Ethical Leadership And Decision-Making Final Assessment Outl

Ethical Leadership And Decision Making Final Assessment Outline And R

This final assessment requires a comprehensive analysis of a real-world, complex ethical dilemma from your professional or community life. You are expected to identify and describe the ethical dilemma thoroughly, including all relevant facts and information. The core task involves analyzing this scenario using two different ethical decision-making frameworks or models. Each framework should be briefly explained to demonstrate understanding, followed by an application to the case to derive possible outcomes. Ultimately, the paper should synthesize these analyses to recommend and justify a single course of action. The length of the paper should be between 10 to 15 pages, demonstrating graduate-level critical thinking, clarity, coherence, and proper APA formatting, including appropriate citations and references.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction: Purpose of the Paper

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze an ethical dilemma sourced from my professional or community experience by applying two distinct ethical decision-making frameworks. The goal is to evaluate all pertinent factors within the scenario, explore possible resolutions via each model, and ultimately propose a well-justified, ethically sound decision. This process aims to foster an understanding of the practical application of ethical theories and promote ethical leadership and decision-making competency.

Narrative Description of the Scenario

The scenario I have chosen involves a mid-level manager at a healthcare organization facing a dilemma concerning patient confidentiality and institutional demands. The manager learns that a colleague has been secretly disclosing sensitive patient information to third parties for personal gain. Simultaneously, the organization's leadership pressures staff to overlook certain privacy violations to meet regulatory deadlines and avoid negative publicity. The manager is caught between protecting patient confidentiality, adhering to ethical and legal standards, and complying with organizational pressures that threaten to compromise ethical standards.

Brief on Framework/Model Selection #1

The first framework selected is the Utilitarian Model, which emphasizes maximizing overall good and minimizing harm. This approach involves evaluating consequences and selecting the course of action that produces the greatest benefit for the greatest number, often weighing the benefits and harms associated with each possible decision.

Brief on Framework/Model Selection #2

The second framework is the Deontological Ethics model, which focuses on adherence to moral duties and principles regardless of outcomes. This approach stresses integrity, rights, and obligations, emphasizing that certain actions are inherently right or wrong, such as the duty to uphold confidentiality and honesty.

Application of Framework/Model Selection #1: Utilitarian Approach

Applying the utilitarian framework requires assessing the consequences of each potential decision. Protecting patient confidentiality aligns with ethical standards and promotes trust in the healthcare system, ultimately benefiting patients and the organization by maintaining credibility. Conversely, ignoring privacy violations to meet organizational demands might temporarily shield the institution from legal repercussions but could lead to a loss of public trust if breaches are exposed, harming the organization more broadly. The utilitarian assessment suggests that safeguarding patient privacy, despite organizational pressure, yields the greatest overall good by preserving trust, integrity, and legal compliance.

Application of Framework/Model Selection #2: Deontological Approach

From a deontological perspective, the duty to maintain patient confidentiality and uphold honesty is paramount. Disclosing or ignoring privacy violations violates moral duties rooted in professional ethics and legal standards. This framework would advocate acting in accordance with these non-negotiable duties, regardless of potential organizational repercussions. Therefore, the morally correct decision is to confront the privacy breach transparently, report misconduct, and uphold ethical standards, even if it risks organizational sanctions or personal repercussions.

Recommended Course of Action: Synthesizing Outcomes and Justification

While the utilitarian analysis emphasizes the overall benefit of protecting confidentiality, and the deontological perspective underscores unwavering moral duties, the ideal course of action combines these insights. The recommended decision is to report the privacy breach internally through proper channels, advocating for organizational accountability while emphasizing the importance of ethical standards. This action aligns with duty-based principles and promotes trust in the healthcare system, which ultimately benefits stakeholders. The decision balances the ethical imperatives of duty and the consequences for the greatest good, supporting long-term integrity and organizational resilience.

Conclusion

This analysis demonstrates that applying multiple ethical frameworks provides a comprehensive perspective on complex dilemmas. The convergence of utilitarian and deontological principles supports a decision rooted in both moral duty and the pursuit of the greater good. Ethical leadership involves making informed, principled decisions that uphold core values while considering the broader impact, fostering trust, accountability, and integrity in professional practice.

References

• Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2013). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (7th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Cain, M. (2017). Ethical Decision Making in Healthcare. Journal of Medical Ethics, 43(5), 308-312.
• Kidder, R. M. (2005). Moral Courage: Taking Action When Your Values Are Invisible. Jossey-Bass.
• Jones, T. M. (1991). Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 10(5), 317-326.
• Johnstone, M. J. (2014). Bioethics: A Nursing Perspective (6th ed.). Elsevier.
• López, C., & Walker, R. (2018). Ethical Frameworks for Healthcare Decision-Making. Ethical Perspectives, 25(2), 171-189.
• Powers, M. J. (2002). The Virtues of Ethical Leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 39, 47-51.
• Resnik, D. B. (2018). Ethics of Research with Human Subjects. The American Journal of Bioethics, 18(4), 4-14.
• Shaw, W. H. (2016). Business Ethics: A Text and Cases Approach (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Trevino, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2017). Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk about How to Do It Right. Wiley.