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 that of Spotify and the backlash it has received for supporting the spread
of misinformation. The controversial podcast that is the Joe Rogan Experience has caused
boycotts towards the website including major artists taking their music off the platform.
My role is that of a consumer with the choice of multiple streaming services.

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

As stated by the book, organizational ethics can be broken down into four different
distinct organizational beliefs. These beliefs of exclellence, caring, justice, and
faith/belief all fit into previous frames that we have analyzed. These frames of structural,
human resources, political, and symbolic respectively all come into play when talking
about organizational ethics. For Spotify, this scenario demonstrates how the
organizational ethics has either been ignored or setup incorrectly.

One reason for this would be Spotify’s lack of ‘caring’ in their human resource frame.
After having employee concerned ignored by the higher ups, it is clear that caring is
absent from Spotify. Another example of organizational ethics in this scenario is that of
the ‘faith’ in Spotify or rather lack thereof. Given the organizations track record across
the past few months in response to this scenario, it is not surprising that employees are
losing their belief that Spotify is an employer that they are aligned with.

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

One of the organizational ethics I would apply would be that of justice. Justice is the
ethic that is compared to the jungle which as the book states “is a politically charged
environment of conflict and pursuit of self-interest.” I feel as though the focus on
employee’s self interest in Spotify’s inner workings would have given Spotify a different

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 perspective on the situation. The employees clearly have a different perspective on what
is just or justice within Spotify.

The book also states that “the key gift that leaders can offer in pursuit of justice is sharing
power.” This is a vitally important quote in this scenario because it outlines a solution to
the infighting in Spotify. Having the decision-makers for Spotify share their power would
allow for the employees to feel as if they have a say into the trajectory of the
organization. Without this, it is easy to feel as though there is no way to impact justice
within Sptoify.

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

I feel as though my understanding of organizational ethics has greatly improved after

having read the chapter. Considering what I thought organizational ethics was before, I
would approach this scenario totally differently than I would just the other day. I feel as
though this chapter has driven home the idea that ethics is a part of most organizational
activities. One thing I would be sure to do is that of imposing a more caring view from
the higher ups on the company towards the employment body.

One thing I would try to avoid would be trying to impose too much organizational power
as is stated in the organizational ethic of faith/belief. I feel this scenario has been affected
by the decision-makers at Spotify imposing their power over the choice to hire Joe
Rogan. Doing this despite concerns implies a lack of respect for the feedback and
employees. Overall, Spotify could have used a number of organizational ethics policies to
change this outcome.

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 Reference or References
(Choose appropriate Title if Applicable and Delete the Rest)