I define an unethical situation as one in which I have to do something I don’t feel good about

People Have a Tendency to Rationalize Unethical Behavior.

“It’s not really illegal.” Wrong—this implies that the behavior is acceptable even in ambiguous situations. When dealing with shady or borderline situations, you may not be able to precisely determine right from wrong. In such cases, it is important to stop and reconsider things. When in doubt about the ethics of a decision, the best advice is: Don’t do it.

“It’s in everyone’s best interests.” Wrong—this suggests that just because someone might benefit from the behavior, it is okay. To overcome this “ends justify the means” rationalization, we need to look beyond short-run results and carefully assess longer-term implications.

“No one will ever know about it.” Wrong—this implies that something is wrong only if it is discovered. Lack of accountability, unrealistic pressures to perform, and a boss who prefers “not to know” can all reinforce this tendency. But such thinking is risky and hard to accept. Nothing stays secret very long.

“The organization will stand behind me.” Wrong—this is misperceived loyalty. If anything, you can expect the organization and its managers to sacrifice you when their self-interests are threatened. If you are caught doing something wrong, do you really want to count on the organization going to bat for you? And when you read about people who have done wrong and then tried to excuse it by saying, “I only did what I was ordered to do,” how sympathetic are you?

Ethical frameworks are wellthought-out personal rules and strategies for ethical decision making.

Does it surprise you that 56% of U.S. workers in one survey reported feeling pressured to act unethically in their jobs . .

. or that 48% of them self-reported as having committed questionable acts.It is easier to deal with tough problems and situations when we already have solid ethical frameworks in place. These are well-thought-out personal rules and strategies for ethical decision making that give high priority to virtues such as honesty, fairness, integrity, and self- respect. Ethical frameworks help us to act consistently and confidently even under the most diff icult conditions.

Rapid Review • Ethical behavior is that which is accepted as “good” or “right” as opposed to “bad” or “wrong.” • The utilitarian, individualism, moral rights, and justice views offer different approaches to moral reasoning; each takes a different perspective of when and how a behavior becomes ethical. • Cultural relativism argues that no culture is ethically superior to any other; moral absolutism believes there are clear rights and wrongs that apply universally, no matter where in the world one might be.

• An ethical dilemma occurs when one must decide whether to pursue a course of action that, although offering the potential for personal or organizational gain, may be unethical. • Ethical dilemmas faced by managers oft en involve conflicts with superiors, customers, and subordinates over requests that involve some form of dishonesty. • Common rationalizations for unethical behavior include believing the behavior is not illegal, is in everyone’s best interests, will never be noticed, or will be supported by the organization.

An immoral manager chooses to behave unethically. An amoral manager fails to consider the ethics of her or his behavior. A moral manager makes ethical behavior a personal goal.

Ethics training seeks to help people understand the ethical aspects of decision making and to incorporate high ethical standards into their daily behavior.

Spotlight questions highlight the risks from public disclosure of one’s actions.