1

Module 6: Ethical Communities

D. Margaret EvanSon

OGL 481: Organizational Leadership Pro-Seminar 1

Dr. B.

September 27, 2021

Arizona State University

 2

Module 6: Ethical Communities

The Situation

The Scott Regional Airport Authority is an independent political entity which operates

the Scott Regional Airport. An independent political entity is subject to regulations that most

private organizations are not. The airport was adversely affected by the national state of

emergency related to COVID-19. Because of this there was a need to examine the fiscal status of

the airport and reduce costs. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) determined that sixteen

positions (10 part time and 6 full time) supporting the operations at the commercial passenger

terminal should be laid off. I am the Director of Operations and these positions constitute a part

of my staff. In my view, while the activity had dropped precipitously, it had not stopped, and to

maintain safe and secure operations we should not be eliminating positions.

To counter the COO's position, I created a memo outlining four staffing scenarios. The

memo included an analysis of the effects that each scenario would have on our ability to

maintain safe and secure operations while delivering service to customers. One of the

organizations values is exceeding customer expectations. Reducing so many staff would result in

service delivery delays. The COO and I reviewed the memo, determining that at a minimum we

needed to cover 240 hours. With that as a starting point, we collectively determined that we

should retain the six full time staff. We also determined that the best option for part time staff

was to furlough them so that they could be rapidly recalled when traffic increased.

How the ethics of the organization influenced the situation

The ethics of the organization were influential in the outcome of this situation. Ethics are

the moral principles which inform us on what is right and wrong. Ethics in an organization can
 3

be framed in four different ways. In the structural frame the ethics community is centered on

achieving excellence. Leaders provide space for people to have agency in their actions and

behaviors. In this frame, leaders empower others and give them autonomy in their work, leading

them to embrace accountability and consequences. In this way, the leader is gifting authorship to

people (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

The Human Resources frame on ethics forms a community of consideration and caring

which is embodied in the leader's love. In this frame the organization has compassion for

individuals and gives attention to the collective well-being (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

Organizations and leaders exercise acceptance and understanding through listening and giving

the gift of love (Bolman & Deal, 2017). When people are cared for, they feel appreciated and

respected, which they return to the organization through loyalty and productivity.

Ethics viewed through the political frame imagines the organization as a jungle fraught

with struggle and conflict. The leader's gift in this frame is justice; an attention to fairness, and a

willingness to share power. When people see justice, they are free to use their energy

constructively (Bolman & Deal, 2017). There are no easy wins in the political frame of ethics.

Trade-off and compromise are necessary; when people are empowered to participate, they will

work toward a common cause. There is regard for diversity, empowering the disadvantaged, and

using the power of privilege to change the systemic ways that institutions exclude non-dominate

groups (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

A symbolic view of organizational ethics envisions the organization as a sacred place of

reverence and ritual. This ethical community ministers to the soul of the organization. In this

frame, the leader's gift is significance, they confer to people the importance, relevance, and
 4

meaning of work (Bolman & Deal, 2017). This community embraces spiritual leaders who

tend to the faith and purpose of the work. Ethics are formed around the rituals, stories, and

symbols within the organization that tie the community together. In this frame, the faithful are

cared for and in turn receive intangible rewards (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

In my situation, ethics influenced the decision to move forward with the furlough of ten

employees. Ethically, we have a duty to act responsibly with the public money we receive

through member communities and federal entitlements. Since we are a political entity, we are

charged with acting as good stewards of our assets and resources. At the same time, we have

ethical obligations to maintain regulatory compliance and ensure, to the best of our ability, the

safety, and the security of the traveling public. To satisfy these needs, the COO and I

compromised and negotiated the right balance of staffing and mission achievement. We used a

political frame of ethics to seek a just outcome for employees, the organization, the community,

and our customers. In the political frame, leaders often have an ethical obligation to balance the

needs of all stakeholders (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

Recommendation applying an alternative ethical community

An alternative course of action applies the Human Resource frame to the situation. As

stated in our organizational values, we strive to do the right thing. Using the human resource

frame of ethics would apply a caring element to the situation. In my situation, the process seems

like it was a cold and calculated decision point without regard for the people we were affecting.

We would have looked at the situation more compassionately. How will this decision affect the

individual's lives and the collective well-being of the organization? Retaining all employees and
 5

adjusting to reduced hours would have demonstrated the organization's commitment to doing the

right thing.

Using the Human Resource frame of ethics, leaders express compassion and empathy.

They act as servant-leaders; there is an obligation to care for the welfare, security, comfort, and

happiness of those they serve (Bolman & Deal, 2017). In my situation, furloughing ten people at

the beginning of a pandemic appears to be an uncaring act. There was a diminishing effect on

department morale, which only started to recover after we were able to recall some of the part

time staff. The people who remained in the department lost some of their sense of job security

and confidence that the organization was loyal to them.

Reflection

Reflecting on the ethics involved in this situation, I felt obligated to three things.

Maintaining the safety, security, and service delivery at the passenger terminal was one. Another

was fighting to retain as many employees as possible. The last one was fulfilling my duty to

safeguard and be a good steward of the organization's assets and resources. Because these are

disparate obligations, I believe the political frame of ethics was appropriate. I could not make the

decision based on only one of the obligations. There had to be a resolution that satisfied all three

which required balance and negotiation.

Regarding the COO, he had the unquestioned authority to dictate the number of people to

lay off. To his credit, he shared this power and allowed me some authorship in the situation. This

provided an environment where we could determine a just resolution. By sharing his power and

allowing me to have a voice in this key decision, he created a sense of fairness. When people are

given a voice in these types of decisions, they are more likely to feel a sense of justice and
 6

fairness (Bolman & Deal, 2017). While my sincerest hope was to retain all employees, the truth

is, it could have been worse. At one point he said he did not want more than one operations

person on-site to run the whole airport. That move would have taken the department from 23

people to 7. Fortunately, we were able to evaluate the real needs and arrive at a just and fair

resolution.
 7

Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass