President Donald J. Trump has been accused of many misdeeds since his election in 2016, and he was impeached for some of his conduct (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress). He, his supporters, and the majority of the media (both for and against) have focused almost exclusively on whether any of his conduct was illegal and even the legality of investigations, firings, hires, and numerous other actions he has taken. The legality of a president's actions of course matters, but as we've clearly established in this course, all employees, and especially leaders, need to meet a higher standard. They need to be ethical, not just legal.

 

a. What is your reaction to the argument that being legal is not enough? Provide examples

 

2. At one firm, the most senior people served themselves very well, and often at the expense of the more junior people in the department. The same group had a long history of intimidation, harassment, and bullying. Most people did not dare speak up for fear of the consequences. In one instance, when an employee did speak up about misconduct, the person was bullied and retaliated against. When this happened, a complaint was made to management within the division who did nothing. The complaint then went to the ethics committee who investigated and recommended people be removed and sanctioned. Sadly, the committee had no authority to implement the recommendations, and the managers chose not to implement them. The managers instead retaliated against the individual filing the complaint with a low score on a performance review and the smallest pay raise in the department. The misconduct continued, and the matter escalated to the highest levels of the organization, wherein the most senior leader delegated it to the general counsel (head attorney of the organization). The general counsel purposefully dragged the matter out for months and ultimately dropped the matter when the employee quit. Subsequently, two of the offenders were promoted and given pay raises. 

 

a. Identify and describe three ethical issues illustrated in this Ethics in Action discussion.

b. Assume at the beginning of the scenario described you took over as the president (the highest level of leadership). Describe two actions you would take to improve the situation.