ETHICS How Do They Fit in Today’s Workplace? 2003 STC Region 5 Conference Society for Technical Communicators

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich2 An objective, ethical principle  What do technical communicators use to guide their decisions?  How do the STC Ethical Principles stand the test?  As gatekeepers of information, what is our responsibility to our companies, our organization, and ourselves?

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich3 A typical problem  You have been asked to design materials that will be used to recruit new employees.  You decide to include photographs of the company’s employees and its facilities; however, your company has no disabled employees.  You ask one of the employees to sit in a wheelchair for one of the photographs.  Is this ethical?

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich4 Was that ethical?  76% of 455 participants determined the dilemma unethical  243 participants of that group (76%) based their decision on a consequential philosophy.  So, what is a consequential philosophy?

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich5 What is consequentialism?  Consequentialism states that we are required by morality to bring about the greatest good overall.  However, when this ethical dilemma is analyzed under a consequential philosophy such as utilitarianism, we discover that a consequential philosophy would in actuality determine this dilemma ethical.  The decision is actually based on a deontological ethic.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich6 What is a deontological ethic?  Decision based on an imperative duty not to deceive rather than the consequences of the act  Many technical communicators are uninformed about the reasoning behind the ethical decisions they make.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich7 The conclusion of this work:  This uninformed state can cause problems because most of us as technical communicators, have no understood, objective principle guiding our ethical decisions.  Technical communicators need an objective guiding principle to help professionals in the field make ethical decisions when they are faced with ethical dilemmas.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich8 So what is business ethics?  Business ethics in the workplace is about prioritizing moral values for the workplace and ensuring behaviors are aligned with those values -- it's values management.  Yet, myths abound about business ethics. Some of these myths arise from general confusion about the notion of ethics. Other myths arise from narrow or simplistic views of ethical dilemmas.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich9 So what is business ethics?  The concept has come to generally mean what is right or wrong in the workplace and doing what is right.  Many assert there’s always a right thing to do based on moral principle; others believe the right thing to do depends on the situation.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich10 So what is business ethics?  What we consider ethical today often becomes a law, regulation, or rule tomorrow.  Attention to business ethics is critical during times of fundamental change.  In times of fundamental change, values that were previously take for granted are now strongly questioned.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich11 Big myth of business ethics  Our organization is not in trouble with the law, therefore we’re ethical! Withholding information Fudging on budgets Complaining about others “Boil the frog” phenomena

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich12 Another big myth  Ethics only restates the obvious Do good! Obvious to be honest, but if a company has continuing occasions of deceit, it’s important to list it in that company’s code of ethics. Codes of ethics should change with the needs of society and the organization.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich13 At the end of the day…  Ethics is an individual decision.  But companies and organizations must stand behind what they believe and make clear their ethical viewpoints.  The best ethics trainer is the behavior of the organization’s leaders.

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich14 References and supporting works  Joshua Joseph, et al., “Ethics in the Workplace, What Association Leaders Should Know,” Executive Update Online. Update/2000/October/ethics.htm Update/2000/October/ethics.htm  Cornelius van Baeyer, “What’s Workplace Ethics?,”  Cornelius van Baeyer, “Codes of Conduct: Panacea or Bunk?”  Carter McNamara, “Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics Toolkit for Managers,”  Dragga, Sam. "'Is This Ethical?' A Survey of Opinion on Principles and Practices of Document Design.“ Technical Communication, Third Quarter 1996:

10/11/ STC Region 5 Conference: Arnett, Hardman, & Oestreich15 More references  Paul Dombrowski (2000) Ethics in Technical Communication. Allyn & Bacon: Needham Heights,  MA.Fred Casmir (1997) Ethics in Intercultural and International Communication. Lawrence Erlbaum: Mahway, NJ.  Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals: On a supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns. Ed. James Ellington. Indianapolis: Hackett,  Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. Ed. George Sher Indianapolis:Hackett, 1979.