Trends in Organizational Behavior, Ethics and Technology

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Interesting questions! Let's take a closer look.

1. The influence of ethics on decision making

Webster's Dictionary (1982) defines ethical as "involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval; conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct". From one company pamphlet: "Values are what we, as a profession, judge to be right." (http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch15.html)

In other words, ethics influences decision-making through morals and values that are used to evaluate and make the decision. Both individually and organizationally, values determine what is right and what is wrong, and doing what is right or wrong is what we mean by ethics. To behave ethically is to behave in a manner consistent with what is right or moral. Thus, a person who is concerned with making ethical decisions is concerned with doing the right thing. In the workplace, companies develop a code of ethics of universal values to help workers evaluate decisions using these as criteria. Ethics influences decision-making when these ethical values are applied to all decisions that are made. (http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch15.html) Today, technology presents a host of ethical issues for workers, such as respecting the privacy of others (which is also a legal issue). Therefore, like other professionals, the matter of ethical decision-making confronts computer technology professionals on a daily basis.

Decision's in a public service job are influenced by the following ethical values.

EXAMPLE:

WILLBERN'S LEVEL OF PUBLIC MORALITY

? ETHIC OF COMPROMISE AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION
? ETHIC OF PUBLIC POLICY DETERMINATION
? ETHIC OF DEMOCRATIC RESPONSIBILITY
? SERVICE ORIENTATION AND PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS
? CONFLICT OF INTEREST
? BASIC HONESTY AND CONFORMITY TO LAW (http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch15.html).

In most organizations, a corporate code of conduct and ethics serves (or should serve) as the foundation upon which employees make decisions based on honesty, integrity, respect, confidence and trust. In this way, ethics influences decision-making positively by doing what is right. For example, the decision to tell the customer the truth is doing the right thing based on the value of honesty. The decision to use open communication with your cor-workers reflects the value of respect. This is doing what is important and what is right for the corporation. Making good ethical decisions requires a trained sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that should impact our choice of a course of action. Most organizations adopt a method for ethical decision that is absolutely essential. When practiced regularly, the method becomes so familiar that we work through it automatically without consulting the specific steps (http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html) (see excerpt at the end of this response for an example of a ethical framework).

2. The impact of technology on work-related stress

Information technology has increased job demands - including the demand of learning new skills, possibility of lost information due to computer crashes or demands of email and voicemail. Information ...