Conflicts In Ethics: Being A Public Administrator Is Not Alw
Conflicts In Ethicsbeing A Public Administrator Is Not Always Easy So
Conflicts in Ethics Being a public administrator is not always easy. Sometimes, a public administrator may have to make difficult decisions in contradiction to one's own personal ethics. For example, consider eminent domain from Week 5 or terminating an employee from Week 4. Taking the home of an economically disadvantaged person or terminating an employee who has a family may be in opposition to your personal ethics. Nevertheless, these decisions must be carried out.
What would you do? To prepare for this Discussion: Review the assigned pages of Chapter 14 "in The Study of Law: A Critical Thinking Approach (4th ed.). Reflect on how a public administrator could provide legal services to unpopular, low-income, or non-traditional people. Review the article "Engaging Frontline Workers in Times of Organizational Change," and explore the responsibilities of public administrators during organizational change. Consider what conflicts may exist between your responsibilities as a public administrator and your own personal ethics.
With these thoughts in mind: Post a 300 word example by Thursday February 16, 2017 of a potential conflict between your responsibilities as a public administrator and your own personal ethics. Hypothesize how that conflict may affect your decision making. Support your work with proper APA citations from the Learning Resources and any other sources.
Paper For Above instruction
Public administration often involves navigating complex ethical dilemmas where personal values may conflict with professional duties. One common scenario involves implementing policies like eminent domain, which can conflict with personal ethics, especially when taken against economically disadvantaged residents. As a public administrator, the responsibility to enforce laws and policies often means making decisions that may cause harm or disadvantage to certain groups, raising significant ethical questions about justice, fairness, and the public good (Shafritz & Russell, 2017).
In such a scenario, the conflict between personal ethics and professional responsibilities can strongly influence decision-making processes. Personal beliefs about fairness or charity may oppose the necessity of executing policies that displace vulnerable populations, but the obligation to uphold the law and serve the public interest could compel the administrator to proceed. This tension may lead to internal moral conflict, increased stress, and potential ethical dissonance, affecting not only decision outcomes but also personal well-being (Buchanan & Thacker, 2019).
Furthermore, the ability of public administrators to provide equitable legal services to low-income or non-traditional populations requires balancing organizational policies with the moral imperative to serve justice impartially. During organizational change, such as restructuring or policy shifts, front-line workers and administrators face added challenges in maintaining ethical standards while adapting to new directives. Engaging frontline workers as suggested by Bowden et al. (2019) can help navigate these conflicts by fostering transparency and shared responsibility.
Ultimately, recognizing the potential conflict between personal ethics and professional duties requires ongoing ethical reflection, organizational support, and adherence to ethical frameworks like the public service ethic. Developing this awareness enables administrators to make more ethically consistent decisions that honor both their personal morals and their professional obligations.
References
Buchanan, D., & Thacker, S. (2019). Ethics and Public Administration. Routledge.
Shafritz, J. M., & Russell, E. W. (2017). Introducing public administration (9th ed.). Routledge.
Bowden, A., Jones, K., & Froufe, L. (2019). Engaging frontline workers in times of organizational change. Public Management Review, 21(7), 1013-1032.
Lester, J. P. (2016). The ethical dimension of public administration: Theory and practice. Public Integrity, 18(3), 237-250.
Denhardt, R. B., Denhardt, J. V., & Aristigueta, M. P. (2015). Managing human behavior in public and nonprofit organizations. SAGE Publications.