The ethical approaches need to be combined to make more effective decisions in public administration. The elements of the ethical triangle may be used as filters for ethical analysis of situations and appropriate decision-making. Kent Chartwell, Marion Meriwether, and Winston Battle in case 2 Paul’s scenario are examples of Peter, Mary, and Paul’s schemes of human behavior.
Only by combining the three traditional ethical approaches (virtue, principle, and consequences) and acting in accordance with the ethics triangle could the mayor achieve the greatest good for the greatest number. Interacting with Marion Meriwether and Winston Battle, Mayor Chartwell had to deal with specialists possessing Mary and Paul’s charts of competence. Thus, being competent, enthusiastic, and creative but not promoted, Marion is an example of Mary’s scheme of professional behavior.
She retrains, knows all the angles of the sphere, generates brilliant ideas, and does all the work, but her contribution seems to remain unnoticed because she is offered to be an assistant or co-director but not to take the lead. Winston Battle is an example of Paul’s competence chart. On the one hand, this employee lacks creativity and enthusiasm. On the other hand, he is reluctant to work on the project and seems tired and overworked. It is possible that he has performed well in the past, but he is absolutely useless running the summer recreational program.
The participants of the scenario have implemented the virtue, principles, and consequences approaches. Mayor Chartwell decides on the principle approach, insisting on leaving Battle as the program director. He supposes that if an individual has been appointed for the position, he must have deserved it and can do his best, contributing to the greatest good.
Marion Meriwether used the virtue approach, intuitively defining measures that can improve the project and enhance its effectiveness. Battle chose the consequences approach as he was not interested in the process and its details. He used the summer program to pad his personal payroll, and after being informed that he would have to make some efforts to make the program more effective, he decided to leave the project. Thus, overutilizing a single model, each character would have failed to reach the greatest good.
Only the ethic triangle can help balance virtue, balance, and consequences approaches and promote the public interest. Thompson & Leidlein (2009) noted that „using the ethics triangle helps to prevent the problems associated with using any of the models alone” (p. 67). Overutilizing the principle approach, Mayor Chartwell could decrease the effectiveness of the project. But thinking of overreaching the greatest good and consequences of his decisions, he rated Marion’s contribution at its true value and decided to involve her in the project.
However, following the principle-based approach, he offered her only the position of an assistant. The mayor failed to use the ethical model, overestimating the principle of leaving the employee who has been performing well in the past in the position occupied. “Operating inside the triangle helps prevent the shortcomings of each approach as its angles inform and limit one another” (Bowman, West, & Berman, 2004, p. 71).
Thus, the principle side of the triangle could reduce the benefits of the virtue and consequences-based approaches. It was only due to the juncture of the events that Marion Meriwether was promoted and the greatest good for the greatest number has been achieved.
Reference List
Bowman, J.S., West, J.P., & Berman, E.M. (2004). The professional edge: Competencies in public service. New York, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
Thompson, W.N. & Leidlein, J.E. (2009). Ethics in city hall: Discussion and analysis for public administration. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.