And it emphasizes the importance of seeking creative solutions by working inclusively across multiple perspectives. It emphasizes engaging our critical thinking, reflection and truth-seeking to evaluate quality evidence and make sure we have the right information to make our decisions, and an honesty and humility to admit when we’ve been wrong. Often, it can begin simply with a process, or decision. Before tackling an ethical issue, clearly define the nature of the challenge. It emphasizes the importance of fairness - of determining what is equitable and just for all members of the community. Here we take a look at a six-step model for ethical decision-making that can prepare business leaders and other professionals to face a range of organizational challenges and personal choices. The framework emphasizes the need to engage empathy and inclusive perspective-taking in understanding how decisions will impact others. This is why individual educators and their learning communities need to start by taking time to understand what is important to each person in that community.īuilding on the foundation of understanding a community’s values, Practice M2 calls for practical wisdom in decision-making that draws from a wide range of character assets. And while codes of ethics are helpful, changing environments often outpace the development of ethical codes, and educators must be prepared to anticipate and resolve moral dilemmas that are not addressed within existing ethics rules. Indeed, throughout human history, law has at times sided with injustice. Thinking about whether our practices are moral is important because it helps us to go well beyond whether or not something is simply required by law. Both of these are important in creating effective Principled Innovations. When we talk about “ethics,” we talk about how we as a society believe that morals should be applied in different situations. When we talk about decisions as being “moral,” we refer to our own guiding values which define our beliefs about good and just behavior.

Ethical decisions