Obstacles to Ethical Decision-Making: Mental Models, Milgram and the Problem of Obedience

ISBN-13: 9781107000032 / Angielski / Twarda / 2013 / 260 str.

Patricia H Werhane

Opis

In commerce, many moral failures are due to narrow mindsets that preclude taking into account the moral dimensions of a decision or action. In turn, sometimes these mindsets are caused by failing to question managerial decisions from a moral point of view, because of a perceived authority of management. In the 1960s, Stanley Milgram conducted controversial experiments to investigate just how far obedience to an authority figure could subvert his subjects' moral beliefs. In this thought-provoking work, the authors examine the prevalence of narrow mental models and the phenomenon of obedience to an authority to analyse and understand the challenges which business professionals encounter in making ethical decisions. Obstacles to Ethical Decision-Making proposes processes including collaborative input and critique by which individuals may reduce or overcome these challenges. It provides decision-makers at all levels in an organisation with the means to place ethical considerations at the heart of managerial decision-making."

Recenzje

'This book takes a bold leap from the traditional normative critiques of business ethics to address the perplexing interaction of ethics and mental framing. The authors are multi-talented and draw on the latest research in moral decision-making to meticulously reconstruct the origins of our moral knowledge base. The book's insights into classic business ethics examples invite ethicists and practitioners to escape the confines of their own epistemological boundaries to effect the breakthrough that the authors call 'moral imagination'.' Laura Nash, co-author of Just Enough: Tools for Creating Success in Work and Life

Spis treści

1. Introduction; 2. The role of mental models in social construction; 3. The Milgram studies: obedience, disobedience, and ethical challenges; 4. Obstacles to ethical decision-making in the perception of ethical context; 5. Obstacles to ethical decision-making in impact analysis and action; 6. Managing ethical obstacles; 7. Problematic mental models: some applications; 8. Conclusion; Author index; Subject index.