LDR 615 Topic 6 DQ 2 What can a change leader use to guide decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma?

LDR 615 Topic 6 DQ 2 What can a change leader use to guide decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma?

LDR 615 Topic 6 DQ 2 What can a change leader use to guide decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma?

Describe an ethical dilemma that you experienced, or have witnessed in a change leader, when attempting to initiate change. How was the ethical dilemma resolved? What can a change leader use to guide decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma?

Hi Class,

I have not experienced many ethical dilemma’s personally but there is one that I have witnessed within the workplace environment. Having a toxic leadership team can really impact the way the organization is run and how the employees perform. If there is toxicity within leadership it can affect overall employee performance, retention, and the overall workplace environment. This happened at a job of mine where leadership only cared about one specific portion of the team and treated the other employees with no respect and even cut their pay but made it look as though they were getting a “raise”. In my opinion that is not how a leadership team should treat the employees that they are supposed to care about. This dilemma was solved by an employee finally speaking up and expressing their concerns and their feedback to the leadership team. This is an example that shows that no matter what position you are in you still have a say and a voice within the company.

Topic 6 Summary

Hi Class,

Congratulations on successfully completing topic 6! In summary, we discussed managing through change dynamics. A few highlights of our discussions would include examples around ethical and professional dilemmas faced by change leaders as well as challenges influencing the implementation of change.   One of the key strategies for overcoming both revolve around the effective use of motivation tactics which increase acceptance of change among all stakeholders. Great job with topic 6 – only 2 more to go!

Read Also:  NR 510- dq 2 Week 4: Organizational Change and Ethical-Legal Influences in Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study Part Two

Dr. E

Replies

In my police organization, I have recognized that many leaders have difficulty differentiating their friendships with employees and their professional relationship that requires them to hold the friends accountable. For example, if a new policy or directive is released for a crime reduction strategy, I’ve witnessed many leaders force employees who are not their close friends to do the mundane portions. In contrast, their friends are not held to the same standard of accountability.

When the leader attempted to hold their friends accountable as the other officers, it was clear the lines of the hierarchy did not apply.

Challenges to workplace friendships when it comes to implementing change have been identified to include blurred boundaries, a distraction for work objectives, conflicting expectations, unwarranted promotions or praise, and a feeling of betrayal by the employee if not given special treatment (Nguyen, 2021).

There were personality disputes and conflicting expectations; the subordinates felt betrayed they were no longer empowered with special treatment (Nguyen, 2021). Workplace friendships are suitable for their social purposes and work productivity but can cause ethical concerns when boundaries are blurred with unclear expectations.

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Finally, ways to resolve this conflict involve setting clear expectations and communication early on as stated in many posts. Another resolution technique for ethical boundaries consists of the leader possessing a core belief of their leadership philosophy and understanding who they are as a leader (Hellmich et al., 2019).

Reference

Hellmich, D., Kater, S. T., & Gonzales, S. R. (2019). A Leg to Stand On: Developing Core Beliefs and a Leadership Philosophy for Sound Ethical Decision-Making. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2019(185), 43. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/cc.20337

Nguyen, S. (2021, March 28). Workplace friendships: The Benefits and challenges. Workplace Psychology. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://workplacepsychology.net/2018/01/07/workplace-friendships-the-benefits-and-challenges/.

I enjoyed reading you post and can relate to your example; this happens in the nursing profession as well. I have worked with my fellow nurses for 20+ years and some are great friends I have had before I became their manager. At times the friend professional relationship has been tested when I needed to discipline close friends and losing friendships in the process of holding them accountable. For leaders to be successful all staff have to be held to the same standards, boundaries must be maintained, and special accommodations are equal to each employee. In nursing similar to police work I assume we work close as a team, share encounters on the job that challenge emotions, and cause moral dilemmas. The balance lies in the maintenance of boundaries, holding each other accountable to the same standards and understanding the feelings involved can get in the way (Connors, 2020). As I have seen fellow managers blur the lines with poor outcomes, I have strived to remain impartial and set these boundaries, while not easy it can be done with the understanding of caring, with respect can be successful.

Great post and great topic

Connors, C. D. (2020). Emotional intelligence for the modern leader. Rockridge Press.

Thank you for sharing your post with us. I like how you brought up different types of friendships. I have also seen this happen in other organizations. Nepotism is real, and I have seen it firsthand where friends or those in a relationship treat each other differently than others. At my last job, my best friend worked there. She was not assigned to me, and I made sure the company knew how we knew one another. Her supervisor was a supervisor that also reported to the same manager I did. Every week we would have a meeting and we collaborated on attendance, performance, behaviors, etc. She was brought up due to attendance. During these meetings, we would discuss what each of us would do based on what was going on. When it got to me, I stated clearly that she should move to the next level of corrective action because her days missed were excessive. I will never forget the look on the face of my manager. It was pure shock. My point is that you must be able to balance work and home. Leave your personal life at the door. Sure, there are some days where something is going to be weighing on you, but you are in a professional environment, and it should remain that way. I have worked with my husband at a different organization. When we were at work, we were colleagues. At home, we were husband and wife. If you were faced with the scenario I was in, how would you handle the dilemma?

