Approach to the ethical dilemma through ethics theory

In organizations, we are often challenged to make decisions without having all of the information or understanding all possible impacts of the decisions we make. The nature of an ethical dilemma is based on the fact that there are multiple possible solutions. This activity provides you an opportunity to explore how ethics theories create different ways to approach an ethical dilemma and to help you choose a ‘right’ or ‘best’ answer.

For your discussion:

Consider the following situation: Reflection on our personal experience is often invaluable to the discussion of how ethics theory can change our perspective of a situation. For this activity, consider a time in your professional life when you have struggled with an ethical dilemma.

• Consider your approach to the ethical dilemma.
• Based on your description of your approach, identify which ethics theory best matches your approach.
• Choose another theory that takes a different view and reevaluate the situation applying this theory.
• How does each theory create a different perspective of the situation, and what impact does this have on your decision? Does one theory work better to identify the ‘right’ answer?