The Case of the Really Sweet Deal - Page 20 of 44

Step 5: Being Reflective Part 1Communicate Your Decision You've made your final choice.

To show your interest in exploring a mutually beneficial partnership, tell Dr. Anderson that the offer looks good but that you have a conflict of interest. Suggest that she present her offer to the CEO. To ensure that you can still help everyone achieve their goals, offer a neutral assessment of the pros and cons of the deal, leaving the final decision in Carson's hands.

The option you chose was limited to one of six on a list. Now, however, you can communicate a decision to reflect what you believe is the most ethical course of action. As you write your explanation, feel free to change any or all the conditions to create the option you believe works best. Believe it or not, our decision-making process doesn't stop when you've made a decision. The last step, Being Reflective, is critical, both to follow through on your choice and to help you in future dilemmas. Communicating your choice is almost as important as making the decision in the first place. If you have a great solution but you fail to convince anyone, all your careful analysis will be wasted. Time to stick the landing. Below, you'll be asked to organize and articulate the thoughts behind your choice in writing. Though we call the written format a "memo," it could easily be used as the basis for a secure email, a spoken presentation, or any other form of communicationeven just a note to yourself. The memo's primary purpose is to put forth the reasons behind your action and to defend your decision. While each section has a word count limit, a concise communication will often be much shorter. I recommend aiming for roughly one-half of the maximum, but you can always write more if necessary. The goal is to write a defense of your choice that is technically coherent as well as persuasive and inspiring. You want someone who reads your explanation to understand your problem and agree that you clearly found the best solution. If you want to know more about the criteria for a good communication, check the Memo Structure page under Game Information on the left menu bar.

1 Audience Choose a stakeholder to receive the explanation of your decision. If you believe the decision should not be made public, then write a note to yourself.

Subject Start with a phrase that clearly identifies the purpose of your communication. Like the title of a paper or the subject line of an email, a few short words are all you need. A good subject line is engaging and concise, anticipating the conversation but saving the details for later.

Background of the Problem Provide a quick summary of the problem with enough detail so the recipient knows what the issue is and why action is necessary. You may want to refer to the issue statement you identified as a way to frame the problem. A good background draws the audience into the conversation.

Statement of Decision In a sentence, clearly and concisely state your decision. A good statement is understandable, considers the others involved, and connects with your audience. .

Reasons for the Decision Now, give the reasons behind your decision. Defend your choice using the language of the ethical framework you used. A good decision statement uses the norms of both ethical lenses, uses logic and emotion to frame the solution, and presents a compelling solution to the problem. The reason to use multiple lenses is to convince your reader no matter what their own ethical preferences are. .

Forward-Looking Conclusion The final sentences tell the recipient what the decision means for them and the other stakeholders while leaving the door open for further conversation. A good conclusion is clear, presents a path forward, and is inspiring. If you have chosen to write a note to yourself, your conclusion should instead focus on your goals for further improvement or the steps you would take to avoid repeating the problem in the future.