The Moral Development of a Sales Manager

You are a sales manager in the Northwestern division of a large clothing manufacturing company. Recently, you and some other managers in your division attended the yearly national sales meeting in Chicago. Just now one of the other managers who attended the conference has come into your office. He says, “While I was at the conference, I took out some friends of mine in Chicago to dinner at an expensive restaurant, and charged it to my expense account. I said they were potential clients. Now my boss is questioning that. He says he wants proof. Would you write him a note saying you were there and that they were really potential clients?” What will you do? How will you do it? Why?

Aspects that should be addressed / included in your answer:

Identification of personal stage of moral development, explanations of how stage is likely to influence behavior, identification of own interpersonal orientation, explanation of how orientation is likely to affect what one is likely to do..

The case here is extremely tricky, as it demands the sales manager to ascertain the situation keeping in mind his own ethical grounds, moral compass and interpersonal relationship with the other sales manager.

In no context, had I been the sales manager, I would have gone forward with the lie which the other manager spoke unabashedly to his boss. According to my ethics and my upbringing, this is something non-negotiable, and neither do I indulge in such wrong doings, nor do I entertain such requests. In order to better understand the situation and my rationale for not going forward with the lie, can be understood by seeing the personal stage of moral development. 

Level 1- Pre-conventional Morality

Here the authority lies outside of the individual and the reasoning of the individual is based on the physical consequences of the actions.

Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation-Here the understanding a child develops is that if he is not being punished, he is good and vice-versa. Thus, I have always maintained this image, and have always avoided doing things which would lead me to troubles(Kay, 2017).

Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange-Here the child realizes that different individuals are entitled to different opinions. The implication here is that, for me lying to boss and cheating by manipulating the bills is most definitely wrong, but it might sound right to some other person(Lind, 2017),

Level 2: Conventional Morality- In this stage, authority is internalized but it is not questioned, the reasoning is also based on the existing norms of the group to which the person belongs(Woolley, 2015).

Stage 3: Good Interpersonal relationships-Here the good or bad character of a person is seen as how others perceive of him. I always remember this thing, thus try to always stay true to myself so that the entire world sees me in the same manner(Chung & Hsu, 2017).

Stage 4-Maintaining the Social Order- In this stage the child has grown into an adult, and he becomes aware regarding the wider rules which exist in different sections of the society. Here, I learnt to obey the rules, respect the law and avoid the guilt of doing something wrong.

Identification of Personal Ethics

Level 3: Post Conventional Morality-Here the Judgment of the person is solely based on his chosen principles, while moral reasoning is based on the rights and justice of the individual. The learning here is that majority of the people still take decision based on the people around them, it is only a few who can abide by their moral principles. I am one of the person, who always values situation in accordance to moral and ethical high being, and really do not care what others are doing around me.

Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights- In this stage, a human realizes that while utilitarianism theory, which states doing the greatest good for greatest number of people might exist, but there will be times when they have to work against particular individuals. In this case especially, my action can be seen as going against the other manager, but in my ethical views, it is appropriate and would prevent him from doing any such wrong doings in the future.

Stage 6: Universal Principles-This is the stage where an individual has created, developed and decided on his own set of moral guidelines which may or may not fit within the law. I have built my own principles revolving around, justice, equality, human rights and integrity. These are the principles which guide my conduct in professional and personal life(Kay, 2017).

Thus, my bringing up happened in the similar stages of moral development. My family and surroundings always showed me the right path and advised me to always think about the consequences before taking a decision. Thus, I always evaluate my decision on the basis of the consequences, and if it does no harm to anyone and is right ethically, I go with it. In this case, I denied helping the manager, because the consequence of it could have resulted in losing my image in front of my boss. It could have also put me in jeopardy as I was supporting a wrong cause, additionally it would have given wings to the wrong doing of the colleagues and he would have not learnt his lesson. My reasoning is that for the organization, we also have certain duties and responsibilities towards them, which should be done without any objection. My duty for the organization is to follow the principles of integrity and ethics, and report it to the management or the line manager if I see someone indulging in unethical practices.

You are working in a lower-level managerial position in a Boise firm. Your boss stops by to visit you one day, and says “I have got this problem with my boss. She is new to the firm, and seems to be taking pleasure in turning everything upside down. She has instituted new reporting procedures, new meeting schedules, new budgeting process, new everything! Now, I have been here far 15 years, and the old system makes sense to me. I have tried to be diplomatic by holding my peace, but I do not see any reason to change. If you ask me, I think she is one of those libbers, out to show her power.” What will you do? How will you do it? Why?

The Situation at Hand

Aspects that should be addressed / included in your answer:

Identification of possible blocks to creativity, identification of a creative analogy, bringing back analogy to provide a creative solution or new viewpoint.

The problem discussed in the case above is very common, and has been surfacing in almost all the industries for quite some time. People, who have been working in the industry for a long time, quite often feel resistive towards any change coming their way. They are extremely comfortable in their own ways of working, that they see any change as a potential threat to their existing position.

They completely fail to understand that globalization, tech innovation and evolution has given birth to creativity and innovation, and it would be extremely imbecile if the person does not see this creativity and innovation as an opportunity to learn and develop new skills and remain competent. My advice to my Boss will be based on the Blocks of creativity, by this I would explain him to engage in blockbusting and not be a block to creativity.

Environmental Blocks-Environment can be both obstructive and supportive in this case; obstructive environment for instance can be following the dress code in office, neat and tidy workplaces and many more. These elements are good, but it does restrain creativity in the organization. AN environment should be created in such a manner that it is full of creative stimuli and very relaxing to experience. Consistent experiment with the surrounding will do away with the mundane office environment and harbinger towards enhanced creativity. With this, I would request my boss to develop a creativity angle from here and expand his learning by making certain changes which would help him in better adopting the change(Mayfield & Mayfield, 2017).

Much of the creative blocks come directly from the people, and in this case especially, the creative block is from my boss. Being social creatures, we all are entitled to judge somebody, and our very first reaction is based on competitiveness and judgmental in nature. It is always advised to trust the co-craters, or the people who are bringing change in the organization(Perry-Smith & Mannucci, 2017). Most importantly, because it is for the good, and also upholds a high ground for creativity and innovation in the organization. Thus, I would request my boss to get over this people block and follow the instruction of the senior boss, because they are looking at the horizon(Clauhs, 2018).

This is one of the largest and the most prevalent type of block in the path of creativity. Most of the times, we in our head create a block, which stops us from accommodating change. These types of people do not feel comfortable with a unconventional thoughts, and sub-consciously they feel uncomfortable with this new way of thinking. Some of these blocks crop in our head, because of our past experience in early age; this withholds us from being a part of a change. All the people are conditioned to not break any laws, rules and to be logical, this feeling gets deep seated in an individual, because of which he finds new ways as uncomfortable. My boss has been facing the same problem, thus I will make him understand to shed off his inhibition and look forward to new ways of doing things(Janzen, Perry & Edwards, 2017).

Professional and Personal Ethics

The best way to make my boss understand is in the form of a creative analogy. The creative analogy here is that it is better to go by the instruction of the co-creator and give them valid feedback on the new process. This way, both the organization and the employees can benefit and also save some time in implementing the process in the organization. In case, the new creative way of working in some time start delivering the results expected(Amabile & Pratt, 2016). It is a win-win scenario of my boss as well the entire organization. In other case, if the new ways of thinking do not work here, the organization can go back to its older way of functioning. Something with which my boss was comfortable initially, and did not want to adopt new ways. This, in both the instances, the benefit clearly lies with my boss, and the only way to realize this is to extend his coordination and cooperation to the senior boss.

Your office neighbor talks very loudly on the phone. It is very hard for you not to be disturbed in your work. You have talked to her about it in the past but it keeps going on. You are sitting in your office. It is happening once more and you are quite irritated about it. You have decided to confront this person now. What will you do? How will you do it? Why?

Aspects that should be addressed / included in your answer:

Use of recognizable conflict resolution approach, explanation of why this approach is appropriate, identification and explanation of reasonable alternative

Conflicts at workplace is a regular phenomenon, whilst some people see conflict as problem, many tend to look at conflict in the form of an opportunity. In both the cases however, the intention is to resolve the conflict peacefully and create a situation of win –win for both the parties.

Analysis of the Problem

The right way to look at the conflict is to look at it as an opportunity to bring improvement in the current practices. It is important to look at the conflict as an opportunity to extract a solution to leverage the situation, and do justice to the situation. Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann in the year 1970 identified 5 styles of conflict resolution strategy, which are helpful in resolving conflicts within teams or even individuals(Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).

Relevant Models and Theories

Collaborative Approach-This is my personal favorite style of conflict resolution, as it always leads to a situation for both the parties in the conflict. However, the style is most used in the cases, such as:

• Non urgency of the situation
• An important decision has to be taken
• Last attempts to resolve the conflicts have failed.
• Conflict involves a large number of teams or is widespread in nature.

Not appropriate in the following cases:

• Urgent decision
• The matter is trivial to most people(Halperin, 2014).

The focus here is to finding the solution which will meet the needs of all and create a win-win situation.

My approach in this particular case is to ensure that the person does not speak loudly over the phone and disturb me or any of the people. But, until now, no one has complained about my neighbor’s tone of speech, hence it is just me who is affected by this situation. It has already been established that initial conversation and request to the neighbor has already happened, and now it is time to take some action, and bury the hatchet.

Decision-making

This strategy is one of my approach to resolve the conflict, as I have already did my bit in requesting the person to keep his tone down, but no positive has come out of it. Thus, my new approach is:

I would visit my neighbor and explain to him clearly, how I have been getting impacted by his consistent loud talking on the floor on his phone. I would explain to him the level of inconvenience his behavior is causing to him, because of which his productivity is getting reduced. I will first give him an explanation about how I am really getting distracted by his phone conversation, which is affecting his professional performance and is getting behind the deadlines. My approach towards this would be to request him to take phones sitting next to me before 10 in the morning and after 4, as these are the hours when I am either not in the office, or just scrawling through my mails. This is beneficial for him as well, as I am not escalating the issue, whilst still giving him a good time to talk loudly over the phone. This is most definitely a win-win strategy, and it entirely depends on me keeping calm and composure at all times(Wheelan et. al., 2017).

An alternative to the competing strategy is the compromising strategy; I will use this strategy as Plan B, if my collaborative strategy does not work here.

The competitive strategy holds significant benefit and is a competitive approach to resolve the conflict in the organization. In this strategy, a person in conflict takes a firm stand against the other person and usually wins. Competing style or strategy is most definitely seen as aggressive way of resolving the conflict. This style is most appropriate in the following circumstances:

• Decision has to be made quickly.
• Need for a unpopular decision to be made(Singh & Nayak, 2016).
• People in conflict are trying to take advantage of the situation.

Style not appropriate in following cases:

• Not urgent situation.
• People are sensitive with the conflict(Rahim, 2017).

I will use this competing strategy only in the case that despite my repeated attempts to make good the situation the person is not listening to me, which is adversely impacting my productivity. My next logical step in this case would be to directly approach my manager, and ask him to intervene. I would present my manager with three options: Either to ask the other person to not talk loudly on phone, either change his workplace or change my workplace. Utilizing both these strategies, I am of the opinion that I would be able to resolve this conflict by either using collaborative or competing approach. 

You are in charge of a large sausage manufacturing company.  Up until now, everything has been running smoothly, but you believe it is time for a change.  You have been reading about empowerment and teamwork, and you think that if you can reorganize the employees into self-directed teams, your sausage company has a chance of becoming the most profitable sausage company in the United States.  Your management philosophy is that any profits the company makes should be shared with the employees.  Employees are concerned however, because they think that any change may be accompanied by downsizing and layoffs. What will you do? How will you do it? Why?

Duties and Responsibilities

Aspects that should be addressed / included in your answer:

Establishing a climate of positivity, creating readiness for change, articulating a positive vision, identifying and explaining actions to be taken.

A great leader is a person who looks at the horizon, is never afraid of change and is a firm believer in the abilities of the person. An individual by believing in the abilities of the person, and by his constant encouragement and motivation can increased the productivity of the employees and the entire organization.

In this case here, I believe in the abilities of my team, and I am of the opinion that if the team plays by its strength, most definitely it can create great impact for the business. In order to do so change has to be implemented in the organization and the change is directed towards empowering the teams and creating a self-directed team structure in the business organization.

Relevant Theories and Models

It is one of the most fundamental model of change, which is used by many large corporates across the globe to bring transformations in the business process and systems. The three step model, systematically evaluates each step and work towards the best interest of the organization(Carnall, 2018).

This is the stage, when the management evaluates the current process and practices prevailing in the organization, basis of which the gaps or lacunae are identified in the system. As discussed the need of the hour is to empower the employees and develop and set a culture of team work in the organization. Thus, the management has to ensure that it correctly communicates in open about the new change to be taking place, and what does it imply for the employees. Once the employees are convinced with the rationale, and know that the change would only bring good to them and not harm them in any possible way will reduce their resistance towards the change.

This is the actual stage when the change is implemented in the organization. The change is brought in the organization by creating a change agent, who will ensure necessary support and cooperation from the employees and help in implementing the change effectively. The change here will bring in a culture of team work and give more voice to the opinion and feedback for the employees. It is most definitely a win-win for the employees and the organization in the way that employees will feel empowered and motivated, and the organization will leverage this enhanced productivity to become the largest sausage manufacturer in the world(Hayes, 2018).

All the work done or the steps before refreezing are futile if the organization is unable to refreeze the new norm and replace it with the existing norm in place. In this stage, the change agent has to take as much feedback as possible from the employees, and learn their stance on the change management in the organization. Based on the feedback received from the employees, it is the duty of the organization to tweak the actual change. It is after careful monitoring and evaluation that the change is finally refreeze in the system.

The change in the organization is directed for the benefit of the employees, as team work and employee empowerment are most definitely productivity enhancer and also increase the productivity of the employees working. Hence, this has to be communicated clearly to them, they must and should know “what’s in for them”, only then they can manage their peace with the change and get over their fears, which can cause obstacle in the change process. Thus, positive vision has to be articulated by the senior management, and it should be directed towards the employees, clearly communicating the expectation from the management, change in their roles and how this change will benefit them in both the short and long run.

Employee empowerment starts by including the employees in the process of decision making. This will not only bring out the best ideas on the table, but would also reduce the chances of error. Team work is better as everyone works around shared goals, and are aware of their individual responsibility. This will help in increasing the productivity of the employees and the entire organization(Homstein, 2015).

Thus, in order to carry on a change, the following actions have to be taken, step by step:

• Identifying the need and urgency for the change, this has to be found by evaluating all the processes and system and weigh the options accordingly. The underlying idea here is to implement the change which would bring maximum positive impact on the organization and on its employees(Cameron & Green, 2015).
• Resistance of the employees is the biggest obstacle organization faces in the process of change management. The management has to ensure that they provide the employees with relevant information on the change and addresses their fears or concern in due time. Once the employees are convinced that the change is harbinger of growth for them, they would most definitely engage in the change process and adopt the change(Doppelt, 2017).

References

Carnall, C., 2018. Managing change. Routledge.

Chung, J.O. and Hsu, S.H., 2017. The effect of cognitive moral development on honesty in managerial reporting. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(3), pp.563-575.

Clauhs, M., 2018. Beginning Band without a Stand: Fostering Creative Musicianship in Early Instrumental Programs. Music Educators Journal, 104(4), pp.39-47.

Doppelt, B., 2017. Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for business, government and civil society. Routledge.

Hayes, J., 2018. The theory and practice of change management.

Janzen, K.J., Perry, B. and Edwards, M., 2017. Building Blocks: Enmeshing Technology and Creativity with Artistic Pedagogical Technologies. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 18(1), pp.4-21.

Kay, W., 2017. Moral development: A psychological study of moral growth from childhood to adolescence. Routledge.

Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Lind, G., 2017. Attitude change or cognitive-moral development? How to conceive of socialization at the university. In Moral Judgments and Social Education (pp. 25-48). Routledge.

Mayfield, M. and Mayfield, J., 2017. Leader talk and the creative spark: A research note on how leader motivating language use influences follower creative environment perceptions. International Journal of Business Communication, 54(2), pp.210-225.

Rahim, M.A., 2017. Managing conflict in organizations. Routledge.

Wheelen, T.L., Hunger, J.D., Hoffman, A.N. and Bamford, C.E., 2017. Strategic management and business policy. pearson.

Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Hornstein, H.A., 2015. The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.291-298.

Singh, R. and Nayak, J.K., 2016. Parent-adolescent conflict and choice of conflict resolution strategy: familial holiday planning. International Journal of Conflict Management, 27(1), pp.88-115.

Halperin, E., 2014. Emotion, emotion regulation, and conflict resolution. Emotion Review, 6(1), pp.68-76.

Amabile, T.M. and Pratt, M.G., 2016. The dynamic componential model of creativity and innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning. Research in Organizational Behavior, 36, pp.157-183.

Perry-Smith, J.E. and Mannucci, P.V., 2017. From creativity to innovation: The social network drivers of the four phases of the idea journey. Academy of Management Review, 42(1), pp.53-79.

Woolley, D.J., 2015. The association of moral development and moral intensity with music piracy. Ethics and Information Technology, 17(3), pp.211-218.