The Surest Sign …  That Intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is..  That it has never tried to contact us! (Cartoonist Bill Watterson – “Calvin & Hobbes”)

What is / are:  Management  Ethics  Critical Thinking (Decision-Making)  Is there such a thing as the “right” view?

YOU’RE BETTER OUGH A ploughman with a face like dough and hands rough as sandpaper, thoughtfully listened to the song "Scarborough Fair." Soon, though, he slipped into a slough of reverie, in which he coughed, hiccoughed, and then fell gently asleep.

Susan Atkins worked on the assembly line at an automotive parts factory. Although she occasionally found the job tedious, she liked it nonetheless, especially the benefits and good wages guaranteed by her union contract. One day her boss of 12 years, Anthony Trotto, called her in and said he was planning to reclassify her job to one that was not covered by the contract. In the next few weeks, Susan met several times with Mr. Trotto and each time asked about job security. She was repeatedly assured that her job was secure and as long as she continued to work well, she wouldn't have a problem. Unfortunately, Susan's performance evaluations began moving toward the 'unacceptable" range and she was ultimately fired.

 If you had been Susan, would you have sued? mIf so, on what grounds?  If you were the automotive company, what would your defense have been? mCan an oral assurance be considered a contract? mIf so, what assurances have you made lately?  How would they hold up in court? mHow do you think the court would rule in such cases?

Actual Judgement in Similar Situation  Mullins v. Pfizer Inc. mSupreme Court held for the plaintiff (employee) n Having announced an early retirement package, and denying the benefits to retiring employees, the company treated employees unfairly. n The company was found to have misrepresented its intentions

The Surest Signa Of My Ethical Leadership  The surest signs of that my own leadership is ethical include: 1.__________________________ and 2.__________________________ and 3.__________________________

Demonstrating Ethical Leadership  Make no advance announcements. Wait until your policy has been clearly defined.  If possible, have an attorney review the policy to ensure there is no ethical or legal breach.  Avoid using phrases such as 'seriously considering' that may hold false promise for employees.  Meet face-to-face with employees to lay out the final policy and to answer questions they have.  Form a rumor-quashing committee to dispel possible misunderstandings.  Issue policy reminders and policy restatements several different times in several different ways.  If your organization does not have specific policies in effect for various HR issues, assume a leadership position and begin to codify the consequences of changes so that fair and ethical treatment will ensue.

Cell X Cell 1 Cell2Cell 3 AwarenessAnalysis Evaluation Critical Thinking

 Awareness (Discernment) mInformation Gathering n Using all senses l Verbal and written ¤ reflection, ¤ observation, ¤ experience and ¤ Reasoning

Critical Thinking  Evaluation mintellectual criteria (beyond subject- matter divisions) n clarity, n credibility, n accuracy, n precision, n relevance, n depth, n breadth, n logic, n Significance, and n fairness.

Critical Thinking  Based on skepticism mSeeks justification  While based on intellectual processes, goes beyond informal logic and includes the assessment (likelihood of); mmaintained beliefs mprejudice, mbias, mpropaganda, mself-deception, mdistortion, mmisinformation, etc.

Critical Thinking  Evaluation (judgement) mSystematic n Determination l Significance l Merit l Value l Worth mGoal is to provide feedback (guidance)

What do we expect of:  Leaders (Management)  Subordinates  Colleagues  Acquaintances  Friends mClose friends mVery close friends  Business persons mCustomers mSuppliers

 What does it mean? mIn what context? mWhy it is so important?

Standards of Conduct  DoD’s Standards of Conduct mhttp://  AITP’s Standards of Conduct mhttp:// sp  ASCE’s Standards of Conduct mhttps://  Engineers Ireland mhttp://  Engineers teaching ethics (interesting article) mhttp:// s.aspx  Washington’s code of civility mhttp://

Social Responsibility  Maintains that businesses should not function amorally, but should contribute to the welfare of their communities. mRecognizes multiple objectives: n economic, social, and environmental dimensions from each and all activities mRelated to: n sustainability, n Citizenship  If not “amoral,” then has ethical dimensions