Unethical Decision Making in Organizations from Coursera

This course 'Unethical decision making in organizations : A seminar on the dark side of the force' will teach you how strong organizational contexts push good people towards unethical decisions. You will also learn how to protect yourself and your organization against such forces lurking in the dark.

About the Course

This course teaches how narrow frames and strong contexts can push good people towards unethical decisions and how they can protect themselves and their organization against ethical blindness.

The goal of this course is to empower the participants to analyze the risks of unethical or illegal behavior that might be triggered by powerful contexts. It draws from various disciplines such as management, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and literature, in order to learn what these disciplines contribute to a better understanding of unethical behavior. The course also analyzes some of the most prominent organizational scandals of the recent decades through the lenses of these disciplines.

Whenever we hear about ethical scandals, we tend to believe that unethical or illegal behaviour in organizations is driven by character deficiencies of individual actors. Put differently, we simply assume that bad things are done by bad people. However, numerous corporate scandals have demonstrated that even people with a high level of integrity can break the rules if they are put into a strong context.

A better understanding of why and under what conditions good people make bad ethical decisions will enable us to better protect individuals as well as their respective organizations against the potentially overwhelming power of the context. It will also enable us to cure societies from problems like corruption.

At the end of the course, you are able to:

1. Explain the impact of social context on individual decision making using various theories (from Management, Sociology, Psychology, and Philosophy)

2. Apply these theories to the analysis of some of the most eminent organizational scandals of the recent decades

3. Assess risks of ethical blindness in your own organizational context

4. Design interventions to reduce such risks for yourself and your organization

Recommended Background

No background expertise is required. The course is open for interested layperson as well as experts who work on related topics, be it as researchers or practitioners (e.g., compliance managers in corporations).

Why is this course important for me?

Currently, the understanding of why good people make unethical decisions is rather limited, related research is rather fragmented, and the management of such problems in organizations is overly simplistic, legalistic, and inadequate. Understanding contexts, including the dangers of routines, the mindlessness of our daily decisions, and the healing power of mindful decision-making routines is of increasing importance. In this course, you will learn the latest knowledge and the appropriate tool box for dealing with ethical challenges that you will face throughout your life!

What do I need to follow this course?

We build bridges between various scientific disciplines and will familiarize you with those disciplines smoothly. You need no expertise, just come and share your own real-world experiences about unethical decisions. After all, we are all experts in making decisions—some more ethically, some less ethically—aren’t we?

What's inside

Syllabus

Week 1- Ethical and unethical decision making

Have you ever asked yourself the following questions ? Why do human beings act in an illegal and unethical way? Why and under what conditions do we become evil? What motivates harm doing and what is the explanatory power of human nature and human culture? What is the evil anyway? And why is this relevant for us in our daily life? The first week will give you an introduction to the historic evolution of our modern understanding of evil, looking at how evil has been discussed in different times and cultural contexts. Furthermore, in this first week, we will discuss how you can deal with situation in which you have to make ethical decisions and how the theories of philosophers such as Immanuel Kant provide us a tool box for such situations.

Week 2- Introduction to unethical decisions in organizations

In this week, we will first reflect upon the wisdom of a famous fairy tale in order to understand the power contexts have on individuals. Subsequently, we will zoom into one of the most famous corporate scandals, the Ford Pinto case which demonstrates the power of context over decisions similar to the fairy tale. Finally, we will present our model of ethical blindness, which not only provides a conceptual framework to better understand these two cases, but also builds the backbone of the whole course.

Week 3- The power of frames: How people construct their reality

In this third week, we will examine how framing can contribute to unethical decision making. After having introduced you to the concept of framing in general, we will use it to interpret the Enron scandal. We will then discuss the recent Lehman Brothers collapse along one particular element of framing – the language we use in organizations. Building on this case, we will finally go deeper into the link between decision making and language and discuss how language influences what we can see and how we decide.

Week 4- The power of routines

In this week, we will first look at how people and organizations (can) simplify information processing and decision making, namely by using heuristics and by establishing routines. Subsequently, we will examine key driving forces of ethical blindness in organizations and finally demonstrate the risk associated with powerful routines in a case study on innovations in a military context.

