Managing People and Organization: Ethical Decision-Making Analysis

This essay delves into the critical role of ethical decision-making in modern organizations. It begins by defining ethical decision-making and its significance in managerial practice, emphasizing the need to balance organizational profit with ethical considerations. The literature review explores the capabilities and skills required for ethical decision-making, the impact of personality traits, and various ethical theories such as Kantianism and Utilitarianism. It also examines the use of questionnaires like the Big Five, emotional intelligence, and stress management to assess individual approaches to ethical dilemmas. The essay further discusses the importance of ethical leadership, its influence on employee performance and workplace environment, and the evolution of ethical decision-making processes. The essay also highlights the importance of considering the positive and negative aspects of decisions, the use of ethical theories, and the influence of moral character and motivation on ethical choices. The summary also includes the role of leaders in handling ethical dilemmas and the impact of heterogeneous groups in making ethical decisions.

Running head: MANAGING PEOPLE AND ORGANISATION
Managing People and Organisation
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:

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Introduction
Ethical decision making can be described as the process of evaluation which includes
choosing the alternatives that are consistent with the ethical principles (Redpath, S. M., Young,
J., Evely, A., Adams, W. M., Sutherland et al., 2013). The authors Taylor, Doherty and McGraw
(2015) are of the opinion that during the process of ethical decision making, it is important to
eliminate and perceive the unethical options and also select the ethical perspectives. However,
Ford and Richardson (2013), on the other hand, are of the opinion that it is also important to
consider whether there are overriding factors in the decisions. Other factors that are taken into
consideration during the process of ethical decision comparing the different benefits which
different approaches for the same process would yield (Ford & Richardson,2013). Decision-
making factors that leaders consider before making a decision are reasoning and it also indicates
whether to make their decision public or not. The problems related to the ethical decision
making arises when the leaders need to decide whether they follow the course of action which is
beneficial not only for the organisation and the people related to it or they should focus on the
actions which are likely to further enhance the profit margin of the organisation concerned
(Meier, Favero & Zhu, 2015). It is a reflection of this particular fact that the managerial
decisions in the present times involve ethical considerations as well. It is also important that the
managers recognise the ethical decisions that are embedded in the day to day functions.
Furthermore, the managers should take into consideration the fact that the decisions made by
them should be in synchronisation not only with the ethical theories but also with the various
legislations (Shapiro, Stefkovich & Gutierrez, 2014).
The structure of the essay will be based on the brief review of the literature which will
focus on certain aspects like concept of ethical decision making and its relation to effective

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managerial practice; the capabilities and the skills that are necessary for the ethical decision
making; a discussion of how personality relates to the good ethical decision making. The essay
will also include an evaluation of the 3 questionnaires: big five questionnaires, emotional
intelligence and stress management questionnaire. A thorough plan will be laid out that will
specify the individual goals and will be done by SMART goal framework.
Literature review
The ethical dimension of an executive leader is considered to be vital due to the potential
of the executive to influence the employee and also the organizational behaviour. The changing
nature of the business world has made it imperative not only to focus on the amount of profit
which they generate on yearly basis but also to try to make a positive contribution towards the
cause of the environment and the wider community (Taylor, Doherty & McGraw, 2015). It is
here that the concept of ethical decision making gains significance within the framework of the
modern day business world. Therefore, it is generally seen that the various managers as well as
the leaders related to a particular organisation are often in a dilemma as to the course of action
which they need to follow for the process of their business. On the one hand, the various
managers are required to take the kind of decisions which are not only to enhance the margin of
profit gained by the concerned organisation whereas on the other hand they are also required to
take the kind of decisions which are not only ethical but also fair (Taylor, Doherty & McGraw,
2015). Thus, it would be apt to say that the concept of ethical decision making process has
gained a considerable amount of significance in the present times.
The five major personality traits which are useful for the purpose of ethical leadership are
conscientiousness, agreeableness, experience or openness, extraversion and neuroticism
(Cavazotte, Moreno & Hickmann, 2012). According to a study conducted by Özbağ (2016), the

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concept of neuroticism is found to have a negative effect on the process of ethical leadership and
also on the perception of the employees. Christian and Ellis (2014) are also of the opinion that
the traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness and experience and openness are important for the
process of ethical leadership. It has been suggested by Pohling et al., (2016) the process of
ethical leadership has emerged as one of the most important ones within the framework of the
contemporary business and it is a reflection off this particular fact that the various leaders as well
as the managers related to the various organisations are increasingly taking the help of this
particular concept to not only lead the various entities related to the organisation in the most
effective manner but also for the management of them. The authors are further of the opinion
that the concept of ethical decision is very important for the performance level of the employees
as it is generally seen that if a manager or a leader takes help of this particular decision then he or
she is likely to improve the performance level of the employees in a significant manner. The use
of the concept of ethical decision making also helps in the creation of a positive environment at
the workplace which in turn considerably helps in the improvement of the performance of the
employees in a significant manner (Taylor, Doherty & McGraw, 2015). Therefore, it can be said
that the use of the concept of ethical decision making has become an imperative one for the
various managers as well as leaders in the contemporary business world not for the effective
management of the individuals who are related to the organisation but also for the improvement
of the prospects of the concerned organisation (Taylor, Doherty & McGraw, 2015).
In the present times it is seen that various kinds of ethical theories for the process
decision making has gained prominence. The major ethical theory which the various
organisations as well as the managers who are related to them take the help of not only for the
process of their business but also to justify the actions used by them for the process of the

