Describe an ethical dilemma that you experienced, or have witnessed in a change leader, when attempting to initiate change. How was the ethical dilemma resolved? What can a change leader use to guide decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma?

Discussion 6-2: Ethical Dilemma

Change leaders have a duty to make ethical decisions whenever they are faced with moral dilemmas during change implementation. Numerous issues can cause ethical dilemmas during a change initiative (Kotter & Cohen, 2002). According to Pliner (2020), to successfully address an ethical dilemma encountered during the change process, the change leader should utilize a framework to guide decision-making. The purpose of this discussion is to describe an ethical dilemma I once experienced including an explanation of how it was resolved. The discussion will also include a description of what a change leader can use to guide decision-making when faced with an ethical dilemma.

An ethical dilemma that I once experienced concerned burnout and overworking among team members. The actual dilemma was that team members seemed tired and burned out due to overworking and this was happening at a time when we were rushing against time. There was no time left for the project and therefore it was not easy to give team members a break. Overworking team members in unethical and not completing specific tasks on time was going to inconvenience the organization and some of the stakeholders. However, at the end of the day, I had to make a decision to address the dilemma. I resolved the dilemma by preparing a schedule for the team members to take breaks in turns without halting crucial activities and tasks.

Change leaders can use clearly defined frameworks to guide decision-making when faced with an ethical dilemma. Pliner (2020) proposed a framework that entails three subjective dimensions namely ethics, morals, and role responsibilities. Ethics concerns considering what is acceptable in the organization and should be based on the context. Morals encompass one’s own internal values in relation to what is considered to be wrong or right. Role responsibilities concern how best the change leader understands his or her responsibilities in the organization and in the change that is being initiated or implemented (Pliner, 2020). Using the ethics-morals-roles framework, the change leader should strive to create a balance between at least two of the dimensions in order to resolve an ethical dilemma.

References

Kotter, J. P. & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change their organizations. Harvard Business Press, Harvard.

Pliner, E. (2020). A framework for leaders facing difficult decisions. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/10/a-framework-for-leaders-facing-difficult-decisions