Conflicts of interest arise in all organizations. This module shows that no organization, whether public or private, is exempt from issues related to conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest result in being pulled in two different directions. Good people can make bad decisions that result in bad actions, especially when a conflict of interest exists. Our own sense of self-interest can negatively affect ethical decision making. As explored by Gunia et al. (2012), self-interested conversation leads to less ethical decisions, while contemplation and moral conversation lead to more ethical decisions.

For your discussion:

We all have faced conflicts of interest within our workplace. Often, these conflicts are not even consciously considered or evaluated as part of our decision-making process. Identify problems that you, as an employee, must deal with on a daily basis. Consider possible conflicts of interest you or others in your workplace must face. How does this affect decision making? Are these types of conflicts of interest avoidable? If so, how? If not, what can be done to minimize the possible unethical impact?