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.
Happening after the initial lock-down of the pandemic, our building, a hotel and
conference center owned by Aramark, was vacant, everyone was on furlough, and we
awaited word to return. I was the pastry chef of the kitchen. During this time, managers,
and the only people having access to the building, decided to keep all staff paid their
regular average salary until further notice. However, several months later, we got a
message from our General Manager (GM) stating that a future of reopening sooner than
later looked dim. The decision of Aramark to terminate employment was decided.
2) Describe how the ethics of the organization influenced the situation.
There are four frames to an organization - structural, human resources, political, and
symbolic - and there exist four ethical metaphors alongside. These metaphors,
respectively, are factory, extended family, jungle, and temple (Bolman & Deal, 2021,
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Exhibit 20.1). The excellence description of the factory metaphor influenced my situation
by having a commitment to high quality service. This could not be done without
consistency, which could only be achieved by keeping its people. This ties in with human
resources by caring for its employees and offering them a continued paycheck to meet
their needs. Once the viability of the situation could no longer be achieved, then the
company found no other option than to terminate employment. It was because of this
caring attitude that allowed such a high retention rate among returning staff.
The political frame uses justice as its organizational ethic (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p.
418). In this regard, we have rules and policies in place that support our system. When
something needs to be referenced regarding proper procedures, we consult the policy
guidelines. (Equally, if we don’t consult these written rules or policies, then we are
punished for not abiding by social agreement.) I am convinced COVID gave every
governmental entity around the world a reason to panic; shutting down was the best, and
last, option to prevent further spreading. Thus, when we were forced to close, the
organization did everything they could within their policies to continue operating.
Finally, the symbolic frame offers an ethical view of faith. In essence, Aramark offered
faith with regular contacts that they would reopen sooner than later. However, when a
continued rise of spreading was reported around the world, the managerial team saw no
other choice than to make a full stop to their business until they could be allowed to
resume while creating profit. The significance behind the decision was to maintain that
other options (pandemic unemployment checks) were being offered to mitigate financial
damage to their company.
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3) Recommend how you would apply one of the ethical communities for an alternative
course of action regarding your case.
Without a doubt, nobody was prepared for a pandemic on a global scale. I would have, if
I were in an executive position, gone with the structural frame on a factory metaphor and
offered everyone a salary position within the organization. This would first and foremost
meet the basic needs of each person and no more. (Although, this is controversial because
everyone has differing needs.) After which I would get rid of the time clocks. Then I
would offer everyone the same positional title. (I’m thinking “Representative” would be
a nice title.) These may seem radical, but Frederic Laloux (2014) shows that companies
who do these very things report their employees feel happier, more productive, and
empowered in the workplace. And, according to Bolman and Deal (2011, pp. 128-129, as
cited in Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 416), “Individuals need to see their work as meaningful
and worthwhile, to feel personally accountable for the consequences of their efforts, and
to get feedback that lets them know the results.”
I believe that taking my actions into account would allow for a successful operation that
lets all employees, not just a couple in management positions, make the decisions
regarding pay, purchases, and other responsibilities. As Laloux (2014, p. 81 & 83) puts it,
time clocks, then the disposal of them, made it so “they used to work for the paycheck;
now they feel responsible for their work and they take pride in a job well done,” and
“when organizations are built . . . on structures and practices that breed trust and
responsibility, extraordinary and unexpected things start to happen.” I see this factory
change as a catalyst for excellence within the organization, including the ability to adapt
to unexpected events, much like the pandemic situation I lay upon.
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4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned about
ethics.
I would not change the faith that everyone had in our ability to return to work sooner than
later. Messages from the management team (or maybe my manager in particular) gave us
constant updates on when we would return to work. However, there was always a level of
skepticism within each message as the future is unpredictable. The tenacity of the virus,
among other agendas, was counteracting our ability to reopen. But, as long as we held
onto hope that we would return, our connection with the organization was strong.
What I would not change is the human resources portion of the organization. There was
not much “love” floating around, but we all cared for each other and knew that a
cooperative and caring operation made the business succeed. Regular reminders helped
us know that we were doing our part for organizational success. Our GM thanked us at
every meeting for everything we do, even if it’s the little things.
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References
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass
Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations. Brussels, Belgium: Nelson Parker. ISBN:
978-2-960133-50-9
