethical Issues Created By Technology and Diversity
The most widely implemented strategy towards technology and diversity management is the formulation of stand-alone departments that take care of diversity and inclusion. Research and technological advancement have seen training techniques that feature diversity and inclusivity ( Martin, Shilton, & Smith, 2019) . The diversity and inclusion training focuses on cultivating open-mindedness and awareness on unintentional bias and organizational growth and their impacts on organizational decision-making, diversity and inclusion, and management. Therefore, the management should channel tremendous efforts towards organizing such training sessions for all their staff as it goes a long way in opening up their mind. The training sessions also boost consciousness towards modernity while enhancing awareness of the need for increased diversity and inclusion even in the tech era.
Besides organizing training sessions on diversity and inclusivity, managers can configure the company towards adhering to legal regulations and industry standards. The first step towards adhering to standards and regulations is developing and publicizing internal organizational controls. Stakeholders, including employees and consumers, are more likely to pay attention to ethical concerns like privacy when the company has channeled as much effort into ethical policies ( Bannister et al., 2020) . Aside from putting internal controls in place, organizations can explore anonymity when analyzing data sets and developing insights instead of using identifiable customer data.In the event there is a need to utilize identifiable consumer data, seeking the consumers' consent would go a long way in dealing with modern ethical concerns. Adhering to legislative regulations also enables managers to cultivate compliance to privacy protections, which has proven advantageous to both consumers and regulators.
Research also emphasizes the need to analyze technologies and their implications before adopting them. According to Martin, Shilton, & Smith (2019), the management must take the initiative to assess technological applications, the working mechanisms, and the connotations regarding ethical concerns like privacy, trust, knowledge, and human autonomy. Automated hiring algorithms, for instance, are developed to decipher the company’s qualifications and short-list individuals based on suitability scores. This technology, however, is prone to inaccuracies and inconsistencies with regard to moral obligations, rendering it heavily flawed. Such analysis goes a long way in shading light on technological inputs, and the weight of ethical challenges managers have to deal with ( Bannister, Sniderman, & Buckley, 2020) . Intensive research may also come in handy in creating digital communities of trust, where stakeholders have high regard for privacy, among other ethical norms.
Conclusion
Although there are countless ethical concerns surrounding managing technology and diversity, managers must recognize that ethics is relative and its perceptions vary from one person to another. In the face of technological advancement, managers are tasked with ensuring ethical organizational decision-making processes. Digitalization has significantly transformed organizational operations and posing ethical challenges regarding workplace culture and organizational performance. The most rampant technological application, artificial intelligence, has been integrated into various sectors across the board. The health sector, for instance, boasts of the capacity to automate radiography among other diagnostic procedures, boosting speeds and task efficacy. Some of the ethical concerns arising from managing technology and diversity include algorithm bias, system inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and low regard to ethical norms like privacy and personal autonomy. Research proposes various strategies towards managing such concerns, including the creation of a diversity and inclusivity department, carrying out extensive research, creating internal controls, and adhering to legal regulations on ethical issues.
References
Bannister, C., Sniderman, B., & Buckley, N. (2020). Ethical tech-Making ethics a priority in today’s digital organization. Deloitte Insights .
Martin, K., Shilton, K., & Smith, J. (2019). Business and the ethical implications of technology: Introduction to the symposium.
Nuseir, M. T., &Ghandour, A. (2019). Ethical issues in modern business management. International Journal of Procurement Management , 12 (5), 592-605.
Safdar, N. M., Banja, J. D., & Meltzer, C. C. (2020). Ethical considerations in artificial intelligence. European Journal of Radiology, 122. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.ejrad.2019.108768
Townes-Whitley, T. (2017, June 7). Ethics in emerging technologies [Video]. URL: https://ecorner.stanford.edu/in-brief/ethics-in-emerging-technologies/
