ORGL 610: Organizational Communication/Leadership Ethics

Leadership Ethics.jpg
 

STATED OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this course is to develop the student as a leader to recognize ethical issues while being able to articulate personal and organizational values, multiple world views or perspectives, and analyze ethical dilemmas present in organizations. Students will also demonstrate decision making informed by social justice concepts and communication and applied leadership ethics. Students will learn how to make ethical decisions independently in line with social justice and make ethical decisions in collaborative forums in line with social justice. Finally, students will develop a plan to communicate ethically and practice ethical leadership.

 

IMPACT QUOTEs:

“Ethics is one of those subjects that people rightfully feel they know about from experience. Most people think of ethics as practical knowledge, not theoretical knowledge. One problem in applied ethics is that scholars from other discipline sometimes feel that their practical knowledge and common sense (and exemplary moral character) are adequate for a discussion of ethics in their area of research. The resulting research is sometimes good, sometimes awful, but without some background in ethics, it is often not very informative. Philosophic writings on ethics are frequently ignored or rejected because the writing is obtuse or tedious and the content appears irrelevant to people writing about ethics in their own area of research or practice. Researchers often assume that philosophic ethics is simply a handful of theories, when in fact it also includes literature on meta-ethics, which focuses on the nature of moral reality and the logic and meaning of moral language” -- Joanne B. Ciulla, from Ethics, the Heart of Leadership, 3rd Edition.

 

"The Warrior Ethos evolved from the primary need of the spear-toting, rock-throwing, animal-skin-wearing hunting band—the need to survive. This need could be met only collectively, as a group working in unison. To bind the band together, an ethos evolved—a hunter’s ethos. Every warrior virtue proceeds from this—courage, selflessness, love of and loyalty to one’s comrades, patience, self-command, the will to endure adversity. It all comes from the hunting band’s need to survive. At a deeper level, the Warrior Ethos recognizes that each of us, as well, has enemies inside himself. Vices and weaknesses like envy and greed, laziness, selfishness, the capacity to lie and cheat and do harm to our brothers" -- Steven Pressfield, from The Warrior Ethos.

 

"The concepts of shame, honor and love imply moral judgment. Right and wrong. Virtues and vices. The natural, evolution-spawned instinct of self-preservation becomes viewed within the context of an ethical code—and indicted as wrong, evil, cowardly, depraved. Its opposite—courage—is judged by that same code and declared to be good, brave and honorable. The Spartan king Agesilaus was once asked what was the supreme warrior virtue, from which all other virtues derived. He replied, “Contempt for death.” Courage—in particular, stalwartness in the face of death—must be considered the foremost warrior virtue. A detachment of Romans was cut off in a waterless place. The enemy commander demanded their surrender. The Romans refused. “You are surrounded,” declared the enemy captain in exasperation. “You have neither food nor water. You have no choice but to surrender!” The Roman commander replied, “No choice? Then have you taken away as well the option to die with honor? The dictionary defines ethos as: The moral character, nature, disposition and customs of a people or culture. Ethos is derived from the same Greek root as ethics. The Warrior Ethos is a code of conduct—a conception of right and wrong, of virtues and of vices. No one is born with the Warrior Ethos, though many of its tenets appear naturally in young men and women of all cultures. The Warrior Ethos is taught. On the football field in Topeka, in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, on the lion-infested plains of Kenya and Tanzania. Courage is modeled for the youth by fathers and older brothers, by mentors and elders. It is inculcated, in almost all cultures, by a regimen of training and discipline. This discipline frequently culminates in an ordeal of initiation” -- Steven Pressfield, from The Warrior Ethos.

 

"Communication as a discipline has historically assumed the importance of the audience, the Other, the speaker, and the message. Communication ethics follows this classic assumption into an even more demanding era, a time without common public agreement. Throughout human history, disputes about the good have been engaged through various means, including wars of weapons and of words. In this sense, our moment is not new; again, we meet the perennial question of how to work out our differences in productive ways. What may be new is a greater willingness to learn from alternative points of view and new ways of framing previously unchallenged perspectives on human history, ideas, and action. Communication ethics enters the conversation with pragmatic importance as the core message of this era becomes increasingly understood as difference, different views of what is and is not the good. Sorting through differing views of the good defines this historical moment. We, along with other scholars, use the term postmodernity as a marker of this time of narrative and virtue contention, a time of explicit and recognized disagreement about the shared stories that give our lives meaning. In the first chapter, we will explain the term postmodernity and its relevance to communication ethics in this historical moment" -- Ronald Arnett, from Communication Ethics Literacy: Dialogue and Difference.

 

"We live in a moment in which public and private rules for engagement with one another are no longer in place, and common spaces and places of agreement are not the normative background for communicative life. This moment, however, is not a time for lament but, on the contrary, an occasion for rejoicing if one wants to learn or has been on the outside of what a dominant group attempted to claim as universal when it was actually empowering only a select few. Learning from difference takes on both pragmatic and, in some cases, a liberating reality. The contrasting position to an ongoing commitment to learning is the demand that life not change. The communicative result is a refusal to learn. This action forfeits the possibility of leadership in a century defined by learning how to negotiate difference. 'Let us expect the different, learn from the unknown, and not take for granted that the Other holds dear the same sense of the good that gives our individual and collective communicative lives meaning.' Pragmatic communication ethics action begins with learning, withholding the impulse to tell until one understands the context, the topic, and the persons. Learning is the pragmatic good of communication ethics in an era of narrative and virtue contention" -- Ronald Arnett, from Communication Ethics Literacy: Dialogue and Difference. 

