Importance of Ethics in the Workplace

Learning Team Debriefing

Introduction

When initially given this assignment, as well as the last, I was very anxious and concerned. Being this is my first college class and taking it while active duty in the Marine Corps and temporarily stationed in hostile territory in Iraq, I was needless to say overwhelmed. However, I continue to learn what is required of me and what I can overcome. In the beginning of the course I did not have a clear understanding of what ethics actually was. So I consulted the dictionary. According to Webster's College Dictionary, ethics is a system or set of moral principles. Also, rules of conduct and dealing with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice especially in the standards of a profession. Other sources believe "Ethics is the philosophy of good and evil, right and wrong" (Yount, 1998, p. 106). Up until this class I understood this concept, but lacked a complete understanding of what all it encompasses. However, this class has allowed me to grow in the aspect of learning the material, but also in handling the pressures of group work. I notice more and more companies, educational realms, and businesses are using group work regularly. Forever, gone are the days of solitary work in an isolated cubicle. Through this class and the weekly assignments I am working on developing my skills in working in professional and educational groups.

I see and understand many of the benefits in working in groups. Such benefits include improving the quality of shared assignments. My teammate could add information I may have overlooked or we could bounce ideas off one another to get even greater ideas. A second benefit of group work is having the ability to share practical knowledge that comes from many different life and work experiences which add to the depth of the paper. My partner may have dealt with ethical dilemmas I would have never imagined. In turn, I have had my share of what I now understand as "ethical dilemmas" and can share my experiences as well. Further benefits include providing support to working adults trying to balance work and other obligations. I am very limited on my resources while in Iraq. I do not have the flexibility or availability of going to the local university and consult their library. But, I have much to share. By allowing group work I can use the resources I have and by sharing the workload the project and paper can be successful. A final benefit to group work can be sharing the frustration and stress during the process as well as celebrating when a project is complete. I believe I have taken the time to read and try to understand the information put in front of me. I am giving this course 100% of my available time given my situation. I continue to struggle with some of the difficult readings, but continue to work hard at forming a strong knowledge base in this area.

I believe myself and my teammate shared the common goal of getting through this course and with passing marks. The communication was difficult due to limited availability of internet access on my part, but we did what was needed to complete the assignment. It was very difficult to decipher through the material and logically plan it into a section for each member to do. One member of the group I believe dropped the course last minute leaving us in a panic and pandemonium. That is probably where much of the "Storming" stemmed from.

However, with the great benefits comes the downside of group work. To make a decision all parties should be consulted and this is time consuming with me in another time zone and country nonetheless. With individual work I can make a decision and act on it right away. I have had