According to the common good approach, life in community is a good in itself and our actions should contribute to that life. This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others—especially the vulnerable—are requirements of such reasoning. This approach also calls attention to the common conditions that are important to the welfare of everyone—such as clean air and water, a system of laws, effective police and fire departments, health care, a public educational system, or even public recreational areas. Unlike the utilitarian lens, which sums up and aggregates goods for every individual, the common good lens highlights mutual concern for the shared interests of all members of a community. Some ethicists begin by asking, “How will this action impact everyone affected? Utilitarianism, a results-based approach, says that the ethical action is the one that produces the greatest balance of good over harm for as many stakeholders as possible.

• As you can see at the top, we defined larger groups of teams (in our case the teams are usually involved in one project).
• We intuitively want the team to come to the right decision on their own.
• Such an outside-in approach to ethics may lead to problems pertaining to indeterminacy and generalism (Dancy, 2004).
• Human beings have an unrestricted desire to know and, when properly developed, that spirit of inquiry will draw each person through a pattern of questioning which leads to correct understanding and, ultimately, to forming judgments.
• When decision-making authority is distributed, it becomes necessary for everyone to understand their roles and responsibilities, as well as the organization’s values, purpose, and mission.
• In addition, this approach often fails to yield optimal decisions due to the limited context of those making the centralized decisions and the lack of local information available, which the passage of time can further compound.
• With so much riding on the choices companies make and so many individuals tasked with making those decisions, a predefined method for reaching consensus can greatly improve an organization’s efficiency and interpersonal dynamics while also ensuring the ideal outcome.

We ask about what outcomes are desirable in a given situation, and consider ethical conduct to be whatever will achieve the best consequences. The person using the Consequences framework desires to produce the most good. While each of the three frameworks is useful for making ethical decisions, none is perfect—otherwise the perfect theory would have driven the other imperfect theories from the field long ago. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the frameworks will be helpful in deciding which is most useful in approach the particular situation with which we are presented. Applied EthicsTerms Used in Ethical JudgmentsApplied ethics deals with issues in private or public life that are matters for ethical judgments. The following are important terms used in making moral judgments about particular actions.

Integrative Thinking

It might bruise some egos, but it also plainly states whose opinion matters and who does not. Decisions are important, but everyone has other things they need to do, too. With a scalable model for decision-making, team members will spend less time deliberating and more time executing without sacrificing strategic thinking.

For example, we experience data, so we ought to be open to experience (i.e., be attentive). By following the dictates of our own responsible consciousness, namely adhering to the transcendental precepts, we can become authentic knowers and deciders of value. By ignoring issues, turning a blind eye, https://dodbuzz.com/running-law-firm-bookkeeping/ refusing to inquire further, and so on, we diminish our authenticity. How often do we see business managers ignoring the wider social and environmental impacts of their operations? Suppressing discussion or dissent, lying, or obscuring the evidence is unreasonable and destroys authenticity.

Decision Matrix

While that’s not always a problem, when it comes to big decisions, it’s important that they are all made with full consideration of their impact and leveraging all of the resources and institutional knowledge available. Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it—and tailor their actions accordingly. Many leaders are reluctant to make the final call when there are good arguments and a lot of emotions on both sides. We intuitively want the team to come to the right decision on their own.

Next, you need to multiply the weight and the score for each cell and add up the results for each row. A decision matrix is useful for complex decisions that involve many factors and trade-offs. It is a simple and widely used framework that helps you assess the internal and external factors that affect your decision. You can use a SWOT analysis to identify your competitive advantages, areas for improvement, potential benefits, and possible risks. To perform a SWOT analysis, you need to create a four-quadrant matrix and list the relevant factors for each category.

Spell out your RACI and RAMs to create transparency and accountability around decisions.

It will save you a lot of time in the future and you will always know who is responsible for certain decisions within the company. In addition, this approach often fails to yield optimal decisions due to the limited context of those making the centralized decisions and the lack of local information available, which the passage of time can further compound. Since solution development requires multiple decisions to be made on an ongoing basis, this centralized approach ultimately impairs business agility throughout the entire organization.

• Of course, those three frameworks might be used in a group context also, no problem.
• The organization’s handling of risk and error is central to its decision-making ethos.
• This even-handedness encourages treating everyone with equal dignity and respect.
• How do we develop as free and responsible persons, knowing, deciding, and taking action in a responsible way for the common good?
• Plot it down with the ICE score and find what is the best choice for your team to pursue.
• Since solution development requires multiple decisions to be made on an ongoing basis, this centralized approach ultimately impairs business agility throughout the entire organization.
• Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the future—faster.

Ethical conduct is the action that will achieve the best consequences. Attempts to discern character traits (virtues and vices) that are, or could be, motivating the people involved in the situation. Directs attention to the future effects of an action, for all people who will be directly or indirectly affected by the action. You can use it to explain your decision in great detail and present your stance on a certain choice.

Some managers tend to spend too much time on going over their options and get frustrated and stressed because of that. It’s a great thing to give yourself or your team deadlines to make decisions. If you need some outside pressure, you can ask someone else to keep you accountable. And ensure that you heard all the important voices before you make a decision. As you can see at the top, we defined larger groups of teams (in our case the teams are usually involved in one project).