Decisions Made in the Simulation

¶ … decisions made in the simulation include the following.

First, I chose to hire Stan Sundstrom, even though I had heard about his previous psychological problems. The first decision I made was predicated upon my belief that Stan was the best candidate for the job. After reviewing credentials -- Stan had worked in a similar position -- I believed that he was the right fit. His personal issues did not have a bearing on my decision; every person has challenges that must be overcome

Second, I chose not to tell Steve or Patrick about the lay-offs. However, when Steve informed me that he had another job offer, I chose to tell him about the layoffs. Initially I chose not to tell Steve or Patrick about the layoffs because it was the best decision for the organization and it did not seem fair to tell one person and not another. However, when Steve confronted me directly about the issue, I felt as if it was not appropriate for me to lie to him. Lying may have created more problems not only in my relationship with Steve, but in terms of my relationship with others in the organization. Failed communication, especially during downsizing can create considerable tension and fear (Hurley, 2006). I did not want to exacerbate this situation by lying.

Finally, I chose to pull out of the PR campaign even though corporate wanted to wait six months to make a decision on the issue. Given the facts of the case and the overall company mission, this seemed like the right decision to make.

2. Although I wish that I had employed the same ethical decision making framework in all cases, the reality is that I did not. For instance, in the first scenario, the simulation notes that Kantian ethics played a role in the decision making process that occurred. However, in the second situation, I had to balance the needs of two opposing situations. The simulation noted that this dichotomy had been reported by John Paul Sartre. In this context a difficult choice has to be made and there are no clear solutions to the situation. The final decision the issue of organizational stakeholders and the impact of these stakeholders on the organization were of vital importance. In this context, I chose to protect the organization, even though others would have made a different choice. Thus, the wide range of decisions made in the simulation indicates that the ethical frameworks employed will be influenced by the specific issues involved in decision making.

3. Considering what I learned from this simulation, it seems reasonable to argue that ethical decision making is a challenging task that provides no real comfort. Even when a person believes that he or she is making the right decision, there is still some concern about whether or not the right framework for reviewing a situation has been used. Because there are so many different "right" ways for exploring a problem, in many instances, is appears as if the individual has no other choice but to make a decision and hope that the outcomes will be positive. This appears to be the challenge for modern organizations. Even when clear ethical frameworks are employed, there are no right or wrong answers. Scholars note that even when the best ethical frameworks are used, the best outcomes are not always achieved (Pont, 2005). Thus, ethical decision making is a challenging task.