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enhancement of the net profit gained by them is the ethical theory of Kantianism (Yidong &
Xinxin, 2013). The particular theory believes in the concept that “the end justifies the means
taken to achieve that particular end” (Yidong & Xinxin, 2013). Therefore, the various business
organisations of the present times as well as the diverse managers related to them take the help of
this particular method to justify the use of the unethical means used by them for the process of
the enhancement of the net profit gained by them. However, other scholars are of the opinion that
the various organisation of the present times should try to take the help the help of the ethical
theory of Utilitarianism (Yidong & Xinxin, 2013). According to this particular theory the various
organisations of the present times should try to take the help of the kind of actions which is not
only likely to provide the maximum benefit to the organisation concerned but also to the other
people (Yidong & Xinxin, 2013). It is a reflection of this particular factor that the concept of the
positive contribution towards the society as well as the community has gained a considerable
amount of significance in the present times. Furthermore, it is generally seen that the use of this
particular theory also helps in the creation of positive image for the organisation which in turn
has gained prominence in the present times.
The recent changes within the framework of the contemporary business world has made t
imperative for the various organisations as well as the managers related to them to take the help
of various kinds of innovative decision making processes. The most commonly used method of
ethical decision making process which the majority of the business organisations as well as the
managers related to them take the help is the process of first weighing all the positive as well as
the negative aspects of the decision which is being made and then trying to find out all the
alternatives which the organisation has for the same decision (Yidong & Xinxin, 2013). Finally,
the managers choose the best course of action which is available to them which is not only likely

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to enhance the financial prospects of the organisation but also would contribute to the benefit to
the maximum number of people. It is significant to note that in the present times it is generally
seen that the various managers as well as the leaders take the help as well as the suggestions of
their colleagues and the individuals whom the decision is likely to affect in a significant manner.
Liew (2013) is of the opinion that the current framework of decision making ethically has
various shortcomings and limitations. Liew based his study on the considerations of moral
competencies and that is designated as the moral virtues. The study also highlights the moral
characters and how it contributes to the ethical decision making. The study analysed the four
moral competencies and its universal nature like the temperance, fortitude, justice and prudence
and how these competencies influence the different stages of ethical decision making. It was
proposed by Morales-Sánchez & Cabello-Medina (2013), that the moral character, moral
motivation, moral judgement and moral sensitivity have a positive impact on the ethical decision
making. It was argued by Thiel, Bagdasarov, Harkrider, Johnson & Mumford(2012), thatthe
organizational leaders facepressures and environmental challenges that put the managers under
the ethical risk. It has been found that the traditional methods of the ethical decision making are
not sufficient to respond accurately to the ethical dilemmas. Four compensatory and trainable
strategies like the information integration, forecasting, self-reflection, emotion reflection are
found to be aiding the leaders in handling the ethical dilemmas within the organizations. It was
suggested by Craft (2013), that empirical researchers and examination have demonstrated that
effective implementation of the strategies has aided the leaders to solve the ethical dilemmas and
also helped in promoting the ethical behaviour.
Yidong & Xinxin (2013) suggested that the process of ethical decision making is being
used by the various organisations as well as the managers related to the various industries to

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make the kind of decisions which can significantly enhance the brand image of the organisation.
Therefore, the concept of ethical decision making process is being used by the various
organisations to broaden up the corporate and the individual priorities also the shareholder
enrichment and profit. The ethical factors influence the leaders to make sound decisions so that
the organization can be protected from unethical behaviour. Emmett Emery (2017), conducted a
study in which the Drucker theory of management is used as a framework for the study and 98
participants participated. It has been found that the decision-making skill exits within the
practising and knowing the decision-making skills. Hassan, Mahsud, Yukl & Prussia (2013),
argued through a study on empowering leadership and the ethical leadership. Data from the 259
responders who worked as public and private senior managers were collected. The results from
the findings indicate that the empowering leadership and ethical leadership have a positive
relationship with the leader-member exchange relations, a perception of leader-member
effectiveness and leader effectiveness. Hunt, Layton & Prince (2015), suggested that both the
practitioners and the researchers have shown an interest in the ethical decision making in the
workplace. This study focuses on an extra dimension and examines the ethical group's decision
making changed along with the function of time and racial diversity. DeGrassi, Morgan, Walker,
Wang & Sabat (2012), held the fact that the heterogeneous group are more likely to make ethical
decisions in comparison to the homogeneous groups.
Summary
The ethical decision making is a vital part of the diverse business organizations from the
perspective of the employee management. This effectively includes the managers and senior
leaders of an organization and their emphasis on the ethical principles and the ethical standards
play a major role in the ethical decision making. The personality traits of the leaders and the

