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.
There are annual reviews going on within my organization. For context, I am in
the United States Air Force and these reviews are called Enlisted Performance Boards
(EPBs). This process can be tense since your results can determine whether or not you get
a “promotion statement”. These statements allow members a certain number of points,
extra, for when they go to test for promotion.
The EPB is a new system since the previous rating forms we used last year.
However, there has been some disconnect as to what is the most important information to
capture from the previous year. Certain people, such as my superintendent (a person in
charge of multiple work sections), feel as though it should be direct work related to the
mission. For example, how many jobs you completed. Whereas “Big Air Force” feels
we should be still capturing the extracurriculars to include volunteer activities and
education. This has left people at the shop level, such as me, in an odd position since we
are at the mercy of the superintendent’s corrections to our EPBs even if this will render
them non-competitive at the squadron level.
This has left me and two fellow Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) in a weird
place where I wasn’t considered due to a preexisting reputation regardless of my strong
paperwork, another member was told to leave off his extras and became non-viable, and
the third was competitive and was mainly extra stuff.
2) Describe how the ethics of the organization influenced the situation.
Believe it or not, the ethics of the organization actually shielded the unethical
actions that were taking place. We hold three core values in the United States Air Force.
These would be integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. These are
held firm and are espoused through each, and every, uniformed member. The problem
lies within the fact that the main antagonist of this scenario is a civilian. This is the
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person who criticized members from not wanting to deploy when he himself separated
from the USAF after getting orders to move bases and he did not want to.
The superintendent that we are discussing has been navigating in a reality parallel
to the rest of the active duty members. His position cannot be threatened as it can with us
and therefore his actions go, often, unquestioned. Therefore, since we all operate in an
ethical fashion (willingly or for fear of reprimand) he has been doing as he pleases. This
causes him to act on his own accord, and for those more naïve, always his to work under
the impression that he is embodying our values as well. So, for this instance, the
organization’s ethical values allowed for this situation to take place without much
scrutiny from those who could have made a difference.
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.
I would utilize the human resource frame if there was an alternative for how my
situation could have played out. In this particular example, the metaphor is extended
family. In the USAF they are constantly telling us that we are like family and that we
take care of one another. Yet, this exact scenario shows how most people within
leadership roles serve a self-fulfilling purpose. I would have used this metaphor to flip
the script back on them and make them justify their actions.
The organizational ethic shown in this frame is caring through a contribution of
love. I have plenty of empathy and, in fact, utilize to guide most of my decisions. This
would have shown that I was not taking a stand simply to increase my odds of promotion,
but to help my peer as well who was misled. I would have been able to prove a point by
caring for my fellow NCO and left my faulty leaders in a bind as to explain their actions.
I certainly believe human resources would’ve helped the entire issue.
4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about ethics.
When it comes to doing things differently, I most likely would have reported my
concerns higher up the chain of command. I know for a fact that both my peer and I were
treated unfairly, and our livelihoods were messed with. This was an occasion for me to
speak up and set the record straight as to what was happening. This amount of secrecy
that my mid-tier leadership was perpetrating was not ethical. I could have set a strong
example for my subordinates.
“Ethics ultimately must be rooted in soul: an organization's commitment to deeply
rooted identity, beliefs, and values” (Bolman & Deal, 2021) The problem is that when
you must challenge how the organization is upholding these beliefs, you tend to paint a
target on your back. The fact that my boss’ boss was doing as he pleased and utilizing
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favoritism was absolutely a reason to speak up. However, he was also playing on my
tarnished reputation from his predecessor. Overall, I would have been more vocal, but I
certainly chose the safer option for my family’s future.
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Reference
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.
Jossey-Bass.
