There is no shortage of difficult dilemmas facing organizations today. These dilemmas may relate to issues such as environmental concerns, government regulations, diversity in the workplace, employee safety, and labor practices. At any given moment, a leader may be confronted with a multitude of dilemmas. When a person faces a dilemma they process the facts through a set of beliefs. Their decisions are based on their beliefs. Here is an example: Some people are terrified of snakes. Those who fear snakes immediately want to take action when they see one - kill it or run away. In reality, most snakes are more afraid of you than you them. There are far more non-venomous snakes than venomous. But often when we see a snake, our belief is that snakes are bad, and our action is to run or fight. Leaders face those same kinds of issue. Leaders are experience. They have formed opinions or beliefs about their past experiences. Their actions reflect the beliefs formed by what they have experienced.
Discussion Prompt
In this scenario, you are the manager of a laboratory in a small town. The decision to close this laboratory has been made, but not communicated to anyone, and the lab is going to relocate to the corporate office several states away. The employees will be laid off. The company is waiting to see the latest financial results before making an announcement to the employees or the public.
One night you are bowling with some of your employees. One of them tells you that he is going to buy a house that he and his wife have seen. With the overtime that he has been earning they can afford to make the purchase. You are relatively certain that his job will be eliminated in the next six to eight weeks. Do you tell him about the laboratory's relocation that night, or do you keep silent due to your obligation as a manager of the company? Justify your decision in a fully-developed explanation that relates to ethics.
Tasks
- Describe a decision about divulging confidential information about a company's future.
- Justify the decision to divulge, or not divulge, confidential information about a company's future. Relate the justification to ethics.