OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Ethical Communities Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Understand the four ethical communities
2. Apply an ethical community 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.

The situation outlined in Module 1 describes a town hall meeting I was in where the vice
president (VP) of my organization, a Starbucks subsidiary called Siren Retail, outlined a new
strategic plan that would guide the next two to three years. At the time, the VP had been with
the organization for less than a year but was tenured with the company and successfully led
other divisions at the VP level. Broadly, the new plan was to focus on stabilizing the
organization, amplifying products and employee/customer experience, and connect the
organization to opportunities for greater growth. I work as an Associate Manager in the retail
area of the organization and have been working for this division for three years and the
company as a whole for almost six years.

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

From an ethical perspective, this situation is truly fascinating. The new strategic plan
presented in the town hall outlines a path for the organization to redefine and hone its ethical
and spiritual core by more clearly defining its identity and internal beliefs and values. Since
its inception, Siren Retail has lacked true clarity of its purpose and vision beyond the concept
of ‘flagship’ and ‘elevated experience.’ This ambiguous identity allowed a multitude of
attitudes and perspectives of the organizatinon’s ethical frame to evolve, ultimately creating
confusion without stability or vision. As Bolman and Deal (2021) apply Aristotalean ethics to
organizations, they note the importance of continuity and stability, clear vision and purpose,
organizational loyalty, and individual integrity in the formation of a strong ethical foundation
for organizations (p. 414).

This plan was also introduced within Siren Retail shortly after the unveiling of updated
mission and values for Starbucks. Mission and values are cultural and ethical cornerstone for
Starbucks and many organizations, providing a guide for organizational action and direction.
The updated mission is rooted in the potential of human connection, and the values –

1
 Courage, Craft, Results, Belonging, and Joy – represent a combination of care and excellence
as described by Bolman and Deal. The strategic plan in this situation remains rooted in the
greater organization’s guiding tenets but allows Siren Retail to hone in on its specific purpose
and vision, something that could actually last and help define the work and culture of the
organization.

3) Recommend how you would apply one of the ethical community metaphors (see Exhibit
20.1 in Bolman and Deal) for an alternative course of action regarding your case.

Based on the situation, I would more clearly apply the Factory metaphor described by
Bolman and Deal. Starbucks’ mission and values have a balance of Family and Factory
frames, emphasizing joy, belonging, and connection, but as the situation demonstrates, Siren
Retail requires emphasis on stabilization and excellence. Through the Factory frame,
empowerment and authorship are key components that engage and motivate the team. As
Bolman and Deal (2021) describe, “the leader’s responsibility is to create conditions that
promote authorship” (p. 415). When contributors are able to feel ownership of their work and
feel accountable for the impact they have, they develop a sense of ownership and investment
which results in greater motiviation and better solutions (p. 415).

While the situation defined a purpose within the new strategic plan, more distinctly
leveraging the Factory frame to instill a sense of authorship in conjunction with excellence
could help generate more buy-in from and build a greater sense of ownership among
contributors. Being given a broad strategy without clearly defined success metrics can be
challenging to engage with in a results-driven organization. With the right investment and
push towards a productive, purposeful culture Siren Retail has the potential to truly become
the flagship it was meant to be and more. A team invested in the work, the vision, and the
culture can demonstrate excellence and yield tremendous results for the organization.

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

Given my understanding of the ethical frame, I think the approach taken in this situation was
effective and I would do very little differently. Aristotalean ethics help frame the needs for
consistent vision and purpose within an organization coupled with individual integrity. With
this in mind, the new strategic plan to stabilize, amplify, and connect Siren Retail is
purposeful and sets the organization on the right track to develop a defined identity and clear
purpose. Additionally, aligning this plan with the updated mission and values for the greater
organization is highly effective and makes the plan more relevant and impactful. My only
significant shift in approach would be consistent follow-up to the plan laid out in the town
hall. I would focus on instilling a sense of authorship throughout the organization and help
contributors feel purpose and ownership in their work, coupled with accountability for the
results. As a current partner within Siren Retail, I am excited to see how this strategic plan

2
 comes to fruition over the next couple of years and what heart and soul of Siren Retail will
finally be found.

3
 Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(Seventh Edition). Jossey-Bass.