Ethics the Question of Whether the Behavioral

Ethics

The question of whether the behavioral school of management or the classical school of management would be a better style for General Motors in its present state is one that is quite interesting. The unions would have the public (and the governments that bailed out the company) believe that the workers are the most important cog in the wheel of productivity at GM.

However, upon further study, it could be determined that the unions were actually the wrench in the machinery of profitability at GM instead of being an important part of the overall growth and productivity of the company. In GM's case, the unions pulled the wool over everyone's eyes (and still continues to do so) regarding the use of classical or behavioral management styles.

The union leadership would have everyone believe that behavioral management would work well at GM due to its compassion, caring and motivating factors for the employees. Yet the unions themselves promulgate at classic approach in that it is a very hierarchal and top-heavy organization that provides no incentive for individualism; and while the union leadership espouses the fact that the security, wages and healthcare are high on their list of concerns for the employees, behavioral management actually motivates employees with a sense of team work and making unique and important contributions to the organization.

If GM were to still adhere to the classic style of management there would still be three levels of hierarchy (or more) which would likely lead to a very convoluted style of management in such a large company. The unions that have obtained a stranglehold on GM will continue to be a controlling factor with all of its many levels. Top-level management at GM were obviously not driving the ship to a safe port of harbor but instead were steering it towards the rocks that lie beneath the deep. Did top-level management know what middle management was doing? It would seem not. Did middle management convey to the supervisors the direction of the ship as decreed from the top? That too seems unlikely. With a more behavioral style of business management it seems likley that workers on the bottom rung would have had more input to the overall process. The lower level workers would have felt more comfortable in approaching management with needed changes and improvements.

Instead, what seems to have happened is that everyone rode the ship right on to the shoals wherein the rocks of bankruptcy were lurking. That is the fault of management, but it is also the fault of the unions. Unions for far too long have only had an eye out for themselves, and they only have themselves to blame for their dire situation. However, they still adhere to the classic style of management, and it seems likely that such adherence will continue to founder the ship/.

Therefore, it is this author's belief that a true behavioral management style would work best at GM in that it would promote the sense of unity, pride and achievement that is necessary for GM's survival. It is also this author's belief that such a management style will never be implemented at GM as long as the unions continue to have the stranglehold they have, not only on the company, but on their union members as well.

Question 2

If one were to observe the cultural chart as developed by Geert Hofstede one would realize that individualism is very highly valued in America. America, more than any other country ranked by Hofstede, values the individual, the actions of the individual, and the responsibilities assumed by the individual. This is not true is countries such as Japan. America scored a 91 to lead all countries in this regard, while Japan scored a 46. So, when the question of whether employees are solely responsible for their own unethical behavior or not arises, the answer might well be; it depends on what type of culture the individual is raised in. Since this author is an American, and has been sucking on the teat of individualism since birth, it is a relatively easy reply, that the employees are solely responsible for their own actions, ethical or otherwise.

This is not to say that others will disagree with this assertion, or that when push comes to shove, ethical considerations may well be thrown completely out the window, especially if the situation is one where the employee is asked to do something unethical or face losing employment.

One early study determined that "many young managers reported being asked to implicitly do things they personally believed were unethical and sometimes illegal" (Badzak, Mitchell, Marra, Bower, 1998). If this is true, then one should know what ones beliefs are beforehand, and one should also determine just how strongly those beliefs are held. It is certain that in this time of deepening concern about employment and ethics, that the two will go hand in hand, and the individual will often be faced with decisions that will be difficult to make.