Moral Disengagement
How I Have Observed or Experienced Moral Disengagement in My Career
Moral disengagement often takes place in my career when people tend to share responsibilities. For instance, some individuals might be assigned a job and take more time to complete it sluggishly simply because it was supposed to be done in-group. They take the advantage that it is easier to punish a single person than a group, and go ahead to participate in unethical behavior. Moral disengagement also occurs when my colleagues distort the consequences of their actions. They always compare their actions with those that are more dramatic, and place theirs on the advantageous side. In this way, they look for ways that help them avoid seeing the harmful nature of their actions.
Aspects or Factors in the Current Operating Environment that may Lead to Moral Disengagement
Moral disengagement might be promoted by right wing authoritarianism, in which people believe and accept that authority should always be followed instead of being challenged. This kind of authoritarianism enables people to feel that aggressive conducts, such as war, might be justifiable even if they deviate from the ethical behavior. Another aspect that usually leads to moral disengagement is sharing responsibilities among each other. Individuals fail to be accountable of their own actions and, therefore, tend to care less on the harmful nature of their actions. In addition, the extent to which people think of their group as superior might also increase the chances of moral disengagement. Individuals are always attached to their nations to the extent that they perceive it as more superior as compared to other nations and, thus, go ahead to favor their country unethically.
Responsibility that Leaders Have to Check or Monitor Moral Disengagement
In order to monitor moral disengagement, leaders should increase accountability by tying people directly to their own actions. Leaders should only follow the right wing authoritarianism when necessary. Indeed, if individuals start to believe that authority should only be followed when necessary, they might be adapted to do the right thing and not that ‘wrong’ which authority requires. Another way that leaders can monitor moral disengagement is by introducing the concept of equality in workplaces. Individuals should be advised not to feel superior and avoid thinking that they control meaningful effects in the world. In this way, they would not likely hold their conduct to their own moral standards.
