THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ENGINEERING ETHICS

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ROADMAP
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Discuss the individual influences on decision making Discuss the situational influences on decision making.

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Ethical Decision making Process

Recognize moral issue

Make moral judgment

Establish moral intent

Engage in moral Behavior

Fig: ethical decision making process

Source: derived from Rest(1986), as cited in Jones, T.M.(1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations : an issue contingent model. Academy of Management Review,16:366-95
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Influence on ethical decision making

Individual factors: unique characteristics of individuals making the relevant decision. These include factors which are given by birth(age, gender) and those acquired by experience and socialization. Situational factors: particular features of the context that influence whether the individual will make an ethical decision( reward systems, organization culture, job role).
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Ethical Decision making Process

Individual factors

Recognize moral issue

Make moral judgment

Establish moral intent

Engage in moral Behavior

Situational factors

Fig: Framework for ethical decision making

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Individual factors
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Age and Gender National and cultural characteristics Education and employment Psychological factors
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Cognitive moral development Locus of control Personal values Personal integrity Moral imagination

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National and cultural characteristics

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Individualism /collectivism This represents the degree to which one is autonomous and driven primarily to act for the benefit of ones self, contrasted with a more social orientation that emphasizes group working and community goals. Power Distance The extent to which the unequal distribution of hierarchical power and status are accepted and respected

National and cultural characteristics

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Uncertainty avoidance Ones preference for certainty, rules and absolute truths.

Masculinity/ femininity Emphasis is placed on valuing money and things(masculinity) versus valuing people and relationships
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Psychological factors
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Cognitive moral development refers to the different levels of reasoning that an individual can apply to ethical issues and problems. Locus of control Personal values An enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end state.

Psychological factors
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Personal integrity Adherence to moral principles or values Moral imagination Sense of variety of possibilities and moral consequences of their decisions , the ability to imagine a wide range of possible issues, consequences and solutions.

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Developing Moral Judgment

Kohlbergs Levels of Moral Development
Level 1 Preconventional Level

Level 2

Conventional Level

Level 3

Postconventional Level

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Developing Moral Judgment

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Why Managers / Employees Behave Ethically

1. To avoid some punishment

Most of Us
2. To receive some reward 3. To be responsive to family, friends, or superiors 4. To be a good citizen

Many of Us

Very Few Of Us

5. To do what is right, pursue some ideal

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Situational factors
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There are two main types of situational influences: Issue related factors- nature of the ethical issue itself Context related factors- which prompts us to seek guidance from those around us.

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Issue related factors

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Moral intensity: how important the issue is to the decision maker. Moral framing: how the issue is actually represented in the organization( some issues will be presented as important ethical issues while others are not.

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Moral intensity( proposed by Thomas Jones, 1991)

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Magnitude of consequences: sum of harms or benefits. Social consensus: the degree to which people are in agreement over the ethics of problem.

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Probability of effect: likelihood that the harms or benefits are actually going to happen.

Moral intensity( proposed by Thomas Jones, 1991)

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Temporal immediacy: speed with which the consequences are likely to happen Proximity: the feeling of nearness of decision maker for those affected. Concentration of effect: heavily on few or lightly on many.

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Moral framing
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Moral muteness: people are reluctant to ascribe moral terms to their work. 1. Harmony moral talk would disturb organizational harmony.(confrontation, finger pointing) 2. Efficiency moral talk could cloud issues, making decision making more difficult and time consuming. 3. Image of power and effectiveness-could be seen as idealistic and utopian.

Context related factors

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System of reward Authority Bureaucracy Work roles Organizational norms and culture National and cultural context.

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References
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Schinzinger, R, and Martin, M., Introduction to Engineering Ethics, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2000.

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