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managers together play a big role in ethical decision making and in turn, such decisions influence
the employees of an organization.
Evaluation
The evaluation is based on the 3 different types of the questionnaires like the big 5,
emotional intelligence and stress management questionnaire. The detailed summary and analysis
are provided in the appendix section.
Big 5 Personality Test- The questionnaire has 5 different factors or dimension
(Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness). The extraversion
dimension describes a person to be energized when they stay with other rather when they are
alone. Extraverts are the people that are socialized with others while the introverts are the ones
that prefer to spend time alone. The score indicates that I am average in my motivation and I
seek for the social rewards. I also have the desire for prestige, influence, admiration. The results
also indicate that I become content when receive recognition from others. In agreeableness, the
score reveals that I am typical because I balance interests of others with my own interests. I am
willing to sacrifice my needs for some time but at the same time, I consider myself for a bit.
Conscientiousness- the score reveals that I an organized and orderly. I consider myself to be
responsible and reliable. I do not mind the hard work and I prefer to be persistent in pursuing my
goals. Neuroticism- the score indicates that I am very typical and I have the tendency to
experience the negative emotions. I feel guilt, anger, worry and sadness like an average person. I
am neither overly reactive nor resistant to the stresses. Openness- the score reveals that I am high
on openness and I consider myself to be creative and an imaginative person. I am interested in
artistic expression and intellectual expression. I am also unconventional and adventurous.

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Stress management competency indicator tool- The results of all the 4 competencies
are below the 75 percent. This tool is designed for effectively reducing and preventing stress at
the workplace. The aim of the tool is to reflect upon one’s own management style and behaviour.
The four competencies are all in the “development needed” condition. The score reveals that I
would be befitting from some development in these areas. The first competency is being
responsible and respectful (having integrity and managing emotions), the sub-competency that
needs to be developed is integrity, managing emotions and also need the sub-competency of
considerate approach. The second competency is communicating and managing the existing and
the future work through developing the sub-competencies of empowering, participative,
problem-solving and proactive work management. The fourth competency is managing
individuals in a team includes the development of the individuals in the sub-competencies of
personally accessible, sociable and empathetic engagement. The fourth competency is reasoning
and managing the difficult decisions through developing the competencies of the managing
conflict, using the organizational resources and taking the responsibility for resolving the issues.
Emotional intelligence- The total score is 53 and this reveals that my emotional
intelligence is average. The results indicate that I will have good relationships with some of the
colleagues, but there are other colleagues with whom I will have difficulty to work with since I
will be having difficulty to comprehend the emotions of the other people at the workplace. The
average score indicates that I am on the self regulation section and therefore I need to work on
this particular aspect of my character. The good part of the test is that it revealed that I will have
an opportunity in improving the working relationship significantly. The self-awareness section
reveals that I need to understand my weakness and strengths in order to build my self-awareness.
I personally believe that a personal SWOT would be helpful in this particular regard.

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Self-regulation- Self-regulation is about staying in control and in order to development
myself I need to manage my emotions. Thus, if I get angry I must think about what triggers this
feeling. I must use techniques like deep breathing for anger management. Motivation-self-
motivation is strongly affected by my emotions. Empathy- I must try not to about my own
feelings during any conservation. Social skills- I do not run away from the negative situation and
rather deal with them effectively.
Thorough plan
The two major goals selected for the study is development of emotional intelligence and
communication skills. The two goals will be achieved by the SMART goal framework.
SMART goal framework is used for the purpose of making the goal reachable and clear.
The SMART is an acronym and S stands for Specific (significant, sensible and simple),
Measurable (motivating and meaningful), Achievable (attainable and agreed), Relevant (results
based, resourced and realistic, reasonable), Time-bound (time sensitive, cost/time-limited, time-
limited, time-based) (Mindtools, 2018).
First goal (emotional intelligence)-
The score which I got on the emotional intelligence test is 53 which mean that I need to
develop this particular skill. I would like to comment in this particular context the development
of emotional intelligence is a very wide and would require a considerable amount of time for the
achievement of this particular goal. Therefore, initially I would focus on the development of my
self-awareness.