Describe an ethical dilemma that you experienced, or have witnessed in a change leader, when attempting to initiate change.

Since ethics are well different for everyone, let’s start with a quoted definition, “Ethics are not set in stone – there is no rule book. They are, however, highly individual beliefs – some of which may be perceived as being universal – distinguishing between what is right or wrong, good or bad. These beliefs provide a basis for judging the appropriateness of motivation and consequences of behavior and they” (By, et al, 2012 ).  Ok, with that being stated, back in 2018 our department director was charged with reducing overhead, basically selecting people for severance pay as the “volunteer opportunity” had not yielded the sufficient number of employees.  Since I was new to the company, 2 ½ years to be exact, and most of those in the department averaged 10 years, I knew I was probably on the chopping block.  But in all honesty, I have to give it to the director as he chose employees in senior leadership down to individual contributors who were just answering the phone and collecting their salary, for involuntary severance.  This act reduced overhead and kept the actual contributing employees employed.

How was the ethical dilemma resolved?

I found out later that this was due to the upcoming merger and the two companies wanted to keep those employees that would help the newly formed company morph into the colossal company they are today, Raytheon Technologies.  The process they used was simple: each Director would measure how long their employees had been in their position, what were they doing on a daily basis, and how did their efforts contribute to the overall success of the department?  The senior managers collected this data and it was put into the usual suspect, Microsoft Excel.  This was not hard to do as we were Facilities, which included four departments, Maintenance, Project Management, Space and People Moves, and Operations.  My position supported three of those departments, which was a goal of mine when I started in 2016, thus my impact was easily quantified. This approach, painful as it was, avoided favoritism and used employee job performance as the universal yardstick to judge employees.

What can a change leader use to guide decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma?

“We are still living in an era where organizational leaders are allowed to, and even rewarded for putting their own egos and self-interests ahead of the interests of the many, often with disastrous results and consequences (By, et al, 2012).  Change “leaders must be instilled with a moral compass fitting the organization of which they are in charge. Leaders of tomorrow must indeed be expected to make decisions in the interest of the many rather than the few, and refrain from abusing the faith that is placed in them and the unique freedoms that they enjoy” (By, et al, 2012). They can seek guidance from ethical frameworks, consult with relevant stakeholders, and ensure that they are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements regarding the handling of confidential information. Striking the right balance requires thoughtful judgment and decision-making to maintain trust, respect individual privacy, and effectively lead the change process.

Ethical dilemmas can occur with change and leadership that create choices against moral principles. The vision and goals for change within an organization should be based on the best and right decision for all. In healthcare, decisions based on patient and staff safety should be the focus when proposing change. An ethical dilemma I have experienced this year from a change leader, CNO, was that of a staffing decision. The initial proposal was to change a unit matrix to include two fewer nurses and four more nursing assistants to create a “Partners in Care” team approach. For example, acute care was previously staffed with nine nurses on day shift and three nursing assistants. For a unit of thirty-six beds, this allowed each nurse to care for four patients and nursing assistants to have twelve patients. Due to fewer nurses entering the workforce and applying for open nurse positions, the decision was to change the matrix to seven nurses and seven nursing assistants on the day shift. Initially, the leadership sold the idea of partners in care to be one nurse and one nursing assistant for five patients, hence partners in care. In this matrix, one of the seven nurses and nursing assistants would care for a total of six patients on the day shift. This new matrix attracted many nurses, nursing aides, and leaders due to increased staff and budget adjustments. The unit went live with this matrix; however, within one month, a nursing assistant was removed from the matrix, leaving seven nurses and six nursing assistants. Three months after going live with the proposed staffing matrix of more staff, a second change was made to reduce nursing assistants to five from the original proposal of seven. Due to the two adjustments from the original plan of seven nurses and seven nursing assistants, staff are burning out, and many have begun to transfer out of the unit or resign. This poorly planned matrix also affects the culture and patient care due to two fewer staff than originally negotiated.

A leadership team within healthcare must be transparent regarding the ethical dilemma of budget and unit staffing matrix changes. Supporting the interests of the many instead of the few should be the focus and goal when promoting the ethical dimension of change for leaders (By et al., 2012). As future leaders and stakeholders in organizational change, it is essential that ‘economic morality’ is maintained when ethical behavior is established and we participate in identifying unethical approaches to change (By et al., 2012). A change leader can use key strategies for success during change, involving clear communication (verbal and visible), inclusion, trust, and honesty. Successful healthcare institutions are encouraged to lead with stakeholders who work together as a shared governance. A shared governance structure within nursing allows for engagement from the front-line nursing team and can lead to ownership, accountability, empowerment, leadership, and practice equity (Brennan & Wendt, 2021).

References:

Brennan, D. & Wendt, L. (2021). Increasing quality and patient outcomes with staff engagement and shared governance. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 26(2), N.PAG. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.3912/ojin.vol26no02ppt23

By, R., Burnes, B., & Oswick, C. (2012). Change management: Leadership, values and ethics. Journal of Change Management, 12(1), 1-5. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/14697017.2011.652371