Organizational behavior trends and contemporary developments

Organizational Behavior

Significance of ethics in the process of decision making and impact of technology on work-related stress

An important aspect in studying organizational behavior is the relevance and significance of ethics in the process of decision making within an organization. This factor, ethics, is vital because this is where the morale and regard of the organization to its people as well as clients are determined.

Members of an organization often create programmed and non-programmed decisions, and through these decisions, people encounter difficulties or challenges wherein their ethical character will be put into test. In the age of information technology, one might say that ethics is but a remnant of a time when people conduct their business personally and not through computer and Internet technologies. Nevertheless, despite these changes, individuals are, in some way, bound to 'recognize morality,' what is right or wrong, not just because s/he is expected to have it, but s/he is also a human who have personal values wherein his/her ethical character is determined (Mayer, 2001).

Indeed, researches through the years have delved specifically into the relationship between one's ethical behavior and his/her personal values and beliefs. In a study conducted by Nonis and Swift (2001), their research on business ethics showed that "differences in individuals' behavior as evidenced in its ethics or legality could be predicted according to their deeply-held work and personal values." In effect, when undergoing ethical decision-making, the interplay of one's personality as well as deeply-held values and beliefs are vital in determining whether s/he is an individual who regards ethical decision-making or not.

A famous example of the prevalence of non-ethical decision-making is when the American business sector experienced a series of cases wherein businesses have been conducting business with blatant neglect to business laws as well as ethical procedures of conduct in decision-making. The emphasis for corporate governance in most companies today shows that, more than ever, there is a need for ethics in a business environment that is slowly succumbing to higher levels of rationalization and depersonalization of work activities (Donaldson, 2003).

Indeed, in a century wherein computer and Internet technologies (ICTs) have a more vital role than human resource, ethical decision-making becomes more important. This is because ICTs, though highly rational in its decision-making, do not have the regard for a decision's effects to the organization and other people. This characteristic of ICTs may result to the creation of a decision that, despite its high rationality, do not benefit the organization or client or worse, the people who become the end-users of the products, information, and service catered to them by business companies. Thus, every member of an organization must have regard for ethics in order to safeguard the welfare of society in general, the very people whom we, as business practitioners, dedicated to provide service to.

When discussing the influence of technology on work-related stress, meanwhile, it is vital to focus on the effects of technology not on the society or organization as a whole, but on the individual -- how technology will affect the performance and personal (mental) health of the individual. This concern becomes more vital, as elucidated in a study wherein despite the increasing innovations and inventions that help life become comfortable and easier for people, Americans have become more stressed. This makes the U.S., according to the research, the only industrialized country that has not yet learned to combat the negative effects of technology in society (Budimir, 2001).

In fact, technology has become so pervasive in the lives of people that a program called "information technology sustainable development" has been created. This program is geared towards introducing and disseminating the information that ICTs have a role in further stabilizing the socio-economic structure of a country (Sheats, 2000). This asset, however, must be considered under the sustainable development paradigm, wherein the welfare of the society and individual takes the front seat rather than the advantages it can give to the technology's creators.