At stake here are several conflicting values, the concern for a fellow human being, self-preservation, success of the company and the pressure to perform.
As VP of the division, I am under scrutiny to deliver substantial results to my president, John Edmonds, to be seen as sensitive to my product managers needs. Lisa Walters, Kathryn’s supervisor, has pressed me for a resource action for boosting staff morale and replacing her with someone who can be more productive. I also feel that Kathryn McNeil is a hard worker who is stuck in a tricky personal situation.My Approach to the Ethical Dilemma How am I to satisfy Lisa Walters request to dispose of Kathryn? Should I sacrifice my career in order to do what is right by Kathryn? Should I be ruthless and fire Kathryn? What would a perfectly ethical manager do? It would help to draw from a theory of ethics that can serve as the basis of practical reasoning and include ways of judging how to reduce ethical transgressions and advance ethical practice in business, rather than aiming only at the characterization of perfectly ethical managers.
Such a theory does not exist, but elements from the theory of justice by Amartya Sen, and the teachings of Socrates, John Stuart Mill and Kant can help me arrive at an idea of comparative justice: judgments that can help navigate the seas of ethical dilemmas in business, such as the one presently at hand. In the analysis presented in this paper, diagnosis of injustice, identification and compartmentalization of motives of key players will figure often as anchors for support of my final recommendation.Philosophical Analysis John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill would argue that Kathryn’s absences from work are correct in that they advance her happiness but are incorrect in the measure of anguish they create for management. In a somewhat extreme viewpoint, Mill would also argue against firing Kathryn and have me face the fallout of depressed morale of the other product managers, of Lisa Walters and John Edmonds single-handedly.Neither argument is acceptable since it leaves two clear remediable injustices unresolved: a) Kathryn is free to pursue happiness in her personal relationships but not at the expense of her relationships at work, and b) it is unfair for me to shield the burden of one seemingly under-performing employee. Socrates The Socratic paradox is that no one is willingly bad and that people do wrong because they have not the knowledge to do right.
In Republic, Plato writes that Thrasymachus argued that justice is the advantage of the stronger person, and that just acts are never performed voluntarily. Glaucon further strengthened the argument using the analogy of the Ring of Gyges stating that whenever there is a perceived benefit of causing injustice to someone else while at the same time not being shown to be partial or unjust, a person would gladly go ahead and be unjust to that someone else!It is clear that both Thrasymachus and Glaucon would favor a resource action against Kathryn McNeil as long as neither was accused of lobbying for it. Modern Scholars The question of what is truly the nature of justice remains an unanswered question as noted by Bertrand Russell in ‘The History of Western Philosophy’ wherein he notes that Socrates was unable to provide a convincing rebuttal of Glaucon’s arguments on justice, and neither have all the social philosophers since, been able to do.Amartya Sen, in his book ‘The Idea of Justice’, has developed a basic framework of a theory that can yield judgments as to comparative justice, judgments that tell us when and why we are moving closer to or farther away from realizing justice in ethical dilemmas in business.
I am personally more inclined to this framework because it provides a reason to assess the impact of my decision on the greater good of the company. Immanuel Kant Kant would argue that each player has hypothetical imperative to satisfy their own desires. For example, I would rather have Kathryn off the agenda to focus on the bottom-line.Walters would rather not have to deal with an employee who works fewer hours than the rest of her subordinate product managers. But there remains only one categorical imperative in this case, which is doing the correct thing by Kathryn and letting her work on a flexible schedule so she may take care of her young son and also find the freedom to be productive at work.
I am conflicted in my acceptance of the categorical imperative only because choosing it impacts my future with the company- but then again, that is my hypothetical imperative!Kant helps me understand the dilemma and a set of possible responses to it; however, I retain the agency of action and therefore I must also consider the greater good for Sayer MicroWorld. Alternatives Kathryn McNeil and Lisa Walters have both presented their side of the stories to me. After collecting and expositing on the perspectives of each individual I see two alternatives: a) lay off Kathryn McNeil or, b) transfer her to another department. Firing Kathryn McNeil Strengths of this optionThis is the easy way out but is also the harshest given that Kathryn is a single mother of a very young child. However, the resource action is requested by and supported by direct manager, Lisa Walters, and there is substantive evidence Kathryn is unable to meet the evolving demands of the work place. Shortcomings of this option A resource action could potentially invite a lawsuit from Kathryn even though she is an at-will employee and the public policy exception does not likely apply to her.
Strengths of this option Transferring Kathryn to another department keeps her from facing termination and is an act of goodwill at best but is tactically a good option given Lisa Walters’ disapproval of Kathryn. Shortcomings of this option This alternative is weaker because it is a way of shifting the problem for someone else to deal with. Kathryn’s personal demands will not change in the short term and it is possible that the new supervisor might experience similar distress over her schedule.Moreover, since I hold overall responsibility for Product Control, I can expect to hear complaints in the future as well. My recommendation The imperatives for managers, in general, are hypothetical.
In order to achieve X, do Y as long as Y is justified with substantial evidence and is in the best interests of the stakeholders of the company. I have decided to use the hypothetical imperative available to me: fire Kathryn and save our company the trouble of managing an employee whose personal demands override her work obligations.Injustice is everywhere in this world but the dilemma in Kathryn McNeil’s case is not the realization that management falls short of being completely just, but that there are clearly remediable injustices which a perfectly ethical manager would want to eliminate. Her personal situation evokes similar sentiments, and to the biased reader it would be a natural response to immediately suggest a favorable outcome for her.
However, the simplicity ends there. The greater good of the company lies in product managers managing an enthusiastic and productive team.There is reason to believe Kathryn’s personal demands have begun to outweigh the professional ones. Further, there is evidence Kathryn’s work hours have started to affect morale in the IBM product division, one of our key revenue generators.
I am otherwise impressed with Kathryn’s work ethic and I have found her to be diligent, hard at work all the time and successfully balancing personal and professional commitments almost all the time. However, Lisa Walters’ stated position is that Kathryn’s family responsibilities have prevented her from working all the overtime necessary for the job.Walters was also snubbed by Edmonds when having to explain Kathryn’s absence in an important all-hands meeting. Since Lisa has ownership of the IBM product division and its staff her judgment of Kathryn is a key factor in my recommendation. Keeping in mind all these arguments and the weakness of the second option presented earlier, I have decided to recommend a resource action against Kathryn McNeil given the assurance from our legal counsel that the at-will employment of Kathryn essentially permits such a step.
