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.

Carbon Capture Technologies finds itself at a critical crossroads in a project involving

two carbon capture machines: UR 1000 and UR 2000. Initially, the company assumed
that market demand favored the smaller UR 1000. However, a significant potential client
has expressed a preference for the larger UR 2000 due to financial considerations and its
greater carbon capture capacity. This development has presented the company with a
dilemma, as it suggests a potential misjudgment in assessing market demand. The
company's future investment decisions now hinge on this key client's expectations of
immediate progress with the UR 2000. Consequently, Carbon Capture Technologies must
make a pivotal decision: whether to adapt their business plan to prioritize the larger
machine or take the risk of seeking another client for the smaller one.

From a personal perspective, I have served as the primary point of contact with this client
and have conveyed our commitment to designing and engineering the UR 2000.
However, the situation becomes complex when other colleagues participate in client
meetings and present conflicting information. They suggest that progress on the UR 2000
may not proceed as swiftly as conveyed to me and the client. This internal misalignment
creates confusion and poses a risk to our client relationships. I feel a sense of
responsibility because the client perceives me as the source of the conflicting
information, even though I have simply conveyed what I was informed. When my
coworkers introduce new information and timelines during client meetings, I find myself
struggling with the need to reconcile these inconsistencies and determine the best course
of action.

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

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 The ethics of the organization play a significant role in influencing the situation at
Carbon Capture Technologies. The company's commitment to integrity, transparency,
and honesty directly impacts how it manages the dilemma surrounding the UR 1000 and
UR 2000 carbon capture machines.

The organization’s values include (Carbon Capture Technologies, 2024):

1. Welcome & Include Everyone.

2. Work Together Toward the Same Goal.
3. Respect the Planet.
4. Take on Challenges & be Customer Centric.
5. Be Safe. Be Excellent.
6. Be the Kind of Person You Want to Work With

The organization's first core value, specifically the portion 'Include Everyone,'
emphasizes the importance of transparency and honesty in decision-making. This value,
concerning the initial market assessment of the smaller machine, necessitates that even if
there are others with differing opinions or alternative motives for prioritizing the smaller
machine, the organization must ethically reassess market demand and the client’s
preferences. This ensures that information provided to the client is unbiased and not
manipulated.

The next value is the second half of number 4, ‘be Customer Centric’. Carbon Capture
Technologies is committed to client relationships and satisfaction overall. There is an
ethical responsibility for the organization to deliver the larger UR 2000 machine, as
promises and commitments have already been made. It is important that the organization
maintains the trust of the client; misaligned information provided to the client will
deteriorate that trust.

While the organization is attempting to maintain consistency with the engineering

process for the smaller machine, they are failing to uphold their core values. Ethics
dictate the importance of standing by one's values and maintaining trustworthiness.
Failing to include internal stakeholders, such as myself, in information provided to the
client undermines internal trust.

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

The organization's core values, such as "Welcome & Include Everyone" and "Be
Customer Centric," represent the symbolic elements that guide decision-making and
behavior within the organization. These values serve as a source of identity and meaning
for employees, shaping their perceptions of what is important and how they should
interact with one another and external stakeholders (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 249).

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 While this is growth for the organization, they are experiencing either misunderstanding
or misalignment of what these core values mean. It is important that as an organization
the core values are not just words spoken, they are who the organization is and chooses to
represent them (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 207). The inability to uphold these values
undermines their significance within the organization. There is a disconnect between the
organization’s core values and behavior, therefore there is a need to steps towards
internally realigning the core values with everyday actions. Ensuring that the culture
internally not only acknowledges the values of inclusivity and transparency but puts them
into practice.

To ensure that the core values are not just spoken, the organization needs to first address
the issue, it is not appropriate to not align internally prior to discussing with the client.
That does not mean that everyone must agree on the decision, but that added details do
not emerge during discussions with the client. Second, the overall organization needs to
foster an environment where values are not just words. Carbon Capture Technologies
needs to actively live in daily practice and interactions their identity, which is outlined in
their core values. Devising a symbolic ritual that helps reinforce its identity as an ethical
and trustworthy organization (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 287, 412).

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

After working through all the documentation and learnings in OGL 481: Org Leadership
Pro-Seminar I, I have become increasingly aware that the frameworks of structural,
human resources, political, and symbolic all serve as foundations for overall
organizational success. My experience transitioning from a robust organization to a
startup highlights how organizations require time to discover their identity and path.

It is clear to me that while Carbon Capture Technologies has made progress in securing
executed contracts, it still has a long way to go. Reflecting on my own organization,
which has been in existence for over a hundred years, I recognize the importance of daily
practices in maintaining a consistent culture. In hindsight, there are areas where I would
have approached this case differently. Understanding where the organization stands in
creating rituals guided by its core values is key. While Carbon Capture Technologies
values communication and inclusion, there is room for improvement in how these values
are implemented and practiced. I could have been more initiative-taking in instilling
internal rituals for communication, ensuring alignment between the project and the
organization's core values.

Creating discipline within the organization is essential for clarifying roles and guiding
overarching goals. Having empathy for Carbon Capture Technologies' learning process
and growth journey requires patience, especially from myself. By me working towards
guiding them towards foundational principles will help them make tough decisions and
become a market-shifting organization. In self-reflection that is part of my own ethics and

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core values. Ensuring that others have the foundation to progress, they have the
understanding that discipline creates structure and allows for more people to want to be a
part of the journey.

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References
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Carbon Capture Technologies, (2024). https://www.svanteinc.com/about-us/