Unit 03 Assignment 1

Ethical Motives Essay

Mark D. Diaz

Capella University Business Ethics

This assignment will detail a personal experience with ethical decision making within the organization in which I am currently employed, Coca-Cola. Recently the local branch in which I am employed was forced to confront a disconnect between the hourly workforce and the salaried management team. This situation came to a head in the form of a union petition filed with the local Teamsters on behalf of the hourly workforce of the Hilo branch of Coca-Cola.

On the surface, the problem seemed to be a lack of communication and understanding between hourly workers and salaried management. As the situation evolved, there proved to be a deeper level of dissatisfaction on behalf of individual hourly workers and a lack of understanding of the problem on behalf of the local management team. The hourly workers decided to collectively voice their individual concerns in the form of a union petition.

I found myself caught in the middle of this conflict. The hourly workers turned to me as a voice for the group to effectively convey their individual concerns. The salaried management team turned to me for answers to better understand the situation. I felt a loyalty to my hourly co-workers, and yet still wanted to do what was right for the company and the salaried management team. I found myself walking a tight line attempting to convey the message of both parties while at the same time doing my best not to be influenced by either group. This proved difficult as the workforce looked to me as a leader of their movement, and the management team expected me to quell the union petition and talk the hourly workers out of their actions.

I began to feel that I was risking my standing with my co-workers and at the same time jeopardizing my career with Coca-Cola as I was caught deeper in the middle of the situation. In light of the heated conflict in which I was deeply invested in, I decided the best action would be to stand on my own morals and do what I felt was right for the situation. I had to disconnect myself from the emotions of both parties and take the actions I felt were necessary and appropriate to finding resolution for the situation. I met individually as well as collectively with all the parties concerned both management and hourly workers. I listened to concerns of both parties, and attempted to see thru the emotional feedback to address core concerns. I attempted to explain both sides of the issue to all parties in the hopes of finding resolution.

Both parties continued to pressure me as well as each other. Everyone wanted me to be on their side of the issue, and to force the other party to agree. I stuck to my belief that I needed to be as neutral as possible. I expressed my personal beliefs at times, but I always made clear that these were my own beliefs and not motivated by any other party. I also attempted to effectively convey the concerns of the conflicting parties to each other in ways that they could understand. Management and hourly seemed at times to be speaking completely different languages and I saw a huge lack of effective communication taking place.

The result was the union petition being dropped before an election could occur. The hourly workforce agreed to drop their petition in the hopes that the management team would effectively address the concerns raised by the workers. Management made a genuine effort over the next year to address the concerns raised by their workforce. Management and hourly employees were able to come together without third party representation and work through their differences.

There was conflicting belief systems involved with this situation that made it difficult to find resolution that would be satisfactory to all stakeholders. I believe the management team followed a utilitarianism belief system were as the costs and benefits of the outcome of the situation were closely calculated and drove the actions of the management team. I believe the hourly workforce chose a mixture of rights and justice belief systems to guide their decision making. The hourly workers showed a deep seated interest in fairness amongst the workforce and strove to accomplish this. At the same time, individual concerns reflected an interest in individual entitlement as they sought to address their individual concerns.

Although at the time I did not realize it, I chose to follow the universalism belief system. I felt that all parties' opinions needed to be respected, even though individual stakeholders did not hold this same opinion. I sought out a solution that would not only address and satisfy the needs of the workers, but also satisfy the bottom line concerns of the management team and the company as a whole.

This situation was one of the most difficult things I have ever dealt with professionally. Although raised mostly in the continental United States, I have lived in Hawaii for many years now. There are huge cultural differences between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii. Neither side of the issue was able to effectively identify and address these cultural differences. The hourly workers are completely locally born and raised, and view any outsiders with skepticism. The management team looks at problems from a dollars and cents point of view without taking into consideration the deep seated mistrust of their workforce. I found myself in the position of being able to bridge this gap and show both parties the others' opinions and help to find a resolution to the problems. Although extremely difficult, I would not choose to deal with this situation any differently. Although I did not know all of the factors in play at the time dealing with ethical decision making, I feel that I was able to choose the most effective path to assist my company in successfully navigating this difficult time.