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.

When I first started with the company I was employed as a Staff Accountant. My initial
duties were to assist the controller by getting all the transactions into accounts payable
and receivable. The Controller asked me to investigate multiple customer accounts that
were millions of dollars behind in payments due to misbilling or inaccurate well names
(AFE’s). I had not been in the industry prior to but dug in and worked out all the billing
issues and after several months had all the accounts corrected and caught up with
payments. This was in addition to my staff accounting tasks. I continued to help
operations to get the information in a timely manner for billing. It seemed the more I
helped the less the Operations Managers would do. This left me working very late almost
every day and still covering the staff accounting duties as well. After issues with the
Operations Manager yelling at me repeatedly, I put my notice in and left. I helped the
Controller from home so that she had time to fill my position for about 30 days. One day
I received a phone call from the CFO asking if she, the CEO and COO could meet me for
coffee when they were in town. I agreed to return but to a different position as the
Operations Accounting Manager. They informed me that they had no idea that I was
doing all the work that pertained to billing but after 60 days and accounts falling behind
that they realized what had happened.

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

The organization's ethics played a significant role in the situation experienced by the
employee when starting work as a Staff Accountant. The Controller entrusted me with the
responsibility of investigating multiple customer accounts that were millions of dollars
behind in payments due to misbilling or inaccurate well names (AFEs). My efforts
successfully rectified the billing errors and updated the accounts' payments. However, the
Operations Managers did not commit to getting billing information promptly. I worked

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 long hours, often beyond regular staff accounting duties, to ensure timely completion.
Despite the extra effort and long hours, the Operations Managers failed to contribute to
the workload, leaving me feeling overwhelmed and stretched thin. This unethical
behavior by the Operations Managers placed me in a difficult situation. I had to
compensate for their lack of support while fulfilling my responsibilities. "As individuals,
people want power to control their immediate work environment and the factors that
impinge on them directly" (Bolman and Deal, p. 418). Despite my willingness to go
above and beyond for the company, I was trapped in a system that undervalued my
efforts.

"For an organization, group or family, soul can also be viewed as a resolute sense of
character, a deep confidence about who we are, what we care about, and what we deeply
believe in" (Bolman and Deal, p.413). Ethics within the organization played a significant
role in this scenario. The Controller's trust in the employees' abilities and willingness to
assign them a challenging task demonstrated ethical behavior. The Operations Managers'
lack of support and accountability undermined the employees' efforts, creating a situation
that was unfair to the employees and detrimental to their work and work-life balance.

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

An alternative course of action could be recommended using the family: Caring and
Love. In caring and family is one’s person’s compassion for another. “A compassionate
family or community requires servant leaders concerned with he needs and wishes of
member and stakeholders” (Bolman and Deal, p. 416). These character traits and moral
virtues are emphasized, along with developing good habits and striving for excellence in
one's actions. When applying caring and love ethics, decision-making is guided by
character traits and virtues. The first step is to identify the virtues relevant to the
situation. Ethics, integrity, responsibility, fairness, and compassion are particularly
relevant here. Character qualities necessary for making ethical decisions and conducting
oneself ethically at work are reflected in these virtues.

Using caring and love ethics in this manner, you can recommend an alternative course of
action that emphasizes the development of virtuous character traits. As a result, ethical
behavior is promoted at work. This approach emphasizes character development, moral
excellence, and the pursuit of ethical ideals.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about ethics.
One aspect that could be improved is clear communication and expectations between
departments and team members. As a result of this situation, there was a lack of
transparency regarding the extent to which the Staff Accountant was involved in

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resolving billing issues. Setting clear expectations and establishing clear lines of
communication can help prevent misunderstandings and foster a collaborative work
environment. Interpersonal conflicts must be addressed constructively and respectfully
for a positive work environment. Mediation and facilitated discussions, for example, can
help address conflicts promptly and promote a collaborative culture.

In an organization, ethical leadership sets the tone and guides behavior. A leader should
set an example, uphold ethical standards, and prioritize the well-being of their employees
and stakeholders. Leaders can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment among their
employees by demonstrating integrity, transparency, and accountability.

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 Reference

Bolman, Lee G., and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and
Leadership. Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand, 2021.