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Focusing on dual-occupation professionals, the researchers foundthat engineers had one perspective on ethical issues, yet whenthose same individuals were in management roles, their moralcompass shifted. Likewise, medic/soldiers in the U.S. Army haddifferent views of civilian casualties depending on whether theymost recently had been acting as soldiers or medics. In the study, to be published in a future issue of The Academy of Management Journal , lead author Keith Leavitt of Oregon State University found thatworkers who tend to have dual roles in their jobs would changetheir moral judgments based on what they thought was expected ofthem at the moment. "When people switch hats, they often switch moralcompasses," Leavitt said. "People like to think they areinherently moral creatures -- you either have character or youdon't. But our studies show that the same person may make acompletely different decision based on what hat they may be wearingat the time, often without even realizing it." Leavitt, an assistant professor of management in the College ofBusiness at OSU, is an expert on non-conscious decision making andbusiness ethics. He studies how people make decisions and moraljudgments, often based on non-conscious cues. He said recent high-profile business scandals, from the collapse ofEnron to the Ponzi scheme of Bernie Madoff, have called intoquestion the ethics of professionals. Leavitt said professionalorganizations, employers and academic institutions may want totrain and prepare their members for practical moral tensions theymay face when asked to serve in multiple roles. "What we consider to be moral sometimes depends on whatconstituency we are answering to at that moment," Leavittsaid. "For a physician, a human life is priceless. But if thatsame physician is a managed-care administrator, some degree ofmoral flexibility becomes necessary to meet their obligations tostockholders." Leavitt said subtle cues -- such as signage and motivationmaterials around the office -- should be considered, along withmore direct training that helps employees who juggle multiple rolesthat could conflict with one another. "Organizations and businesses need to recognize that even verysubtle images and icons can give employees non-conscious clues asto what the firm values," he said. "Whether they know itor not, people are often taking in messages about what their roleis and what is expected of them, and this may conflict with whatthey know to be the moral or correct decision." The researchers conducted three different studies with employeeswho had dual roles. In one case, 128 U.S. Army medics were asked tocomplete a series of problem-solving tests, which includedsubliminal cues that hinted they might be acting as either a medicor a soldier. No participant said the cues had any bearing on theirbehavior -- but apparently they did. A much larger percentage ofthose in the medic category than in the soldier category wereunwilling to put a price on human life. In another test, a group of engineer-managers were asked to writeabout a time they either behaved as a typical manager, engineer, orboth. Then they were asked whether U.S. firms should engage in"gifting" to gain a foothold in a new market. Despite thefact such a practice would violate federal laws, more than 50percent of those who fell into the "manager" categorysaid such a practice might be acceptable, compared to 13 percent ofthose in the engineer category. "We find that people tend to make decisions that may conflictwith their morals when they are overwhelmed, or when they are justdoing routine tasks without thinking of the consequences,"Leavitt said. "We tend to play out a script as if our role hasalready been written. So the bottom line is, slow down and thinkabout the consequences when making an ethical decision.". I am an expert from ptfefep.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Ptfe Packing Manufacturer , China Fep Tube, Ptfe Teflon Tube,and more.
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