Ethical Decision Making

Ethical Decision Making
by James (Jamie) Fischer

Ethical leaders want to do right things the right way. They know that ethical failures can corrode and corrupt individuals, organizations, and communities. Their challenge is finding the most ethical approach without overly restricting conduct because such restraint can limit communication and creativity as people become naturally risk averse for fear of “doing something wrong.”

At Ethical Leaders in Action, we support positive results and more; we seek to empower ethical leaders to achieve extraordinary results. Rather than simply working to constrain unacceptable behavior, we see ethics as a framework for acting in ways that reflect the very best in us as human beings. Ethics in practice can make us even better than we already are.

People make choices all the time. Most are routine and have little or no ethical component to them. All decisions, rapid or deliberate, follow a basic pattern: we are faced with a want or need (the problem), we identify our options, weigh them, decide/act, and then observe the results. This can be automatic. But depending on the nature of the situation, some decisions have an extra dimension: ethics or morality come into play. There are several models worth considering.

About ten years ago, when I was training college students to be Army Officers, the Army took its basic Military Decision-Making Process and added an ethical dimension to it that looked like this: Receive the mission, analyze the mission, analyze the ethical aspects, identify courses of action, analyze the courses of action (to include ethical considerations), compare course of action, approve (the most ethical) course of action, and complete the plan.

This method highlighted the fact that staffs and leaders needed to keep ethical standards in mind when developing their plans. What was the basis for our ethics? At the time, it was the Laws of Land Warfare, the Code of Conduct, in-theater Rules of Engagement, Army Values, and the responsibility that we all had (through our oath to the Constitution) to the citizens of the United States. I taught these young leaders about proportionality, protected sites, our obligations to non-combatants, and the proper treatment of Prisoners of War (among other topics) in classes on the Laws of War. This was adequate as far as it went and certainly better than the processes available to leaders during the Vietnam era seeking to find a way through the intractable contradictions of that war. Today, in its primary leadership manual, the Army talks about the importance of ethical leadership, but does not proscribe a particular model or standard beyond the basics identified previously.

A non-profit called the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI) uses its PLUS Ethical Decision-Making Model to help members “operate their businesses at the highest levels of integrity.” This method incorporates steps common to most decision-making models (like the Army’s above) while incorporating a set of “filters” to make sure ethical considerations are taken into account before a decision is made. The recommended filter forms the acronym PLUS and represents:
• Policies – Is the decision consistent with my organization’s policies, procedures, and guidelines?
• Legal – Is the decision acceptable under the applicable laws and regulations?
• Universal – Does this option conform to the universal principles/values my organization has adopted?
• Self – Does this choice satisfy my personal definition of right, good and fair?
ECI recommends pausing at key steps in the planning process to consider these factors. In addition, they encourage organizations to provide employees with the knowledge and tools they need to make ethical decisions through regular communication, process, and education.

These models, and others like them, are effective when there is time to plan. They are connected to recognized standards of conduct. But they are tailored for circumstances that allow for a pause to think things through. What can help someone whose duties require on the spot decisions of the highest ethical quality?

Ethical Leaders in Action recommends a simple and straightforward model for those in positions of trust who must be prepared to act and react to situations at a moment’s notice. It was originally designed for corrections officers who often face people in less than desirable circumstances but must immediately respond to situations in a way that will bring about the best possible results for everyone involved – the person in custody, the officers, other prisoners, and the community that expects law enforcement to do the right thing. R.O.P.E. stands for a set of factors that anyone in a professional setting, especially public servants, should consider when making a decision:
• Rules – Know the relevant laws, regulations, and policies; how they are applied by peers, and how supervisors and executive leaders want them applied. We must also know who to ask and where to look when we DON’T know what rules or policies should govern our actions. You should understand how policy is applied in your organization and why so you are better able to obtain compliance and cooperation while showing respect from a position of strength.
• Outcomes – Sometimes just following the rules isn’t enough. There are gaps, and there are times for exceptions. When we are making an ethical decision, we want to consider what outcome we are trying to achieve and which of our options is most likely to achieve short AND long-term goals that are true to the mission, vision, and values of our organization.
• Professionalism – How we do our work matters. The reputation we build through solid performance for the right reasons consistently over time makes a difference. Public employees (law enforcement, code enforcement, DMV clerks, IRS officials) can have enormous power over people, and must exercise that authority judiciously and responsibly. Anyone whose work impacts other peopl faces a similar challenge. We need to know our jobs and how to do them. While not expecting perfection, we can be committed to achieving excellence over the course of our careers. Professionals can be passionate about their work, but make sure their actions are guided by reason and judgement aligned with the standards of their job, not personal feelings. They respond, rather than react, to situations.
• Equity – This is critical for maintaining an environment of fairness and fostering trust in government, other public agencies, and the corporate world. We want to be on the same page with our peers, so that the people know what to expect from the process, and so nobody wastes a bunch of energy trying to navigate the vagaries of an inefficient bureaucracy. This protects us from having to struggle for cooperation, explain perceived inequities, or manage resentments that could be avoided. We don’t want citizens, clients, customers, or co-workers to have reason to believe that we play favorites; we apply the same principles to everyone.

ROPE can keep you from falling into an ethical pit. It can keep you from hanging your professional reputation and career. As you anticipate challenges, using enough ROPE can help you prepare to intuitively make the best ethical choice. Regular application of this method through a process of reflection will strengthen your character, enhancing your ability to make decisions that are ethically sound even in the blink of an eye.

At Ethical Leaders in Action we believe that most, if not all people, can develop themselves to play leadership roles in many different spheres both large and small. The foundation of this development process is a short but powerful list of virtues which can be developed and improved through conscious effort. For more information feel free to take the Virtues of Ethical Leadership Self Inventory (VELSI) which breaks these virtues down into features that can be individually developed. The results of the VELSI come with a quick reference guide to help you understand how the virtues and their individual features fit together. https://ethinact.com/velsi/

See a list of other posts in this series at Blog Post Series

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