ETHICAL DECISION MAKING Trudy T Arriaga Ed D

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING Trudy T. Arriaga, Ed. D.

Discuss the meaning of ethics with your seat partner and share one word that represents ETHICS to you. Be prepared to share your word. .

ETHICS DEFINED • Ethics: Roots in the Greek word ethos, which means “customs”, “conduct” or “character. ” • A standard of how we should behave. • Ethics is doing what you should do…acting honorably. • Ethical theory provides a system of rules or principles that guide us in making decisions about what is right or wrong and good or bad in specific situations. • A basis for understanding what it means to be a morally decent human being.

WHY DISCUSS ETHICS? • As educators, we are required to make decisions constantly. • Some are easy…. involve efficiency, availability, practicality, preference. • Some are easy…. no question between yes / no, right / wrong.

WHY DISCUSS ETHICS? • Many decisions are not so easy…. – In a split second, our minds • Review the facts • Explore our feelings • Study consequences • Compare options against our beliefs and priorities • Consider what others may think • Consider the impact on others

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP Being ethical often entails a shortterm, upfront cost that we must be willing to pay. Share an ethical dilemma that you have encountered in your leadership.

AS DECISION MAKERS • Is it worth our time to explore how we make ethical decisions? • Is it worth our time to share strategies, alternative ways to resolve an ethical decision? • Is it worth our time to refer our ethical decisions back to our guiding principles and norms as leaders?

HOW TO MAKE ETHICAL DECISIONS 1. Think about the impact of your actions on all the stakeholders. Who is likely to be helped or harmed? 2. Utilize the ethical principles of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, and caring. 3. A practiced sensitivity and method for exploring the ethical aspects of decision making. 4. Rely on discussion and dialogue with others about the dilemma.

“Only by careful exploration of the problem, guiding principles aided by insights and different perspectives of others, can we make good ethical choices. ”

UTILIZE OUR CAPACITY • Capacity to listen. • Capacity to respect. • Capacity to suspend our certainty that we are right. • Capacity to tell the truth and feel safe to speak up. • Capacity to apologize when we are wrong…. . and we will be.

EVALUATE THE ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS • Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm? • Which option respects the rights of all who have a stake? • Which option treats people equally or proportionately? • Which option best serves the community as a whole, not just some members? • Which option leads me to act as the kind of person I want to be?

Ethical Questions for the Executive Leader • How do you model ethical behavior and what steps do you take to promote ethical behavior among your staff members? • Has there been a time in your career when you have had to set aside your ethics due to pressure from a political issue? • What is your bottom line? • How do you handle colleagues who do not meet the ethical standards that you expect? • Site examples in your career when your personal ethics helped to guide your decisions.

BAD CHOICE DETECTORS • Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. • Publicity: How would your choice look on the front page of the school newspaper, or on 20/20…. or 60 minutes? • Mom on your shoulder – What if your mom or grandmother was watching you? • Universality- If everyone did it, would it be a good thing?

COST OF BEING ETHICAL • Similar to the premium we pay for all meaningful things in our lives… – College Education: Four years of hard work – Marriage: Commitment, compromise… – Excel in Sports: Hours of training and conditioning – Purchasing a Home: Saving and sacrifice

COST OF BEING ETHICAL • Have you paid a price for being ethical? Did it “pay off” in the long run? – When we pay the price of being ethical today, we are actually investing for the longer good. – Ethics takes courage…and isn’t always the easy thing to do. – Making an unethical decision sacrifices pride, integrity, reputation, and honor.

THE COST OF BEING ETHICAL As John Kennedy said about the Apollo program to send men to the moon, “We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. ”

Peter Drucker “Management is doing things right… Leadership is doing the right things”

WHEN TO BEND THE RULES? • Taking the rules seriously…. yet when to bend? Breaking the rules is an easy way out…as is following them robotically…. Bending the rules is hard work. – When things get complicated…and there are many solutions to the issue – Trust your creativity – Work hard to create room to maneuver – Approach problems with conviction and creativity

WHEN TO FIGHT THE BATTLE? • Choose your battles…. and fight them hard, but choose your battles…. . (Bob Tuttle…aka. Dad) – Don’t fight because you want to win. – Don’t fight because you have a personal gain. – Don’t fight the small stuff. – Don’t fight if it takes you off the main thing. – Don’t fight if it wastes valuable time…

Principles of Ethical Leadership • Ethical Leaders Respect Others: Treating others as worthy human beings. • Ethical Leaders Serve Others: Contributing to the greater good of others. • Ethical Leaders Are Just: Treating others differently must be based on clear, reasonable and sound moral values. • Ethical Leaders Are Honest. • Ethical Leaders Build Community: Accounts for the purpose of all.

Putting Ethics Into Practice Do our ACTIONS reflect our VALUES? Do our ACTIONS reflect our PRINCIPLES? Is it ethical to have actions that are not in alignment with your values?