Week 5- The power of strong situations

In this week, we will shift the focus to the environment of the decision maker and we will start by inspecting the immediate context. People are often in situations that have a strong influence on how they think and behave. Most of this influence comes from the presence of other people. The scientific discipline in which such effects are studied is social psychology and so we will look into some classic social psychology experiments.

Week 6 - The power of institutions

In this week, we will start by examining the impact of time on decision making. Subsequently, we will discuss the third contextual layer that we posit in our model of ethical blindness: the institutional context in which organizations are embedded. We will analyze this layer in more detail and discuss the impact of ideology on ethical blindness.

Week 7- The wind of change: how to fight ethical blindness

After having discussed for six weeks the forces that promote ethical blindness, we will now concentrate on defence strategies. This week, we will examine how we can fight against ethical blindness as individuals and as leaders in organizations.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Develops skills for dealing with ethical challenges throughout your life

Covers historical and contemporary examples of unethical decisions

Examines the concept of evil and its relevance to daily life

Taught by experts in management, psychology, and sociology

Draws from multiple disciplines to provide a holistic understanding of unethical decisions

Suitable for both beginners and those with background knowledge in the topic

Reviews summary

Highly regarded decision-making course

According to students, this course on unethical decision making is largely positive. Learners say it has engaging assignments, interesting real-world examples, and thought-provoking discussions. The course is well-organized with a digestible format and a good combination of theory and practice. Many learners found the course valuable and believe it is suitable for diverse learners across various industries and backgrounds.

Mix of lectures, discussions, and assignments

"Lectures are well-balanced and include cute animations."

"Engaging and inspiring."

"Thought-provoking discussions, and the opportunity to delve into the nuances of ethical considerations."

Ethical issues in contemporary business

"Very relevant, very well presented."

"Examples given were exceptional and very intreaguing subject."

"Brave new world to corporate compliance and business ethics."

"The course is very good, covering philosophical foundation of ethics and real-life challenges and experiences."

Clear, concise, and well-structured

"This course was well worth my time and effort. It was clear concise."

"Very well structured and presented course with a good mix of theory."

Thought-provoking and intellectually engaging

"Genuinely fascinating and enlightening."

"Terrific Professors with amazing material."

"Decision making has always been important, and in these times it is even more so."

Real-world examples and useful for decision-making

"Practical cases and with a lot of theories."

"Amazing and Insightful Examples. Overall wonderful experience."

"Ethical dilemmas, framing effect, ethical blindness, strong situation."

Delay in obtaining certificate

"Upon successful completion, I did not received the promised certificate."

"and did not find any download option on the course page."

Delay and inconsistency in peer review process

"The length of a certificate obtaining process is indeed dependable on the amount of other participants in the course at the moment."

"Waiting time for peer review of the final assignment, in my case more than 5 weeks from submission."

No interaction from instructors outside of lectures

"It was pretty much left to the students of the course to support one another."

"no interaction whatsoever from the instructors other than video lectures."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Unethical Decision Making in Organizations with these activities:

Logic and Critical Thinking Refresher

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Strengthen your logical reasoning and critical thinking skills to analyze ethical dilemmas effectively.

Browse courses on Logic

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Review the basics of logic and critical thinking.
Practice applying logical reasoning to ethical scenarios.

Ethical Scenarios Quiz

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Test your understanding of ethical concepts through a series of interactive quizzes, reinforcing key principles.

Browse courses on Decision-Making

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Take the ethical scenarios quiz.
Analyze your responses and identify areas for improvement.

Ethical Decision-Making Portfolio

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Organize and compile notes, assignments, and reflection papers to enhance your understanding and retention of ethical concepts.

Browse courses on Ethical Decision-Making

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Gather all relevant materials related to ethical decision-making.
Categorize and organize the materials logically.

Six other activities

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Show all nine activities

Leadership in Ethical Decision-Making

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Seek mentorship from experienced leaders who can guide your ethical decision-making and provide support.

Browse courses on Ethical Leadership

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Identify potential mentors who have a strong track record in ethical decision-making.
Reach out to them and request mentorship.
Engage in regular meetings to discuss ethical challenges and seek guidance.

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

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Gain insights into the psychological forces that drive unethical behavior by reading Philip Zimbardo's seminal work.

View Psychology According to Shakespeare on Amazon

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Read the book thoroughly, taking notes and reflecting on the key concepts.
Identify the lessons learned about unethical behavior and its prevention.

