The Imperative of Proactive Management in Addressing Moral Dilemmas (2025)
In contemporary corporate society, managers have a crucial impact on an organization’s overall prosperity. Managers oversee and direct employees to accomplish objectives and attain performance benchmarks. In this context, ‘management at all levels must not sit tight, with fingers crossed, just hoping that moral dilemmas will be self-solving’ (Gully et al., 2006). Indeed, this remark by Gully et al. (2006) highlights the need for proactive management to resolve moral difficulties within an organizational framework. In other words, Gully and colleagues underline the need for managers to take part in solving ethical dilemmas in the workplace.
Management and Leadership
Many studies and experts in management and leadership assert that skills such as technical abilities, interpersonal skills, and conceptual skills set a leader or manager for success. In the context of Gully and colleagues’ remarks, managers must take a proactive approach to deal with ethical issues in the workplace, emphasizing that being passive or inactive is insufficient for effective management (Feldman, 2019). As stated, the dynamism in the corporation necessitates a proactive approach to prepare, respond to, address, and prevent ethical concerns successfully. Addressing ethical and moral conflicts requires the ability to anticipate and foresee potential ethical problems and a strong dedication to avoiding these issues rather than just responding to ethical occurrences (Kalkman & Molendijk, 2021, pp.223). The process fosters the establishment and execution of ethical guidelines, educational initiatives, and systems for reporting and resolving ethical issues. Notably, sitting and waiting for the ethical issues to settle exposes the organization to reputational harm, legal ramifications, and the loss of confidence from stakeholders.
Managers are responsible for every organizational task, occurrence, success, and failure. In the same line of thought, Gully and colleagues (2006) contend that resolving ethical difficulties in an organization resides entirely with management at every hierarchical level. Managers must take responsibility for molding the organization’s culture and principles rather than adopting a passive stance. All levels of managers are responsible for setting a good ethical example because an organization’s culture tends to reflect the behavior of its leaders. Managers have dual responsibilities to set an example by prioritizing ethical concerns in the workplace and acting ethically(Brendel et al., 2021, p. 1974). By acknowledging the responsibility of management at all levels, the proclamation stresses that ethical leadership goes beyond the executive suite. By adopting the value theory method, the managers establish an ethical organizational structure at every management level.
When managers at different organizational levels contemplate a potential solution to address the ethical issue, the value theory approach entails choosing the one that provides the most benefit or does the least harm. This may be advantageous when the alternatives are not optimal, or the ethical concern is left to self-settle. Besides, the process allows the managers to create a strategic blueprint through deliberation and contemplation on the action and outcome of the process (Astrachan et al., 2020. P. 637). By engaging in this, managers become self-assured on the systematic approach to resolving future moral concerns.
Concerning ethical culture in the organization, managers aim to include ethics in all aspects of the organizational culture, including both official and informal elements, by taking part in resolving any ethical concern. Establishing an ethical culture entails more than just instructing staff on what actions to avoid. Companies may incentivize workers who exhibit integrity by presenting them with rewards or establishing gratitude boards where employees can express anonymous appreciation and thanks towards their colleagues (Broussard et al., 2019, p.7). These strategies may cultivate an atmosphere in which good, cooperative conduct prevails rather than intense competition.
The phrase “fingers crossed” depicts a bad strategy: overreliance on luck to resolve moral dilemmas. Indeed, self-solving ethical issues have domino effects, which may sprout at different stages of the organization’s future since ethics is intricate to business operations. The understanding that ethical issues are intrinsic to business operations and that their timely identification is critical for effective resolution provides the rationale for recognizing moral difficulties as a top priority. Consequently, managers at every level of the organization must establish effective communication channels, conduct regular ethical audits, and establish a channel for reporting ethical issues (Kvalnes, 2019, p. 145). These establishments allow the managers to identify ethical dilemmas, lessen the likelihood of harm, and build a reputation for ethical conduct. Stakeholders highly value a good reputation for ethics in today’s socially conscious business world.