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Specific
I would like to accomplish the quality of a person who will be able to have the qualities
of self-awareness and will be able to work with the other individuals in an effective manner. This
goal is important because self-awareness is the most crucial part of our life. Therefore, for the
achievement of this particular goal I would have to take the help of various kinds of activities
like meditation, spirituality, interviewing the people who take the help of this particular process,
watching the past lectures as well as the interviews related to this particular concept and others.
Measurable
I would like to mention in this particular context that the concept of self-awareness is an
intangible quantity and cannot be measured in an effective manner just like the other
commodities of our day-to-day lives. Therefore, I will have to depend on my intuition as well as
continuous learning process for the process of gaining this particular skill. However, I would like
to comment here that I would be able to know that I have attained this particular skill when I
would be able to work the other individuals in a much better and give respect to their emotions in
an effective manner.
Achievable
I personally believe that this particular goal is completely achievable and can be achieved
through the help of various kinds of methods. Proper execution of the tasks will require the extra
effort of effective planning. Breaking the task into several parts and then doing them individually
can be a proper way. The goal is realistic and achievable and is not based on any financial
constraints, however, the performing certain tasks can have financial constraints.

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Relevant
I would like to comment in this particular context that the goal is completely relevant to
the overall goal which I have set out to achieve, namely, the goal of the attainment of the skill of
emotional intelligence. I would also like to comment in this particular context that this particular
goal is likely to help me to overcome the weakness which I have.
Time-bound
I would like to comment in this particular context the achievement of the skill of self-
awareness generally requires a very long time and can in many ways be seen as a long-term
process. However, I have given myself a time period of one year for the achievement of this
particular set out by me. Furthermore, I would also like to comment in this particular context that
this particular goal is completely realistic and would require a considerable amount of hard work
on my part for its achievement.
The second goal (improvement of communication skills)-
My score on the “Stress Management Competency Indicator Tool” shows that I need to
further develop my communicating skills for my existing as well as future job roles. I would like
to achieve the goal of developing my communication not only for my present purposes but also
to further enhance my future prospects. Once again I would take the help of the SAMRT
framework for the effective attainment of this particular skill.
Specific
I would take the help of a workshop where I would be taught to communicate in a much
better manner with various kinds of people. The workplace would not only provide me with the

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necessary skills of verbal communication but would at the same time provide me with the
necessary skill of non-verbal communication. The workshop would provide me with various
kinds of demo-sessions where I would be able to develop my communication skills and they will
also help me with the recorded interview videos of the people use the tool of communication in
an effective manner. I am hoping that this is .likely to help me to develop my communication
skills.
Measurable
The periodical mock-communication sessions taken by the trainer at the workshop and
the results of those sessions would provide me with a significant amount of information about
the extent to which I have attained this particular skill. Furthermore, I would also like to add here
that I would be able to know the extent to which I have attained this particular skill when I would
be able to use this particular skill in my everyday life.
Achievable
I would like to comment in this particular context that this particular goal is completely
however I will require a considerable amount of hard work as well as dedication on my part.
Furthermore, this particular goal would also enable me to achieve the greater goal of overcoming
the inherent weakness of my character.
Relevant
The goal seems worthwhile and it is the right time. It can match my other goal of proper
time management. Considering the present socio-economic development, it is necessary for each

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and every people in an organizational setting to communicate properly. Furthermore, the
achievement of this particular goal would help me in a significant manner in future career and
life. Therefore, I would say that the goal is completely relevant for me.
Time-bound
I would like to comment in this particular context that the achievement of this particular
goal would require a considerable amount of time however the workshop would provide me
training for only six weeks. Therefore, I am hoping that six weeks from now I will be able to
converse with my friends, family in a better way and what it can do now is to focus on my
learning.
Conclusion
Thus, from the above study, it can be concluded that ethical decision making process has
emerged as one of the most important concepts within the framework of the modern day business
world. Ethical decision making helps the manager and the leaders to make the proper decisions
during the difficult times which has ethical dilemma within it. The ethical decision takes into
account the three different perspectives like the ethics of reason, ethics of care, ethics of
obedience. The ethical decision making is a vital ingredient for the social dimension when
encountered with the difficult choices. Therefore, it would be apt to say that it has become very
important for the various managers as well as the business organisations to take into effective
consideration the factor of ethical decision making process.

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Appendix
Big Five Inventory

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Results of Big five inventory are:
Extraversion: 33
Agreeableness- 33
Conscientiousness- 37
Neuroticism- 27
Openness- 39
Stress management competency indicator tool
Table 1: RESPECTFUL AND RESPONSIBLE: MANAGING EMOTIONS AND HAVING
INTEGRITY

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Table 2: MANAGING AND COMMUNICATING EXISTING AND FUTURE WORK

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Table 3: MANAGING THE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE TEAM

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Table 4: REASONING/MANAGING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

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Table 5: Stress management competency profile
Emotional intelligence

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The total score is 53