Introduction
Ethics is a concept of ethics, morality, and their norms. Making decisions following these standards is a challenging task, to which there is practically no correct answer. However, to find answers to these questions, it is necessary to conduct an ethical self-assessment of one’s views. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the results of the self-assessment, to clarify its relationship with a particular culture and the role of leadership decisions in cross-cultural situations.
Assessment Score and Feedback
A study of ethnic self-assessment was conducted using the provided tool “What’s Your Ethics IQ?”. My result was 2 points out of 5, which is equivalent to “Just Passed.” Most of the answers I selected turned out to be wrong, which gives a first look at the models of ethical decision making that I use. I examined each of the questions in detail, analyzing the received feedback, and came to the following conclusions.
Morning with the Flu
The first question in this test was about a person’s attitude towards work and his health. As the results showed, despite ethical obligations to oneself that require staying home with an illness, work for me means more than my well-being. Work at home is not the best option during the flu; however, it is still better than putting your health in danger by leaving your home. Nevertheless, work is too significant for me to substitute others because of my poor health.
Colleagues Discussing Confidential Information
The second question of this test more characterizes me as a person and assesses my behavior with colleagues. Unfortunately, like many others, I prefer not to intervene in a controversial situation until it touches me directly. Such action is dictated by the desire to avoid conflict situations and the deterioration of relations with colleagues. Accordingly, my position on this issue speaks of my unwillingness to actively promote and defend the interests of myself and other people.
Cinema Ticket Price
The third question concerns my very skeptical attitude towards business ethics. I know how such structures work and how much fraud often exists in them, so I don’t think it is disastrous to take advantage of minor flaws in the system to save a little. However, I admit that such behavior ultimately only worsens the situation in the relationship between the business and its customers.
Oversight in the Bill
Despite my attitude to business, discussed in the previous question, I do not support the profit at the expense of others, and I consider it unethical. I can be cunning in some ways, but I still think honesty is the best policy. This statement is contradicting with previous ones, but I try to be honest, at least with myself.
Driving and Using Smartphone
Finally, the last question, the answer to which I gave correctly, also indirectly relates to human health. However, as in the previous case, there is a distinction between neglecting a mild illness and direct risk to life. I consider it unacceptable to expose my life to such danger. Therefore, I am ready to uphold my ethical position, even if it means conflict with a person.
Thus, I can conclude that on many small everyday issues, my position does not comply with ethical standards. My ethical decision-making models, first of all, correspond to upholding my interests.
Ethics and Cultures
Undoubtedly, the culture in which I grew up and lived influenced my answers to a certain extent. There are different views on the degree of influence of culture on ethnic and moral norms. For example, there is a theory of ethnic relativism that states that these principles are strictly assigned to each culture. According to Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, and Myer (2014), representatives of different cultures cannot coordinate and resolve moral issues together. This theory has many opponents because of its unconditional nature, but part of the truth is still present in it. In the end, people of different cultures do have different moral and ethical standards concerning certain things.
It should be noted that the used tool corresponds to American culture. The culture of the United States is a manifestation of universalism, and this is what dictated my answers. The culture of particularism is not based on general rules applicable in each situation, but on an individual approach to relationships and circumstances to clarify the truth (“Universalism versus Particularism,” n.d.). Accordingly, if I lived and grew up in such a culture, my answers were completely different. For example, in a situation with a discussion of a client by colleagues, I would most likely take a more personal approach and intervene in the case. A change in culture entails a rethinking of many values, as people are in entirely different surroundings.
Conclusion About Cross-Cultural Leadership
Thus, I can conclude that ethical and moral standards depend, first of all, on the culture in which a person grew up. These principles may vary from society to society, but their basis is still about the same. However, we should not forget that representatives of different cultures may relate to the same things in different ways. Therefore, in such situations, I, as a leader, will have to make complex ethical decisions that must satisfy representatives of all cultures. For the successful resolution of such conflicts, it is necessary to study the characteristics of the cultures and their attitude to the controversial moment from both legal, ethical, and moral points of view. The role of the leader in such interactions, first of all, is to find a compromise between the aspects of different cultures and come to such a solution that will suit all parties.
References
Universalism versus Particularism. (n.d.). Web.
Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, S. J., & Myer, M. J. (2014). Ethical relativism. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Web.