Ethics form an integral part of every professional practice and are the moral principles that guide how people interrelate in the workplace. As a professional having strong decision-making capabilities is also important since it affects not only the employee but also the organization in general. Ethical problem solving ensures that all the decisions made in the workplace are fair and just, represent the interests of all stakeholders, are utilitarian, and do not cause cognitive dissonance to the decision maker and the parties involved. The balanced principle approach is the best since it looks after all stakeholders’ interests in the decision making process. The organizational culture affects the acceptability of decisions depending on the strength or weakness of the culture. It also spells out the roles of people in the decision-making process and is a representative of company policies that influence how people act in the workplace.
Problem approach involves different steps depending on the complexity of the problem and the available solutions (Carrol, Brown & Buchholtz, 2017). The first step is the identification of the problem whereby the person points out what the issue is, why it should be resolved and the stakeholders in the decision making process and if there is a deadline to when the solution should be found (Rothaermel, 2016). The next step is the problem analysis whereby research is done and problem-relevant information collected to ensure that all aspects of the problem are addressed and possible solutions identified. Once the solutions are identified the third step is the judgment of the alternatives to ensure that the final decision is ethical and provides the best outcome (Shaw & Barry, 2015). Different criteria are used in determining the ethicality of the decisions which are the utilitarian approach, the rights approach, the justice and fairness approach, common good approach and the virtue approach (Rothaermel, 2016).
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The utilitarian approach involves analyzing the beneficial and harmful consequences of the decision then choosing the least harmful and most beneficial one while the rights approach involves examining the rights of the stakeholders and how best to satisfy all of them (Mallin, 2013). The fairness and justice approach considers the decision that does not favor or discriminate any of the stakeholders and if it does it must have a justifiable reason while the common good approach favors the decision whose outcome will benefit all stakeholders (Shaw & Barry, 2015). The virtue approach favors the decision that does not violate the stakeholders' values and beliefs leading to cognitive dissonance in the decision-making process. After considering the alternatives the fourth step is brainstorming and analyzing all the possible alternatives, the fifth step is alternative evaluation and the sixth step the selection of the best cause of action after weighing the pros and cons of each choice (Carrol et.al., 2017). The decision is executed in the seventh step and then the results evaluated in the eighth step.
I often reflect on the many people and issues involved and who and what is affected by the outcomes of my decisions every time I have to decide on something. I analyze the problem and weigh the options using the listed steps to come to a fair and ethical decision in the end. There is no one best way to address all problems since every problem is unique and has unique alternatives as well (Rothaermel, 2016). There are factors however that need to be considered in every decision making process to ensure that the organization gets the best results from their decisions since they highly affect their brand image and brand equity (Carrol et.al., 2017). These factors include the return on investment of the decision since every profit-oriented business's primary goal is to make profits. The decision should not negatively affect the profitability, and the effect on the brand image should be considered too.
The best decisions should not cause adverse publicity or lower the business' brand equity, and it should also consider the opportunity cost of the foregone alternative (Rothaermel, 2016). The decision that brings the utmost good to all stakeholders involved is the best decision and should also consider the organizational regulations and industry policies to ensure that it complies with the set rules and regulations in the business and the industry it operates in (Mallin, 2013). I would encourage the implementation of the balanced interests principle approach in the business decision-making process. The approach is the best since it considers all the stakeholder's needs and ensures that the decision-making process is fair and just, advocates for the decision that advances the common good of all parties involved and is utilitarian (Shaw & Barry, 2015).
Organizational culture refers to the distinctive values and behaviors that characterize the workplace environment in an organization (Mallin, 2013). It plays a crucial role in the decision making process because it influences how employees interrelate with one another, the management and other stakeholders in the organization an aspect that can stall or facilitate decision making (Rothaermel, 2016). In an organization with a strong organizational culture that encourages a two-way communication style, the decision making is inclusive and enriched since it allows employee participation and gives room for different perspectives to the problem. The organizational culture also spells out predefined policies which give the decision making process direction, therefore, facilitating fast and effective decision making (Carrol et.al., 2017). Employees can be trained to have ethical behaviors through orienting them before employing them, holding on the job training sessions on ethics and providing a written guideline on ethical behaviors and practices both on soft copy and hard copy.
References
Carrol, A. B., Brown, J., & Buchholtz, A. K. (2017). Business and society: ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management . Stamford: Cengage Learning.
Mallin, C. A. (2013). Corporate governance . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rothaermel, F. T., (2016). Strategic management , 3 rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Shaw, W. H., & Barry, V. E. (2015). Moral issues in business . Australia: Wadsworth.
