Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership - Essay Example

Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership Moral dilemmas are troubles that individuals experience every day in various spheres in the society. Sometimes choosing between what is right and wrong is a problem not only to young people but also to adults. Several models and theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain responses to moral challenges that people face. Kohlberg’s model is a comprehensive postulation of moral development categorized in three levels each with two stages (Bredeson and Goree, 2012, p.102).According to Stage one, the leader may respond to the employee’s moral dilemma by highlighting the likely punishment if obedience to the organization’s rule is not exhibited.

The leaders, therefore, will discourage the worker from accepting the gift no matter the reasoning and justification. The email would look like ‘‘Dear officer, I am sorry to inform you that if you breach the company’s rule that abhors acceptance of gift from customers then be ready to face the consequences. This rule should be followed at all times.’’This approach hampers the organization’s democratic space where the views of others are not taken into account leading to the growth of an autocratic system.

The management is likely to plunge into a culture where they impose strict self-centered rules. Over time, with the resistance and breach of these rigid rules, the leaders may escalate up the moral reasoning ladder making them adopt a more rational perspective in solving moral dilemmas in decision making.ConclusionMoral reasoning is not complete at stage one and that is the reasoning why it is regarded as a reasoning pattern for children who do not have the capacity to rationalize between good and bad.

They, therefore, have to blindly set or follow the laid down laws or regulations. Convection and post convection stages are eye-openers in moral justice. ReferenceBredeson, D., & Goree, K. (2012). Ethics in the workplace. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning.