THE ETHICAL BLIND SPOT AND THE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Phuoc D. Nguyen

Identifying and removing ethical blind spots is an initial primary step in the ethical decision-making process. Blind spot identification is very difficult to do that. When blind spots are identified. Bazerman & Tenbrunsel (2011) propose, “One of the first steps toward removing your blind spots is to make sure you are planning appropriately and reflecting realistically on your behavior… suggest that learning to think before acting, in more reflective and analytical ways, would help us move toward the ideal image we hold of ourselves. Doing so entails being prepared for the hidden psychological forces that crop up before, during, and after we confront ethical dilemmas. (p. 153). Planning appropriately and reflecting realistically on the behavior requires ethical/moral awareness and ethical/moral judgment implementation first to avoid unintentional unethical behavior and intentional unethical behavior aims to have ethical behavior. Learning to think before acting should be implemented before and during ethical decision-making. Reflective and analytical ways implementation is conducted before, during, and after ethical decision-making with the hidden psychological forces removed before, during, and after we confront ethical dilemmas together. Sezer, Gino, and Bazerman (2015) suggest solutions for blind spots removing “Shifting from System 1 to System 2 thinking can provide effective interventions to mitigate unethical behavior.” (p. 78). That means the shift from fast, automatic, effortless, implicit, and emotional decision processes to slower, conscious, effortful, explicit, logical, and more reasoned decision processes. However, to implement this thought change leaders judge his/her ethical image and planning versus possible ethical outcomes to do the right thing and avoid good ethical planning but they will behave unethically. Additionally, leaders measure the gaps between ethical planning and ethical decision-making outcomes, at this stage leaders should fill this gap ASAP. Next, good ethical/moral judgment creates the ethical behavior to generate behavior intent and implement moral action.

Pittarello, Leib, Gordon-Hecker, and Shalvi (2015) suggest that “self-serving justifications shape people’s ethical blind spots, determining how people lie. Crafting environments in which ambiguity is low and transparency high will tame temptation and help individuals stick to the ethical standards they cherish.” (pp.802-803). Leaders create a good working environment that focuses on core and ethical values through the code of ethics establishing, training, implementation, and code of ethics implementation control. Further, corporate policies and procedures are aligned with the code of ethics to create an environment with more and more transparency; the code of ethics is revised periodically based on business growth and complexity.