Personal ethics
Personal ethics might be described within three ways of understanding[1]:
- Personal ethics is chosen ethical system in order to guide moral life connected to personal values. It is an individual moral commitment and practical use of them. Also called: committed ethics or active ethics.
- Personal ethics is embedded in the context, and stays in opposite to universal principle of ethics. Called also particular ethics or contextual ethics.
- Personal ethics is any ethical system that is centred impersonally so on concepts such as God, principles, rules or rights.
Luño A. R. describes that personal ethics influences personal conducts directly. It means that all individual actions which are performed, coming from personal evaluation of morality or justice. As an example of personal ethics case (but also political ethics) will be paying taxes. Personal ethics is connected to other kind of named ethics, such as[2]:
- professional ethics,
- economic ethics,
- social ethics,
- political ethics.
Personal ethics in leadership
Good leadership is potentially coming from strong personal ethics. Moreover, if the leader understands his personal ethics and is able to name them, he has chance to communicate with teams better - the assumption behind it, is that if people understand concepts they are more willing to trust and follow it. In that way, the whole organisation might be more ethical and might bring better results. On the other hand, there are several aspects in the policy of organisation that helps to create and keep strong personal ethics. They should be managed at the top level of organisation crucial aspects of supporting personal ethics in the organisation would be[3]:
- Have clear mission that communicates values in the organisation.
- Creating detailed code of ethics. The code of ethics should not enforce but follow corporate culture - it is changeable but develops long-term ethical program with standards at all levels of the organisation.
- Keeping ethical culture alive by conducting ethical seminars, discussions about ethics and engaging CEOs to promote ethical behaviours.
- Promote participative decision-making to engage employees in creating frameworks of ethics in the organisation and have them engaged in the process. Valuable is also having policy of an open door.
- Performing periodically ethical reviews to adjust any changes if needed.
Many of daily decisions in the company are set in contex therefore it might be challenge to estimate and support them from personal ethical point of view. For example, the person who has limited professional experience, has to found himself in making business decisions but his values are coming from other than business experiences. Complex business decisions might be about quality, pricing, advertising, hiring practices, control of pollution etc. Values of that person are coming from family, school or religion and might be not adequate to complexity of decision making process in the organisation[4].
Examples of Personal ethics
- Moral Principles: An individual’s sense of right and wrong that guides their decisions and behavior. Examples include honesty, integrity, respect for others, and keeping one’s promises.
- Religious Values: Beliefs that are based on a faith system or set of spiritual teachings. Examples include following the Ten Commandments in Christianity or the Five Precepts in Buddhism.
- Social Norms: The accepted standards of behavior within a particular culture or community. Examples include respecting elders, being kind to others, and following the law.
Advantages of Personal ethics
Personal ethics can be understood in three distinct ways: through considering the consequences of one’s actions, through reflecting on one’s character, and through understanding the moral principles of right and wrong. The advantages of personal ethics include:
- Having a clear understanding of what is right and wrong, which can help to guide decisions and actions.
- Developing a moral compass to help navigate through difficult decisions and to stay true to one’s values.
- Having the ability to make moral judgments based on one’s own principles, rather than relying on the principles of someone else.
- Having an internal sense of responsibility for one’s actions, which can be a powerful motivator for making ethical choices.
- Developing an understanding of the importance of respecting the rights of others and the consequences of not doing so.
- Having a strong moral foundation which can serve as a guide for future decisions.
Limitations of Personal ethics
A comprehensive understanding of personal ethics requires an understanding of three distinct limitations: the limitation of our perspective, the limitation of our knowledge, and the limitation of our experience.
- The limitation of our perspective: Our perspective on ethical dilemmas is limited by our own values, beliefs, and experiences. We may not be able to fully understand or appreciate the complexities of certain ethical issues, making it difficult to make the best decision.
- The limitation of our knowledge: We are limited in the amount of information we have access to. This may lead to an incomplete or incorrect understanding of a situation and its moral implications.
- The limitation of our experience: Our experience with specific ethical issues is limited. We may not have had enough exposure to certain ethical issues to know how to respond to them in a moral and ethical manner.
One way to understand personal ethics is by exploring the various approaches to personal ethics. These approaches include:
- Virtue Ethics: This approach focuses on the individual's character, rather than on the consequences of their actions. It suggests that the right thing to do is to act according to the virtues they possess.
- Deontological Ethics: This approach follows the set of rules that are considered to be moral and should be followed regardless of their consequences. It is argued that the morality of an action is determined by the action itself and not by its outcome.
- Utilitarianism: This approach focuses on the consequences of the action, rather than on the individual's character. It suggests that the right thing to do is to act in a way that maximizes the overall good, or utility, for the greatest number of people.
In conclusion, personal ethics can be understood by looking at the various approaches to personal ethics, such as virtue ethics, deontological ethics, and utilitarianism. Each approach views morality from a different perspective and provides insight into how individuals make ethical decisions.
Footnotes
| Personal ethics — recommended articles |
| Levels of leadership — Professional misconduct — Professional values — Double loop learning — Mary Parker Follett — Acquired needs theory — Cultural values — Belbin team roles — Values and beliefs |
References
- Ferrell O. C., Fraedrich J. (2009), Business Ethics 2009 Update: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, Cengage Learning, USA
- Jacorzynski W. (2010), Personal Ethics, in "Institutional issues involving ethics and justice - Vol. I - Personal Ethics"
- Luño A. R. (2013), Personal Ethics and Political Ethics
- Waggoner J. (2010), Ethics and Leadership: How Personal Ethics Produce Effective Leaders, CMC Senior Theses. Paper 26
Author: Andżelika Stefańska
