Eliicia Villasenor

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Ethical Communities Worksheet
Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the four ethical communities
2. Apply the ethical communities to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

My situation is about a conflict I had in the military. I am a sergeant and a team leader.
My squad leader delegates information and extra responsibilities on me, but sometimes
takes credit for it. I understand that we do follow the proper structure and chain of
command, but there are times when I feel like there is an overlap of roles and
responsibilities. The situation gets more complex as my platoon sergeant and other
leaders started sending me information directly rather than sending it to my squad leader.
Even though he rarely checks his phone and I try to stay on top of all information, he
takes credit for the things I accomplish.

2) Describe how the ethics of the organization influenced the situation.

There was a lack of ethical concern or morale obligation when my leader took credit for
my accomplishments. This puts me in a tough predicament because I still want to give
him the respect he deserves, but I also want to make sure I am not being taken advantage
of. This has created lack of trust, miscommunication, and has dampened our work
environment. Being in the military we should be one team, one fight and I should be able
to trust in the people I am around.

In Reframing Organization by Lee Bolman and Terrence E. Deal, they discuss the
importance of an organization having soul. After reading through a couple of different
successful organizations, I realized that the saying “what you give, is what you receive”
is very true. Leaders set the standard, however a leader acts is how his/her team will act.
If a leader is being careless or apathetic than that is the same mentality the team will
have. In my situation, I have to work hard to be the leader I want to be and set the
standard for myself.

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 3) Recommend how you would apply one of the ethical communities for an alternative
course of action regarding your case.

I would apply the theory “The Jungle: Justice and Power” (Bolman & Deal, 2017). There
was a quote in the book that resonated with me, “The key gift that leaders can offer in
pursuit of justice is sharing power” (Bolman & Deal, 2017). This quote shows that rather
than competition, power can be shared. Not everything requires being competitive,
especially from top-down. Leaders should be humble and willing to mentor.
I would apply this ethical community by setting that standard for myself as a leader. I do
not seek to be in competition with any of my followers, but instead I want to uplift them
and watch them succeed. I respect my squad leader, and I believe that we all have traits
that we could improve on. Instead of just focusing on the negative, I can focus on the
lessons that are to be learned through this situation and grow from it.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about ethics.

Something I would do differently is having more patience. After reading this chapter on
ethical communities I realized that the change can start with me. In the book
organizations were compared to temples, and it made me think about how I should have
faith in my organization. I can become the change I want to see and hopefully influence
someone below me so they can also create a change. I would communicate better by
being calmer and more understanding. By me being frustrated, I fix nothing so I would
do a better job at making sure that my team is also treated like a temple.

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 Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.
Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved August 5, 2020, from
https://app.perusall.com/courses/ogl-481-org-leadership-pro-seminar-i-2020-summer-
b/9781119281849?assignmentId=B76DLiw4bPBkdC2iv&part=1