MORAL

DILEMMAS
 A moral dilemma is a situation
or event that questions the
morals of a person in a temporary
situation. The person can return
to those morals after the event,
but for the duration of the event
they must choose one moral that
over rules another.
Moral dilemmas are ethical
quandaries that present
challenges as to which
decision to make at any
given moment.
Cassandra
J. Smith
Where you are faced with a
situation that two beliefs you hold
conflict with each other and one
belief must be discarded
temporarily to solve the problem
The most common moral dilemma
put forward is “is it right to save
many people if i kill one person”, a
situation that contrast the morality
of murder with the morality of
salvation. In such a case the
answer is variable depending on the
individual’s personality and culture
which will combine to put a higher
priority on one moral over another.
 Moral dilemmas are serious
issues in workplaces like the
military, politics, and medicine,
where human lives can be
determined on a regular basis.
Moral dilemmas can also be found
at lesser degrees in the school
yard where children have to
choose one friend over another.
The main thing is that these moral
choices are temporary and are thus
fluid and changeable. The problem
only occurs if the person has to
make the same choice repetitively,
which can have a more permanent
effect.
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
There are several types of moral dilemmas, but the most
common of them are categorized into the following:

1)epistemic and ontological dilemmas

epistemic dilemma - involves situations where there are two or
more moral requirements that conflict with each other. The moral agent
hardly knows which one takes precedence over the other.
Ex: going home early vs helping someone hurt
you meet along the way.
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
There are several types of moral dilemmas, but the most
common of them are categorized into the following:

Ontological moral dilemma, on the other hand involves

two or more moral requirements, yet neither of these conflicting
requirements overrides each other.
Ex: A medical doctor with only one pack of
blood needs to choose between soldier A
or soldier B as both need blood transfusion.
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
2) self-imposed and world imposed dilemmas

Self- Imposed Moral Dilemma - is caused by a

moral agent’s wrongdoings.

Ex: A congressional candidate who promised

the people to protect the environment and
promised favors to the mining corporation
who supported his candidacy
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
2) self-imposed and world
imposed dilemmas

World-imposed Moral Dilemma- certain

events in the world place the moral agent in a
situation of moral conflict.
Ex. During World War II Sophie was forced to
choose which of her two children
should
go to the gas chamber
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
3)obligation and prohibition dilemmas

Obligation Dilemma- involves more than having

one feasible action as obligatory.

Ex. The obligation to stay and protect your

mother or to leave her and join the army to
serve your country and protect many
people.
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS

3)obligation and prohibition dilemmas

 Prohibition Dilemma – all feasible actions are

 forbidden.

Ex. Sophie’s choice – if she will not choose

one of her kids to go to the gas chamber,
both of her children have to die
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
4) single agent and multi- person dilemmas

Single agent- the agent “ought, all things considered,

to do A, ought, all things considered, to do B, and she
cannot do both A and B”.
Example: For instance, a medical doctor found out that
her patient has HIV. For sure, the medical doctor may
experience tension between the legal requirement to
report the case and the desire to respect confidentiality,
although the medical code of ethics acknowledges our
obligation to follow legal requirements and to intervene to
protect the vulnerable.
TYPES OF MORAL DILEMMAS
4) single agent and multi- person dilemmas
Multi-person dilemma, on the other hand, “…the
situation is such that one agent, P1, ought to do A, a
second agent, P2, ought to do B, and though each
agent can do what he ought to do, it is not possible
both for P1 to do A and P2 to do B.”
Examples:
1) A family may be torn between choosing to
terminate or prolong the life of a family member.
2) An organization may have to choose between
complying with the wage law by cutting its workforce
or by retaining its current workforce by paying them
below the required minimum wage.
 LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

A moral dilemma is a situation in which a person is torn between

right and wrong. A moral dilemma involves a conflict with the very
core of a person's principles and values. The choice
the person makes may leave him feeling burdened, guilty, relieved,
or questioning their values .There are difficulties in arriving at the
solutions to the problems of dilemma.
The three complex situations
leading to moral dilemmas are:
1. The problem of vagueness. One is
unable to distinguish between good
and bad principles. Good means an
action that is obligatory. For
example code of ethics specifies
that we should obey the laws and
follow standards
Example:
Refuse bribe or accept gift and
maintain confidentiality?
The three complex situations
leading to moral dilemmas are:
2. The problem of conflicting
reasons. One is unable to choose
between two good moral solutions.
One has to fix priority through
knowledge and value system.
Example:
A doctor can only save either a
mother or her child.
The three complex situations
leading to moral dilemmas are:

3. The problem of disagreement - there may be two or more

solutions and none of them mandatory. These solutions may be
better or worse in some respects but not in all aspects. One has to
interpret, apply different moral reasons and analyze and rank
decisions. Select the best solution under the existing and most
problematic situation
LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA

INDIVIDUAL DILEMMA- a moral

dilemma experienced by a
person which challenges his
values or priorities.
Individual Ethical Decision-Making

There are many approaches to the

individual ethical decision-making
process in business. However, one of
the more common was developed by
James Rest and has been called the
four-step or four-stage model of
individual ethical decision-making.
Numerous scholars have applied this
theory in the business context.
The four steps include:

ethical issue recognition

ethical (moral) judgment

ethical (moral) intent

ethical (moral) behavior.

1. ETHICAL ISSUE
RECOGNITION.
 Before a person can apply any standards of
ethical philosophy to an issue, he or she must
first comprehend that the issue has an ethical
component. This means that the ethical
decision-making process must be "triggered"
or set in motion by the awareness of an
ethical dilemma. Some individuals are likely
to be more sensitive to potential ethical
problems than others. Numerous factors can
affect whether someone recognizes an ethical
issue; some of these factors are discussed in
the next section.
 2. ETHICAL (MORAL)
JUDGMENT.

 If an individual is confronted with a situation or issue that he or she

recognizes as having an ethical component or posing an ethical
dilemma, the individual will probably form some overall impression or
judgment about the rightness or wrongness of the issue. The individual
may reach this judgment in a variety of ways, as noted in the earlier
section on ethical philosophy.
 3.ETHICAL (MORAL) INTENT.

 Once an individual reaches an ethical judgment about a situation or

issue, the next stage in the decision-making process is to form a
behavioral intent. That is, the individual decides what he or she will do
(or not do) in regard to the perceived ethical dilemma.
 3.ETHICAL (MORAL) INTENT.

 According to research, ethical judgments are a strong predictor of

behavioral intent. However, individuals do not always form intentions
to behave that are in accord with their judgments, as various
situational factors may act to influence the individual otherwise.
 4.ETHICAL (MORAL)
BEHAVIOR.

 The final stage in the four-step model of ethical decision-making is to

engage in some behavior in regard to the ethical dilemma. Research
shows that behavioral intentions are the strongest predictor of actual
behavior in general, and ethical behavior in particular. However,
individuals do now always behave consistent with either their

judgments or intentions in regard to ethical issues.

 4.ETHICAL (MORAL)
BEHAVIOR.

 This is particularly a problem in the business context, as peer group

members, supervisors, and organizational culture may influence
individuals to act in ways that are inconsistent with their own moral
judgments and behavioral intentions.
 ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMA

is a complex situation at workplace that the employees and the

managers have to face that result in a conflict of moral imperatives. It is
the paradox of choosing one option over the other as both the options
available transgress each other. Organizational dilemma is a challenge for
every organization nowadays; it is all about how to match discrepancy
between individual needs and aspirations on the one hand and the
organizational goals on the other. Organizational dilemma may include
different types of problems.
 STRUCTURAL DILEMMA

Finding a satisfactory system of roles and relationship is an

ongoing universal struggle. Managers confront enduring
structural problems often without answers.
 1. Differentiation
Vs Integration

The tension between allocating work and coordinating

sundry efforts creates a classic dilemma. The more complex a role
structure (lots of people doing many things) the harder it is to
sustain a tightly coupled enterprise
 2.Gap Vs Overlap

If key responsibilities are not clearly assigned, important

tasks fall through the crack. Conversely roles and activities can
overlap creating conflict, wasted effort unintended redundancy.
 3. Lack of Clarity vs Lack of
Creativity

If employees are unclear about what they are supposed to

do, they often tailor their roles around personal preferences
instead of system-wide goals frequently leading to trouble
 4. Excessive Autonomy vs
Excessive Interdependence

When individuals or groups are too autonomous, people

often feel isolated. In contrast, if units and roles are too tightly
linked, people are distracted from work and waste time in
unnecessary coordination.