Question

Describe a significant ethical dilemma you have faced. What action did you take to resolve it? How did you evaluate your available options and decide on this course of action?  What lessons did you learn that could be applied to an ethical dilemma faced today? How has this dilemma shaped your values?

Answer 1

One of the ethical dilemma i remember facing was when for a management project that I have been assigned with from my college asked me to be the leader of my team of 3 members and we have to create an assignment report on the financial working of a particular organisation. Everything went on great until one of my team members got sick and couldn't help to complete the assignment. Although she did help us in providing the resources anyhow out of her sick health. The remaining work left was distributed between me and the remaining one person and we somehow managed to complete it within the given time. When the viva of the same project started, I being the team leader was asked individually that how were my team members and who worked better and who doesn't work at all. The ethical dilemma I faced was to either reveal the truth regarding the work which was actually not done by that one team member or

to lie and state that it was an integral group effort.

Although truth being the former one, I still preferred to do the latter option. I took the action and said that it was a mutual team oriented work where everybody did his/her best and everybody contributed together for the achievement of the project all together. I did have the other option to reveal the truth but this one seem better because sometimes being honest isn't the only solution to everything. You have to understand the feelings and the senstivity of the people who are there in your team members. Being the group leader, it is my responsibility to understand the personal situations of that person who is not able to perform because of his health but still helped in providing the resources. This shows the integrity of the person to be a part of the project anyhow. Thus, it was my duty to be a good leader and make a good personal relationship and show my team a better as the team spirit and team oriented work only arises one people in a team understand and respect each other's weakness and manage things accordingly.

This dilemma helped in shaping my values as it helps me understanding that being brutal honest isn't the only way to achieve success in my life. Sometimes the importance of relations, team work and the feelings person have is to be also considered important as well. You have to be sensitive enough to understand the situations another person is going through and help him anyhow. Project manager is to be flexible and rigid and a balance is to be created where he/she understands that where the right scope of flexibility is required or not.