 

Competencies Gained:

This course is an inquiry into the personal, organizational, and social values present in ethical dilemmas. Students will develop skills in ethical communication and decision-making, and recognize how to act for the common interest as leaders who can acknowledge and consider multiple ethical perspectives.

This course looks at ethics as it intersects with leadership and communication from both personal and organizational perspectives. The first half of the course examines the personal ethical development and decision-making focusing on the personal character of the leader and his or her ability to make decisions and take actions that can be considered to be good and right.

The second half of the course centers on a variety of moral dilemmas that exist in organizations and societies. Students gain a deep understanding of the complexity of such moral dilemmas and how they might engage in critical analysis and application of ethical principles. Students will be asked to apply ethical decision-making tools and principles to leadership and communication issues throughout the course.

 

Course Instructor:

Kristine Hoover, Ed.D.

 

Reference Materials:

Arnett, R. C., Fritz, J. M. H., & Bell, L. M. (2008). Communication ethics literacy: Dialogue and difference. Sage Publications.
Johnson, C. E. (2016). Organizational ethics: A practical approach (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Ass, K., Gundhuss, H. Oppen, & Lommell, H. M. (2009). Technologies of InSecurity. The Surveillance of Everyday Life, 207-218.
Goold, B. Technologies of surveillance and the erosion of institutional trust.
Brown, M. E., & Trevino L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. Leadership Quarterly 17, 595-616.
Casmir, F. L. (2013). Ethics in intercultural and international communication. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Hall, Brad. Culture, Ethics, and Communication. (pp. 11-41). Christians, C. G., Fackler, M., Richardson, K. B., Kreshel, P. J., & Woods, R. H., Media Ethics: Pearson New International Edition: Cases and Moral Reasoning. Pearson Higher Ed
Ethical Foundations and Perspectives (pp. 1-22). Christians, C. G., & Traber, M. (Eds.). (1997). Communication ethics and universal values Sage publications.
Christians, C.G. The Ethics of Being in a Communications Context. (pp. 3-19). Cover, R. (2013). Undoing attitudes: subjectivity and ethical change in the Go Back to Where You Came From documentary. Continuum: Journal Of Media & Cultural Studies, 27(3), 408-420. doi:10.1080/10304312.2013.772107
Crossan, M., Mazutis, D., & Seijts, G. (2013). In Search of Virtue: The Role of Virtues, Values and Character Strengths in Ethical Decision Making. Journal Of Business Ethics, 113(4), 567-581. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1680-8
Eisenbeiß, S. A., & Brodbeck, F. (2014). Ethical and unethical leadership: A cross-cultural and cross-sectoral analysis. Journal Of Business Ethics, 122(2), 343-359. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1740-0
Gini, (2014). Moral leadership and business In J. Ciulla (Ed.), Ethics, The Heart of Leadership (32-52). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.
Gentile, M. C. (2010). Giving Voice to Values: How to speak your mind when you know what is right. Yale University Press

  • Ch 7 Finding my voice (pp. 135-169)

Hinman, L. M. (2012). Ethics: A pluralistic approach to moral theory. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

  • Ch 2 Understanding the diversity of moral beliefs (pp.25-60).

Johnson, C. E. (2011). Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow. Sage.

  • Ethical Decision Making and Behavior (pp. 235-246).

Makau, J. M., & Arnett, R. C., Eds. (1997) Communication ethics in an age of diversity. University of Illinois Press.

  • Wood, J. Diversity in dialogue: Commonalities and differences between friends. (pp. 5-26)
  • Stewart, L. P. Facilitating connections: Issues of gender, culture, and diversity. (pp. 110-125)

May, S. (2006). Case studies in organizational communication: ethical perspectives and practices. Sage.

  • Ch 2 Ethical Challenges and Dilemmas in Organizations: A Case Study Approach (pp. 19-47)

Moore, A. D. (Ed.). (2005). Information ethics: Privacy, property, and power. University of Washington Press.

  • Allen, A. L. Privacy Isn't Everything: Accountability as a Personal and Social Good. (pp. 398-413)

McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women. Retrieved from http://amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
Palmer, P. J. (2009). A hidden wholeness: The journey toward an undivided life. JohnWiley & Sons.

  • Ch. 2 Across the Great Divide: Rejoining Soul and Role (pp. 13-30).
  • Ch. 10 The Third Way: Nonviolence in Everyday Life (pp. 167-186)

Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). http//dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1116
Schudson, M. (2008). Why democracies need an unlovable press. Polity.

  • Ch.2 Six or Seven Things News Can Do For Democracy (pp. 11-26)

Seeger, M. W. (1997). Ethics and organizational communication. Cresskill, N.J: Hampton Press.

  • Communication and Organizational Legitimacy (pp.103-115)
  • Communication and Organizational Responsibility (pp. 119-133)

United Nations (1997). Summary of the United Nations Agreement on Human Rights http://www.hrweb.org/legal/undocs.html