Ethical Paradigms and Decision Models

Ethical Paradigms and Decision Models

Leaders in community colleges face moral and ethical dilemmas that necessitate the utilization of ethical paradigms, codes of conduct, and models for ethical decision making. The ethical decision model consists of six stages. Stage one involves the identification of ethical problems through recognition of immoral acts and their implication on individuals within an organization. Stage two includes data acquisition from different sources and attentiveness to an individual’s affective response to a breach of ethics. Stage three necessitates the investigation of relevant existing codes and policies related to the issue. Stage four involves the construction of alternative approaches to dilemma resolution. Stage five includes the evaluation of various alternative approaches using existing ethical codes, autonomy, and justice. Step six involves the selection and use of an alternative based on their probable outcome.

The multiple ethical paradigms include justice ethics, professional ethics, ethics of care, critique ethics, and local community ethics (Oliver & Hioco, 2012). Ethics of justice upholds the rule of law and utilization of fairness, equity, and justice. Critique ethics identify inequalities between different groups due to existing laws and policies. Ethics of care addresses issues and decisions that may hurt people by upholding virtues such as trust understanding and compassion. Professional ethics deals with adherence to given principles governing a particular profession. For instance, community college teachers should utilize their practical experience in the community college in the decision-making process. Local community ethics encompasses the public good, interests, and needs of the local community.

As the community college president, the first step in solving the ethical and moral dilemma between Dr. Simm and David would necessitate relationship awareness between ethics and actions (Berkovich & Eyal, 2020). This particular case highlights the tension between ethics of profession and care, whereby Dr. Simm’s decisions for upholding community college misbehavior policies conflict with that of caring for the needs of the student. As the community college leader, student’s behavioral challenges would require a focus on the teaching of social skills, self-regulation through focused teaching on adaptive behaviors. Moreover, the use of differential reinforcement and ignoring mechanisms would resolve behavioral problems in students.

In support and agreement with the academic vice president, the department of mathematics should reverse David’s grades. Upholding the academic vice president’s decision discourages other students from indulging in similar behavior while advocating students on the importance of honesty and fairness. The second step for resolving the conflict would necessitate strong administrative support through fostering capacity building and professional development. My decision as the college president will promote academic freedom through addressing students’ needs and challenges comprehensively while supporting the academic staff through increasing opportunities for professional development.

References

Berkovich, I., & Eyal, O. (2020). Ethics education in leadership development: Adopting multiple ethical paradigms. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(2), 270-285.

Oliver, D. E., & Hioco, B. (2012). An ethical decision-making framework for community college administrators. Community College Review, 40(3), 240-254.