Week 7 Seminar Exercises guide answers T3-2021

Seminar exercises for this week:

- Questions from chapters 7 and 11

The following question is based on chapter 7:

Q1. What conditions would have to be present for you to blow the whistle about unethical
conduct you observed at work? How would you go about it?
It’s good to have a plan even though it’s difficult for us to anticipate how we will react when a
real situation occurs. You need to think about the following: How much and what kind of
‘harm’ would be enough to trigger action on their part?

Some of the scenarios when you should let go of your loyalty as an employee and blow the
whistle are (Solomon & Martin, 2004)
• company is selling defective vehicles to customers (can result in accidents and
fatality)
• government funds being wasted for private use
• dumping of poisonous waste
• sale of adulterated foods or mislabelled food that could result in increase in allergic
reactions
Q2. Research a story of whistle-blowing. Relate what ‘your’ whistle-blower did when the
five steps of recommended in the chapter. What have you learned from the comparison?
Discuss the five steps of whistle-blowing:
• Have I exhausted internal anonymous reporting opportunities within the
organisation?
• Have I examined company policies and codes that outline acceptable behaviour and
violations of standards?
• Is this a personal issue that should be resolved through other means?
• Can I manage the stress that may evolve from exposing potential wrongdoing in the
organisation?
• Can I deal with the consequences of resolving an ethical or legal conflict within the
organisation?

It should be noted that most whistleblowers are caught off guard and have not always planned
what they would do in such a situation.

Q3. Why is employee engagement important?

Employee engagement is critical to organisations because it is the primary indicator of
productivity. Employee productivity is all about customer service and quality products and
services and being prudent with organisational and human resources. Managers are the most
critical element in encouraging employee engagement. You could also relate the two types of
motivation theories that the managers can use to encourage ethical and discourage unethical or
even illegal behaviour.

Q4. Why should performance be measured as an on-going process, and not just as a once-
a-year event?
Performance evaluation is probably a manager’s most important job. One key reason why it
should be an ongoing process is that feedback must be timely in order to have any impact on a
subordinate’s behaviour. Most managers know this, but they’re uncomfortable giving negative

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feedback, so they put it off. By the time they find themselves doing an annual performance
review, neither the manager nor the subordinate can remember the details. It isn’t fair to say,
“I haven’t been satisfied with your performance this year”. You haven’t provided ongoing
feedback that would give the subordinate specifies and a chance to change.

The following questions are based on chapter 11:

Q1. Discuss the role of leadership in understanding and executing ethical decision making
in organizations.
Ethical leadership creates an ethical culture. If top managers fail to express desired ethical
behaviors and goals, a corporate culture evolves on its own to reflect the values and norms of
the company. Thus, it is not enough to have strong ethical leaders and corporate values
initially—an ethical corporate culture must be maintained through effective leadership at all
times during the firm’s existence. Ethical leadership also has a significant impact on ethical
decision making because leaders have the power to motivate others and enforce the
organization’s norms, policies, and viewpoints. Ethical leaders ensure these goals are met in
an ethical manner. Leaders are central to influencing an organization’s corporate culture and
ethical posture.

Q2. Discuss the differences between the five styles of conflict management and provide
an example for each conflict management style.
Have a look at the difference between the 5 styles on page 321 and figure 11.1

Q.3 All of these are true about feedback except

a. Most companies recognize the need for organizational leaders to provide
feedback to employees.
b. Most companies recognize the need for organizational leaders to get feedback
from their employees.
c. Feedback can occur through informal methods like a simple conversation or
through more formal systems such as employee performance evaluations.
d. Employee feedback can be generated in many different ways, including
interviews, anonymous surveys, ethical audits, and websites.
e. Negative feedback is important to inform employees of weaknesses and provide
constructive ways for improving them.

Answer – b

Q4. These leaders are characterized as having superficial charm, no conscience, grandiose
self-worth, little or no empathy, and enjoy flouting rules.
a. Unethical leaders
b. Psychopathic leaders
c. Apathetic leaders
d. Pacesetting leaders
e. Charismatic leaders

Answer – b