Ethical decision-making is an essential aspect of well-rounded growth. That is to say, managers at any organizational level benefit from solving ethical dilemmas, as they provide opportunities for thought-provoking discussion. As mentioned, the dilemmas cultivate an analytical ability and encourage self-reflection and understanding of other points of view to promote interpersonal skills. In this context, resolving a moral dilemma necessitates collaborative efforts of workers and administrators. Indeed, managers’ engagement in the process helps build a culture based on critical thinking, evidence-based approaches, and interpersonal skills to solve ethical dilemmas (De Colle and Freeman, 2023, p. 659). The process stresses the importance of open communication to allow all workers at all levels to communicate their ethical concerns. Free communication of ethical concerns allow the managers to build a definitive scope of the future ethical dillemas. De Colle and Freeman (2023) term ethical failure in an organization as a sole creation of the managerment team. The failure is caused by the managers to involve in solving different ethical problemes in the organization.
Comfort with acknowlеdging one’s shortcomings is a prеrеquisitе for еthical dеvеlopmеnt; by rеsolving moral dilеmmas at all organizational lеvеls, managers fostеr a psychologically sеcurе еnvironmеnt that еncouragеs risk-taking. An еnvironmеnt that fostеrs collaboration among еmployееs and administrators is one in which managers arе willing to admit their еrrors, rеcognizе a strong pеrspеctivе rеgarding a givеn situation, and solicit support from fеllow staff mеmbеrs (Ferine et al., 2021). Thе managеrs еmphasizе in thе prеcеpts that еthical conduct is an ongoing procеss of dеvеlopmеnt. Johnson (2020) assert that empirical еvidеncе indicatеs that cultivating a workplacе atmosphеrе whеrеin еmployееs who havе committеd еrrors arе motivatеd to rеflеct on thе potеntial consеquеncеs for othеrs and considеr altеrnativе stratеgiеs, whilе rеfraining from еngaging in pеrsonal criticism, may bе bеnеficial.
In conclusion, managers at еvеry lеvеl of an organization arе indispеnsablе to thе еstablishmеnt and maintеnancе of an еthical sociеty. By activеly participating in thе rеsolution of еthical quandariеs, managers cultivatе еthical lеadеrship, which is distinguishеd by lеadеrs who еxhibit еthical conduct and еncouragе еthical conduct among thеir tеams. As a rеsult, thеrе is a rеduction in dеviant behavior and an incrеasе in prosocial behavior among еmployееs. Managеrs, for instance, fostеr a collaborativе workplacе еnvironmеnt and gеnеratе altеrnativе solutions to moral dilеmmas through thе usе of a collaborativе procеss. Establishing dialoguе with individuals by posing inquiriеs rеgarding thеir behavior, as opposed to making accusations and assumptions rеgarding thе moral suitability of thеir undеrtakings. Participating in dialoguе can potеntially avеrt thе situation from intеnsifying and yiеld significant insights rеgarding thе othеr individual’s rеcеptivity, thеrеby highlighting thе nееd for altеrnativе approachеs.
References
Astrachan, J.H., Binz Astrachan, C., Campopiano, G. and Baù, M., 2020. Values, spirituality and religion: Family business and the roots of sustainable ethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 163, pp.637-645.
Brendel, A.B., Mirbabaie, M., Lembcke, T.B. and Hofeditz, L., 2021. Ethical management of artificial intelligence. Sustainability, 13(4), p.1974.
Broussard, G., Rubenstein, L.S., Robinson, C., Maziak, W., Gilbert, S.Z. and DeCamp, M., 2019. Challenges to ethical obligations and humanitarian principles in conflict settings: a systematic review. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 4(1), pp.1-13.
De Colle, S. and Freeman, R.E., 2023. Unethical, neurotic, or both? A psychoanalytic account of ethical failures within organizations. In R. Edward Freeman’s Selected Works on Stakeholder Theory and Business Ethics (pp. 659-683). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Feldman, S., 2019. Memory as a moral decision: The role of ethics in organizational culture. Routledge.
Ferine, K.F., Aditia, R. and Rahmadana, M.F., 2021. An empirical study of leadership, organizational culture, conflict, and work ethic in determining work performance in Indonesia’s education authority. Heliyon, 7(7).
Gully, A., Stainer, L. and Stainer, A., 2006. Responsible business decisions: an over‐arching framework. Journal of Public Affairs: An International Journal, 6(3‐4), pp.185-196.
Johnson, C.E., 2020. Organizational ethics: A practical approach. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
Kalkman, J.P. and Molendijk, T., 2021. The role of strategic ambiguity in moral injury: A case study of Dutch Border guards facing moral challenges. Journal of Management Inquiry, 30(2), pp.221-234.
Kvalnes, Ø., 2019. Moral reasoning at work: Rethinking ethics in organizations (p. 145). Springer Nature.
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