In this course, you have learned about human behavior; why people behave the way they do. You’ve studied influencing factors such as brain chemistry, motivations, human interactions and relationships, and formal organizational structures and interventions. You’re learning how to recognize what people want and need, how group dynamics and physical space can be affected simply by changing a few processes, and how to use Human Relations knowledge to affect employee experience.
Much of this probably makes sense, as we master these social skills early on. Even babies enact strategies to attract and divert parental attention. Toddlers figure out unwritten rules and norms when they go to daycare and need to learn to share toys and resources. We even talk about “psyching out an opponent” in sports competitions. Humans are glorious at manipulating their environment and others within it – that’s how we got to the top of the food chain!
The presumption is that as HR practitioners, we will use this knowledge for the betterment of both the organization and the employees. Remember, the cornerstone of Human Relations theory is the creation of win-win outcomes. We studied several organizations (W.L. Gore, IMA Inc., Red Frog, Davita, etc.) that are authentically living that value.
But knowledge of how to drive behavior can also be used in negative and unethical ways. Consider the recent Wells Fargo revelation that to drive revenues, incentive and reward systems ultimately led to fraudulent behavior of thousands of employees, often sanctioned by the organization; and the Penn State Athletic Department culture and identity so deeply entrenched in being a winning football school, it allowed child abuse to be tolerated for decades, despite overt signs that things were immoral and illegal.
Your assignment appears deceptively simple: Answer the following question: How do you use this knowledge ethically?
To receive the maximum points for this assignment, you will need to do some research to answer this question. You should go back to any of the assigned readings and you will need to research the subject of ethics. Please include the following minimum components of your argument. Feel free to add other dimensions and considerations into your essay.
Definition of ethics
Describe current thinking around ethics in relation to influence and motivation
Support your argument with a minimum of two credible sources
Describe the criterion that make leveraging knowledge and skills ethical or not ethical. Explore things like,
What is the difference between ethical and unethical use of this information?
When is it ok to apply this knowledge in the workplace, and when is it not?
When is it ethical to leverage Human Relations knowledge and skills to affect organizational outcomes, and when is it unethical?
Provide detailed examples of ethical and unethical interventions to support your arguments. Use case studies and/or well-known corporate stories of lessons learned, attempts to correct unethical practices, etc.
Your paper should be between 4-6 pages or 1000 to 1500 words and completed in the required course format and style (**Turabian Format), with proper citations, examples, and references.
All assignments should be submitted in MS Word. Assignments submitted via PDF will not be accepted.
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