Ethical Perspective

Ethical Perspective

The ethical perspective of an individual has a profound affect on how he lives his life. Ethical perspective can be that of character, obligation, results, or equity; or C.O.R.E.. An individual may fall into one of these perspectives or may be blended between two or more. An individual’s ethical perspective can be reflected in the culture of their organization and determines how they handle ethical situations on a daily basis. My personal ethical perspective is substantially that of obligation.

Ethics are the moral values, beliefs, and rules that one establishes to deal with others, economic or social issues, laws, their priorities, and their own self-interest (Weiss, 2006). Individuals do this by leveraging the right and wrong way of handling any given situation and what can be done to help one thing without hurting another. Although all individuals believe that there is a right and wrong answer when faced with an ethical decision, it does not mean all individuals will have the same answer (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). According to the Ethics Awareness Inventory, there are four ethical perspectives one can have. The C.O.R.E. ethical perspectives are character, obligation, results, and equity. An individual’s ethical perspective determines their views on taking actions to handle a situation the right way (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). Whether an individual has one ethical perspective or if he is blended by more than one, he has an individual ethical style within his perspective.

The first of the C.O.R.E perspectives is character. An individual with this perspective bases his perspective on what is good to be, rather than what is good to do (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). He believes that ethics should focus on achieving moral excellence and when determining if a person’s actions are ethical, he looks beyond the action to their character and at their virtue, honor, integrity, and benevolence. In his view, a person cannot be ethical by following rules without striving to be a moral person (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003).

The ethical style of a person with a character perspective relies on an individual’s ability to make sound and moral judgments. He believes that it is better to demonstrate honesty, wisdom, and integrity than to comply with rules and that without good character, a person is incapable of choosing between right and wrong. An individual with a character perspective also believes that ethical rules and standards establish an artificial ethical environment because people adhere to the rules instead of developing their character (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003).

The ethical perspective of obligation is based on the perspective that all people have a duty to do what is morally right. He believes in the principle that a rational person should morally do what is right. When deciding if a person’s actions are ethical, he looks at what that person’s intent was and not at the results of the action (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). All ethical conduct is based on a person’s conscience and everyone must choose how to act and choose which rules to follow. He believes that ethical principles are based on the ideal that human beings should never be used as a means of getting something done. Most importantly, an individual with an obligation perspective believes that ethical principles should be appropriate, respectful of human dignity, and promote individual freedom (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003).

Individuals with an obligation perspective have an ethical style that is based on human respect. He believes that all human beings are entitled to the same opportunities, rights, and interests. He has the view that all people should be able to make their own choices within human and legal limits. Because it is his belief that all people have a moral duty to do what is right, there is little room for compromise when ethical principles are violated. Since he is an advocate for ensuring equal respect and opportunity for all, he will defend his ethical principles even when negative results occur such as loss of a promotion of a loss of employment (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). Finally, it is his belief that all human beings deserve equal respect and dignity above all else.

An individual with a results ethical perspective believes that the results and consequences of a person’s actions determine their ethics (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). When determining if a person is ethical, he looks to results of the actions taken and if the results are promoting the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Principles and rules are not viewed as important if the overall good of society has not been achieved (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). Essentially, the whole purpose of ethics is to improve society as a whole.

The ethical style of an individual with a results perspective is that the majority should be satisfied. Everyone is entitled to the best life possible, and if people are unhappy, then something is morally wrong. He believes that if everyone creates a more pleasant environment, then people will be happy, respectful to others, and together will improve society (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). To him, it is essential that all of society achieve results that improve the overall satisfaction of the society.

The final C.O.R.E. perspective is equity. The individual with an equity perspective believes that the reasonable guide to any action should be practical. He is concerned that human judgment is uncertain and that human knowledge is unstable. When determining if a person is ethical, he looks at how practical their actions are (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). Because of the changing world, he believes that principles and rules should be adapted to the times and question the motives of people who try to define moral values.

As with any ethical perspective, an individual with an equity perspective has his own ethical style. Because they distrust codes of ethics, he believes that it is necessary to change one’s beliefs periodically, and that there are no absolute standards of what is right or wrong. The individual will critically analyze the overall impact of any possible decision to any situation (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003). Because he sees a multitude of possible solutions to each situation, he is frustrated by anyone trying to define what should be important and what