Mindfulness and Ethical Decision-Making

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Explore the intersection of mindfulness and ethical decision-making through guided tutorials, promoting mindful decision-making practices.

Browse courses on Mindfulness

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Learn about the principles of mindfulness and its role in ethical decision-making.
Practice mindfulness techniques through guided audio or video resources.
Apply mindfulness to real-world scenarios and ethical dilemmas.

Ethical Decision-Making Discussion Group

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Engage in discussions with peers to exchange perspectives and deepen understanding of ethical issues.

Browse courses on Ethical Decision-Making

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Join or create a discussion group focused on ethical decision-making.
Participate in discussions, share insights, and actively listen to others' views.

Case Study: Enron Scandal

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Complete an in-depth case study of the Enron scandal to understand ethical decision-making in a real-world context.

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Research the Enron scandal thoroughly, utilizing credible sources.
Analyze the various ethical dilemmas faced by Enron executives.
Develop a presentation or written report summarizing your findings and insights.

Ethical Dilemma Simulation

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Engage in a simulated ethical dilemma to develop critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills.

Browse courses on Ethical Dilemmas

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Define the ethical dilemma and create a realistic scenario.
Identify the stakeholders involved and their perspectives.
Analyze potential actions and their consequences.
Make a decision and justify it using ethical principles.

Career center

Learners who complete Unethical Decision Making in Organizations will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Ethics Officer

Ethics Officers are responsible for developing and implementing their companies' ethics programs. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to develop and implement effective ethics programs. This course may also be helpful for those who want to work in compliance or risk management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Ethics Officer

Management Consultant

Management Consultants help organizations improve their performance. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to analyze organizational problems and develop effective solutions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Management Consultant

Lawyer

Lawyers advise clients on their legal rights and obligations, and represent them in court. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to analyze legal issues and provide sound legal advice.

See salaries and explore the career path for Lawyer

Regulatory Affairs Manager

Regulatory Affairs Managers are responsible for ensuring that their companies' products and services comply with all applicable laws and regulations. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to develop and implement effective regulatory compliance programs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Regulatory Affairs Manager

Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

Corporate Social Responsibility Managers are responsible for developing and implementing their companies' social responsibility programs. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to develop and implement effective social responsibility programs. This course may also be helpful for those who want to work in sustainability or public relations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

Risk Manager

Risk Managers are responsible for identifying and managing their companies' risks. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to identify and manage risks in an ethical and effective manner.

See salaries and explore the career path for Risk Manager

Compliance Officer

Compliance Officers are responsible for ensuring that their companies follow all applicable laws and regulations. This course can be useful in this role, as it teaches students how to identify and avoid unethical behavior. The course also provides students with the tools they need to create a culture of compliance within their organizations. This course may also be helpful for those who want to work in risk management or internal audit.

See salaries and explore the career path for Compliance Officer

Public relations manager

Public Relations Managers are responsible for managing their companies' relationships with the media and the public. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to develop and implement effective public relations campaigns.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public relations manager

Labor Relations Manager

Labor Relations Managers are responsible for managing their companies' relationships with their unions. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to negotiate and resolve labor disputes. This course may also be helpful for those who want to work in human resources or employee benefits.

See salaries and explore the career path for Labor Relations Manager

Quality Assurance Manager

Quality Assurance Managers are responsible for ensuring that their companies' products and services meet all applicable quality standards. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to develop and implement effective quality assurance programs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Manager

Marketing Manager

Marketing Managers are responsible for developing and implementing their companies' marketing campaigns. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to create effective marketing campaigns that are compliant with all applicable laws and regulations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Project Manager

Project Managers are responsible for planning, executing, and closing out their companies' projects. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to manage their projects in an ethical and efficient manner.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Product Manager

Product Managers are responsible for developing and managing their companies' products. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to develop and manage products that are safe, effective, and compliant with all applicable laws and regulations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Operations Manager

Operations Managers are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of their companies. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to manage their operations in an ethical and efficient manner.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Manager

Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Managers are responsible for managing all aspects of their companies' human resources departments, including hiring, firing, and employee relations. This course can be useful in this role, as it provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues that businesses face. The course also provides students with the skills they need to create a positive and ethical work environment. This course may also be helpful for those who want to work in labor relations or employee benefits.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager