Assignment: Ethical Scenario Assignment

Team Name: Team 5

Recorder: Kristin Wolf
Coordinator: Renee Krueger
Researchers: Kristin Wolf, Mona Antonious, Renee Krueger, Sarah Ricks, Susan Mccoy

Ethical Scenario 6:
Confidence Collision. ​As an internal performance improvement consultant for a large company, you
undertake a front-end analysis that involves interviewing mid-level managers about their involvement in
meetings that are planned and carried out by upper-level managers. You tell the interviewees that the
information they share with you will be held in confidence. You learn that several of the mid-level
managers feel that many of the meetings held by Vice President I.M. Grand are viewed to be a waste of
time. You summarize your findings and note that 55% of the mid-level managers indicate that they
consider a quarter of the meetings they attend to be a waste of time. Executive Vice President J. Trustme
calls you into his office and asks you to name the mid-level managers and to identify which Vice
Presidents hold meetings that are a waste of time. How will you respond and proceed?

The general area of ethics that is featured in this problem is a breach of confidentiality,
which falls under the deontological class of ethical theories. This focuses on the fact that people
should adhere to their own obligations and duties when engaging in decision making when ethics
are considered (Chonko, 2012). This scenario compromises the ethical principle of
Rights--individuals have rights that must not be violated and are established by society, are
protected, and should be given the highest priority (Chonko, 2012). These principles are
important for the instructional design profession because they align with the Association for
Educational Communication and Technology (AECT) code of ethics.
In this scenario, the internal performance improvement consultant was trusted to keep the
mid-managers' identities anonymous, knowing their names would not make a difference in the
analysis outcome. Some areas of concern are: violation of privacy, retaliation, and the request for
disclosure of confidential information and possible consequences of disclosure. According to the
AECT Code of Ethics Section 1.4 while conducting professional business one must protect the
privacy and maintain the personal integrity of the individual (​AECT Board of Directors, 2018​).
Additionally, the AECT Code of Ethics Section 1.9, requires professionals to refrain from any
behavior that would be judged to be discriminatory, harassing, insensitive, or offensive because
it conflicts with valuing and promoting each individual’s integrity, rights, and opportunity within
a diverse profession and society (​AECT Board of Directors, 2018​).
In this scenario the consultant has a few options to consider:
1. Violate the code of ethics dictated by your profession and​ ​provide names, for Executive
VP Trustme, of the mid-level managers reporting “time wasting” meetings as well as
names of VP(s) identified as holding those meetings.
2. E​xplain to Executive VP Trustme that the interview information collected is confidential
and that naming VPs would violate the AECT Code of Ethics.
 3. Explain that the interviewees were provided confidentiality and that the preliminary
results indicate a need for more thorough data collection, perhaps by questionnaire, to
gain more understanding of use/misuse of time during meetings involving VPs and
middle managers.

The third option is the most ethical, as it promotes a culture of integrity and trust within
the work environment while upholding the AECT professional code of ethics and conforms to
the standards outlined by the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and
Instruction (IBSTPI) (Koszalka et al., 2013). By refusing to name the middle managers and
VP(s), the consultant upholds the confidentiality principle, which states “Maintain client
confidentiality, not allowing for any conflict of interest that would benefit you or others” (ISPI
Code of Ethics, n.d.). If a questionnaire is administered, participants may answer honestly
without the threat of retribution. This option satisfies the needs of the Executive VP by
providing measurable data that can help identify the problem and develop a solution.

References

Association of Educational Communication and Technology (AECT) Board of Directors. (2018).

AECT Code of Professional Ethics.​
https://www.aect.org/docs/AECT_Code_of_Ethic-Current.pdf.

Chonko, L. (2012) ​Ethical Theories​ [PowerPoint slides].

https://www.dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf

International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Code of Ethics (n.d).

https://ispi.org/page/CodeofEthics

Koszalka, T., Russ-Eft, D., Reiser, R (with Senior-Canela, F.Grabowski, B. & Wallington, C.J.)
(2013)​ Instructional Design Competencies: The Standards (4th Ed).​ Information Age
Publishing.