National Security Ethics and Divesity

 M4D1: Ethical Breaches

In this module, we will explore the concepts presented in the readings and look for examples in our own lives (personal and professional) to illustrate (or disprove) them.  It seems as if ethical breeches are all around us. The media is replete with stories of how senior leaders in the military, government, business, and industry are exercising bad judgment.  These are people who seemingly have it all and should be beyond reproach. We will examine why some individuals exercise good judgement while others turn to corruption. It is important to take things apart, look at them and become aware of what they mean for us as human beings, leaders, and members of organizations and communities.

Let’s turn our attention to a discussion about the ethical concepts presented in this module and share some examples within our own organizations.

This activity addresses module outcomes 1-3. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:

• Describe the concepts of cognitive dissonance, wrongful obedience, corrupt judgment, and warranted excuses;
• Analyze individual and organizational responses to wrongful obedience, bad judgment, and warranted excuses;
• Analyze the pitfalls of the slippery slope syndrome at the strategic level and how strategic leaders can avoid them.

Please contribute at least one original post at least 300 words, due on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Questions:

After completing the assigned readings for the module, please respond to the following questions in your initial post:

1. In your analysis, provide examples from your organization where wrongful obedience, corrupt judgment, or warranted excuses may have come into play.  Describe what happened and what the response within the organization was.
2. Describe an example of the “slippery slope syndrome” and analyze the situation and what might have been done to mitigate it.