Question

Background: Leaders are the most important and powerful influence on the culture of an organization. A leader must earn and develop credibility and trust from desirable actions and behaviours. This activity is aimed at helping students (as future leaders) to consider the role of the leader in setting the moral tone and ethical climate at the workplace.

Instructions: Discuss your approach to the following 4 ethical dilemmas, in terms of the potential consequences that each dilemma present and your leadership advice.

SCENARIO A: Sorenson has been the head of the Sales department for the last 6 months. Approaching the end of the financial year, Thomas, the president of the company wants him to increase the projections for new sales for the next year in order to guarantee that the board endorses their new product line. The current data does not support the numbers the president wants to use. On the one hand, Sorenson does report directly to the president and he wants Thomas to see him as a team player. On the other hand, the numbers can lead to devastation if the sales team does not come through by the middle of next year. What should Sorenson do?

SCENARIO B :Sara is a relatively new lecturer at the university and is eager to show that she fits in well with the existing culture. Although new, her husband is a well-known benefactor to the university and to the faculty where Sara works. Jenny, a teaching assistant assigned to Sara’s courses, informs her of complaints she has received from Sara’s students about her inability to answer questions in class and her inaccessibility after class. Fearing that she would lose her job, Sara approaches the faculty Dean to falsely report that the students were complaining about Jenny. The Dean calls Jenny into a meeting and asks her to respond to the allegations. Advise Jenny.

SCENARIO C: Joe and Elena have openly expressed their interest in filling the post of vice president of student affairs for a faith-based educational institution after Mrs. Hayward’s retirement. One evening, Joe was trolling various social media platforms when he discovered a video of Elena behaving unruly at a music festival in 1998. Determined to set a high standard for staff and students, the employer frowns heavily upon any unfavourable behaviours of their employees. If he presents this video to the hiring manager, it will look as if he wanted to undermine Elena’s chance of getting the job. What should he do?


SCENARIO D: Zoya works for a small toy manufacturing company that offers a wide variety of products to the popular GoodSmart franchise. One of the designers of the latest action figure was recently fired for falsifying reports on recent test trials to push the toy to market. Apparently, the latest action figure posed a potential choking hazard to young children. Zoya wonders if she should report the potential hazard before anyone gets hurt. However, the recall would cost her company money and result in loss of sales. Advise Zoya.

Answer 1

1. My approach and advice to Sorenson will be to be ethical and meet Mr.Thomas and tell him that data does not back these projections, at this point Mr.Thomas would expect Sorenson to present an alternative and for that Mr.Soreson should be ready and in that way he will be anle to take right decision as well as show himself as a solution seeking team player.
2. Jenny has to lay out the whole sequence and can ask dean to testify it with students as if she does not do it Sara will do it again,so my advice to Jenny will be to speak truth and put whole sequence in front of dean as it is.
3. My advice to Joe would be to not report the video for 3 reasons,first it is an old video and does not prove Elena 's credentials, second it will look as a bad way to undermine Elena 'chances and in future too everyone of Joe 's colleagues will lose trust on Joe and finally Joe will always feel that he was selected not because of his own credentials but because of video and he will never feel empowered to take decisions.
4. My advice to Zoya would be to meet company officials and ask them to withdraw the product and inform customers,if company officials doesn't agree she should come forward and report as no amount is bigger than lives.

Answer is complete. Thank you!