OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Ethical Communities Worksheet

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

On a short, routine flight from New York to Washington, D.C., I was the service

manager, flying with the minimum required crew. One of my first-class passengers

requested alcoholic miniatures to take with him off the airplane when we landed. I

politely explained to the passenger that we were not allowed to offer alcohol to be taken

off the aircraft for safety and legal reasons. The passenger became angry, getting up

from his seat and threatening to go to the cockpit to speak to the pilot. I was able to

employ my interpersonal skills and understand the situation and how to handle him. I

calmed him down and said I would talk to the pilot later in the flight. He settled down,

and I carried on with what I was doing. And then, while serving another set of

passengers, the man threw his glass with ice, mix, and miniatures from his tray table at

me but luckily missed me. In following TWA operating procedure, I immediately

informed the captain of the incident. When we arrived in D.C., the passenger was

removed from the flight and taken away by police. The cockpit crew and I filed a police

report and continued on our trip. Several years later, the airline contacted me to testify in

a lawsuit that the passenger filed in court against them resulting from the incident.

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

Based on the four ethical communities, structural, human resource, political, and

symbolic, the political community played a part in this situation. The person in power,

the captain, decided that it was important that justice for this man's actions be served.
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PCA – Ethical Communities Worksheet

Our book states that "the gift of power enrolls people in working toward a common

cause" (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Having the police meet the flight sent a message to the

rest of the passengers on the plane, the man's behavior would not be tolerated on the

airline. And if you choose to act in this manner, you will be removed and arrested. Just

as in the Medtronic scenario in our reading, the captain acted swiftly with his actions in

order to let the man and the other passengers know that if they acted out on the plane and

put the flight crew at risk, they would be removed.

The captain demonstrates the human resource community valued the flight crew

and believed they were entitled to a safe work environment where they didn't feel bullied,

afraid, or intimidated by the passengers. He let the man know that he cared about the

whole crew and would not allow someone to take advantage of them or hurt them in any

way, whether verbally or physically. It also shows in the way the captain immediately

handled the situation and made the decision prior to landing, so that police officers and

ground crew were there to meet the flight.

Symbolically, for me, it showed me that my flying partners and I were a team and

that we looked out for one another; we were a community. As a result, I could have faith

in the organization and the captain to do the right thing on my behalf and belief that the

airline would protect my best interests and safety. "In organizations, faith is strengthened

if individuals feel the organization is characterized by excellence, caring, and justice"

(Bolman & Deal, 2017). I felt cared for at that time, and I felt that there was justice in

response to the situation.

I don't feel that the structural community played a part in this situation.

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PCA – Ethical Communities Worksheet

3) Recommend how you would apply one of the ethical communities for an alternative

course of action regarding your case.

I don't feel that I could apply any of the four communities differently for a

different outcome. For example, when Solomon discussed the term Aristotelian, the book

states that "it is to emphasize the importance of continuity and stability, clearness of

vision and constancy of purpose, corporate loyalty, and individual integrity" (Bolman &

Deal, 2017).

I feel that I acted with clearness of vision, corporate loyalty, and integrity. But

feel I was not met with the same from the man on the plane. Also, I feel that the captain

acted with continuity and stability in that whenever a passenger is unruly and becomes a

danger to others, they are removed from the flight. That is policy. It could have been

anyone else on the plane; it just happened to be this person. Finally, the flight crew as a

whole acted with integrity. We didn't act crazy; we disengaged from his behavior and

went about our business the best we could under the circumstances. I felt proud that we

all supported one another and respectfully handled the situation as a team.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently, given what you have learned

about ethics.

Again, in my opinion, in this particular situation, I would not have done anything

differently. We reacted appropriately to this situation because the man was actually

putting me, the passengers, and could have even put the captain at risk had he tried and

succeeded in successfully breaching the cockpit. His behavior was out of the ordinary for

an average healthy person.

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PCA – Ethical Communities Worksheet

Additionally, his perceived privilege of possibly being a diplomat could have

been one of the things that made him act the way he did, feeling that there would be no

repercussions for his actions. As our book reminds us, "privilege enables us to remain

unaware of institutional and social forces and their impact" (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

Perhaps he was unaware that his behavior in this country would be considered

unacceptable or illegal, and perhaps he didn't care.

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PCA – Ethical Communities Worksheet

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing  organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(6th  ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass