Being a strong leader encourages employees to follow in your footsteps. Achieving success through social capital. This workbook can be used alone to stimulate the moral imagination and provoke interesting discussions. This pertains to the ease with which a person can go from doing something that doesn't really seem unethical (such as scanning employees' e-mail "just for fun") to doing things that are increasingly unethical (such as making little changes in their mail messages or diverting messages to the wrong recipient). Toward ethical guidelines for network research in organizations. As you can imagine from the previous examples, violation of privacy might lead to unforeseen, and possibly unwarranted, disciplinary action. Technology-driven and information-intensive business operations are typical in contemporary corporations. Ethical emotional networking helps people see why they need to be ethical in a situation, as opposed to doing something because they know it is a rule. No matter who you have in place below you, avoiding ethical issues in your business starts at the top. In a Social Network, which is a network of personal contacts, a large number of users have access to a common database which is at risk of data-theft … Trait Approaches to Leadership, 10.4 What Do Leaders Do? The Final Word On Addressing Ethical Issues In Your Business. Greg then became aware that his seatmate employed the plane’s new in-flight networking technology to carry on a video chat with a friend in another seat. These have come to serve as the day-to day working tools for a worldwide community of researchers. Ethics are not simply a matter of the law; they are a prescription for doing good. Make a decision. Let’s look at each of these three ethical concerns in turn. That means that the ethical manager should not neglect them. However, because it is such a powerful and revealing tool, managers must be thoughtful in its ethical application. Principles of Management by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Social Networking Sites have become more popular than ever and because of this reason, the Privacy and Security issues of Social Networking Sites should be examined. This protection is necessary because of the ubiquity of the technology-driven and information-intensive environment. For example, consider the point of view of the company’s employees, top management, stockholders, customers, suppliers, and community. First, we will discuss Wayne Baker, author of Achieving success through Social Capital, puts it this way: “The ethics of social capital [i.e., social network relationships] requires that we all recognize our moral duty to consciously manage relationships. In both the survey-based and electronic mapping approaches, you might keep the identities of individuals confidential, thereby protecting their privacy. The benefits of this trend are that, among other things, the marketplace is more transparent, consumers are better informed and trade practices are more fair. Legal and ethical issues for social networking sites are usually different from other businesses. That is, they are the actual organization behind the printed organization chart. Ethics & Networking. You might also be asked for some indication of communication frequency. Corporate policies on corporate social networking should balance the employer‘s and employee‘s interests. It should be practiced in every form of networking, from utilitarian networking, emotional networking, and virtuous networking. For example, department-level network information could be presented instead of individual-level information. So, even if you agreed to complete the survey, the other people that you identify as part of your network may have not. So, what harm can there be if a manager uses SNA to uncover the invisible structure in their organization? Formulate ethical, yet practical, policies. 3. Please note, however, that the researchers have obtained a signed agreement from management stipulating that the data will be used for improving communication in the company and will not be used in an evaluative way (Borghatti & Molina, 2005). In fact, in the case of a consulting engagement, this may be the explicit purpose of the research, at least from the point of view of management (Borghatti & Molina, 2005).” Obviously, one of the roles of management is to determine the efficient and effective allocation of resources. This might involve going to your boss or to a neutral third party (such as an ombudsman or ethics committee). Chapter 1: Introduction to Principles of Management, 1.1 Introduction to Principles of Management, 1.2 Case in Point: Doing Good as a Core Business Strategy, 1.4 Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Strategy, 1.5 Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling, 1.6 Economic, Social, and Environmental Performance, 1.7 Performance of Individuals and Groups, 1.8 Your Principles of Management Survivor’s Guide, Chapter 2: Personality, Attitudes, and Work Behaviors, 2.2 Case in Point: SAS Institute Invests in Employees, 2.6 The Interactionist Perspective: The Role of Fit, 2.8 Developing Your Positive Attitude Skills, Chapter 3: History, Globalization, and Values-Based Leadership, 3.1 History, Globalization, and Values-Based Leadership, 3.2 Case in Point: Hanna Andersson Corporation Changes for Good, 3.3 Ancient History: Management Through the 1990s, 3.4 Contemporary Principles of Management, 3.6 Globalization and Principles of Management, 3.7 Developing Your Values-Based Leadership Skills, Chapter 4: Developing Mission, Vision, and Values, 4.1 Developing Mission, Vision, and Values, 4.2 Case in Point: Xerox Motivates Employees for Success, 4.3 The Roles of Mission, Vision, and Values, 4.4 Mission and Vision in the P-O-L-C Framework, 4.7 Crafting Mission and Vision Statements, 4.8 Developing Your Personal Mission and Vision, 5.2 Case in Point: Unnamed Publisher Transforms Textbook Industry, 5.3 Strategic Management in the P-O-L-C Framework, 5.5 Strategy as Trade-Offs, Discipline, and Focus, 5.6 Developing Strategy Through Internal Analysis, 5.7 Developing Strategy Through External Analysis, 5.8 Formulating Organizational and Personal Strategy With the Strategy Diamond, 6.2 Case in Point: Nucor Aligns Company Goals With Employee Goals, 6.4 From Management by Objectives to the Balanced Scorecard, 6.5 Characteristics of Effective Goals and Objectives, 6.6 Using Goals and Objectives in Employee Performance Evaluation, 6.7 Integrating Goals and Objectives with Corporate Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Organizational Structure and Change, 7.2 Case in Point: Toyota Struggles With Organizational Structure, 7.4 Contemporary Forms of Organizational Structures, 7.6 Planning and Executing Change Effectively, 7.7 Building Your Change Management Skills, 8.2 Case in Point: Google Creates Unique Culture, 8.5 Creating and Maintaining Organizational Culture, 8.7 Developing Your Personal Skills: Learning to Fit In, 9.2 Case in Point: Networking Powers Relationships, 9.3 An Introduction to the Lexicon of Social Networks, 9.4 How Managers Can Use Social Networks to Create Value, 9.5 Ethical Considerations With Social Network Analysis, 9.6 Personal, Operational, and Strategic Networks, Chapter 10: Leading People and Organizations, 10.2 Case in Point: Indra Nooyi Draws on Vision and Values to Lead, 10.3 Who Is a Leader? If the company does nothing to rectify the situation, do you want to continue working for the company? Why should managers be concerned about the ethical implications of social network analysis? Consider the relevant facts, laws and principles 4. Before delving into the ethical issues, let’s revisit social network analysis. In that sense, SNA is a valuable tool for understanding how the organization’s work actually gets done. In practice, using social capital means putting our networks into action and service for others. Baker, W. (2000). The broader issue is that social networks exist and that the social capital they provide is an important and powerful vehicle for getting work done. You were reminded that the general ethical decision-making framework applies to your use of SNA, but you also learned some specific approaches to managing SNA-related ethical issues. In brief, the following are the six steps (Hartman & DesJardins, 2008): Consider the alternatives you have available to you and how they affect the stakeholders. If a network survey revealed that 3M’s breakthrough was caused by rogue employees—that is, employees who were not following the rules about new product development and so on—the individual credited with that innovation might have been reprimanded or fired. As Borgatti and Molina point out, however, SNA in this context is explicitly part of a transformation process in which the group is shown data about itself, such as network diagrams, and asked to react to it. • Ethics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to find answers about the moral concepts like bad, good, evil, right, wrong, etc. Challenges related to Business Ethics ... networking activities of users. What steps can you take to improve the ethical bases for conducting SNA? Added to this, the young man was simultaneously usi… For example, you are likely familiar with the way Post-its were developed at 3M through internal entrepreneurial actions—at the time, however, some of those actions were not an explicit part of 3M’s rules and procedures (though, fortunately for 3M, its “bootlegging policy” gave the inventors an opportunity to explore market options for the adhesive that did not stick).1. Ethical and strategic issues in organizational network analysis. Early in the long flight he noticed the fellow in his early twenties in the window seat donning headphones to watch an in-flight movie. Ethical considerations such as productivity, security, goodwill, privacy, accuracy, and discipline fairness also affect future laws. These include: Beyond these general guidelines, there are three specific ways that you might manage SNA related ethical concerns. No one can evade this duty—not managing relationships is managing them. It is management’s responsibility to steward the organization’s resources in a way that is consistent with the mission and vision. For example, if a certain type of information can only originate with one part of an organization, it might be pretty obvious to inside observers how such information flowed internally and externally. Ethical and social issues arising from the use of technology in all areas of our lives—and in business, in particular—have lead to the creation of a new branch of ethics: technoethics. Network Professional Association Code of Ethics. a summary of the activities of the UK Clinical Ethics Network (UKCEN); ... ethical issues relating to clinical practice within their institutions. Hartman, L., & DesJardins, J. Be sensitive to the ethical issues surrounding the management of social networks, but that does not mean leaving social network relationships to chance. They actively publish and share information in social media almost in instant during or after any event or activities. Ethical issues have become important to leadership and management practice as a result of many well known cases of failure by organizations and individuals to observe and maintain ethical standards. Professional And Ethical Issues In Social Networking Information Technology Essay. Reproduced with permission of Borghatti, S. P., & Molina, J.-L. (2005). some problems related to ethics, and contains in general three main types of ethical issues: personal privacy, access right, and harmful actions. If an individual opts out, this should mean that their name appears nowhere on the social network diagram (even if they are identified by another individual as being part of their social network). The great paradox is that by contributing to others, you are helped in return, often far in excess of what anyone would expect or predict (Baker, 2000).”. Understanding the ethics of social network analysis. Probably the most familiar of ethical issues -- perhaps because it's the one most often violated -- is the expectation that communications and information from participants in the course of a community intervention or program (including conversations, written or taped records, notes, test results, etc.) Orietta.sberla – Ethics049webIV – CC BY-SA 3.0. An example of this could be “if you see someone being harassed at work, can you empathize with why it must be reported?”. Behavioral Approaches to Leadership, 10.5 What Is the Role of the Context? I created and run the Top 10 List of Emerging Ethical Dilemmas and Policy Issues in Science and Technology, which has over a quarter of a million readers worldwide. It also includes sharing information, knowledge, and resources with reciprocity, as well as exercising a positive ethical influence within the network. In this example you are required to ask yourself the following questions. The Board of Ethics reviews Issues in Ethics statements periodically to ensure that they meet the needs of the professions and are consistent with ASHA policies. Who might be harmed? What might be some of the unforeseen consequences of SNA for you as an employee? Surveys are not the only basis for mapping social networks. SNA can be a useful tool in this determination, but the purpose of the analysis should be made clear to participants from the outset. What one views as an indication of individual incompetency may, in fact, be a need for training or the addition of staff to move the information more effectively. Network Professionals have an obligation to their profession to uphold the high ideals and level of personal knowledge evidenced by the membership held. We will proceed as follows. For instance, one SNA informed consent form includes the following paragraph: Risks and costs Since management will see the results of this study, there is a chance that someone in management could consider your set of communication contacts to be inappropriate for someone in your position, and could think less of you. Finally, managers can consider the application of SNA in conjunction with a larger employee development program where participants are taught about social network analysis and then their results are debriefed with them one on one. Ethical emotional networking asks the question “do you emotionally feel and empathize with being ethical in a situation?”. Human beings have been socially‘networked’ in one manner or another for as long as we havebeen on the planet, and we have historically availed ourselves ofmany successive techniques and instruments for facilitating andmaintaining such networks. First, you might consider some way of applying the notion of informed consent to the participants of an exercise that maps the organization’s social networks. Similarly, “organizations are typically quite small, so that even a small number of attributes can uniquely identify individuals (Borghatti & Molina, 2005).” Second, demographic information on each person is often available in the human resources database or is common knowledge because everyone knows everyone else. Also known as the “bootlegging” policy, the 15% rule has been the catalyst for some of 3M’s most famous products, such as Scotch Tape and—of course—Post-it notes. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 39 (3), 337–349, and Borghatti, S. P., & Molina, J.-L. (2005) Toward ethical guidelines for network … Developing a toolkit for managing the ethical issues. (What options are good … Let’s look at each of these in turn. This Issues in Ethics statement is new and is consistent with the Code of Ethics (2016). to ask for ethics in the practice of networking. ‘Social networking’ is an inherently ambiguous termrequiring some clarification. Now that you understand some of the ethical issues arising from SNA you are in a better position to anticipate and manage them. For instance, if a communication network in your organization is being mapped, you might be asked who you initiate communication with and who initiates it with you. Virtuous networking does not exclude utilitarian and emotional networking, but these latter forms should be practiced with reciprocity. The possible harm to individual standing should be noted if 3M had used a social network map to understand the roots of its Post-it homerun and had internal policies prohibiting the use of time and money on nonapproved projects. Contingency Approaches to Leadership, 10.6 Contemporary Approaches to Leadership, 11.2 Case in Point: Bernard Ebbers Creates Biased Decision Making at WorldCom, 11.6 Developing Your Personal Decision-Making Skills, Chapter 12: Communication in Organizations, 12.2 Case in Point: Edward Jones Communicates Caring, 12.7 Developing Your Personal Communication Skills, 13.2 Case in Point: General Electric Allows Teamwork to Take Flight, 13.4 Understanding Team Design Characteristics, 14.2 Case in Point: Zappos Creates a Motivating Place to Work, 14.5 Developing Your Personal Motivation Skills, 15.2 Case in Point: Newell Rubbermaid Leverages Cost Controls to Grow, Chapter 16: Strategic Human Resource Management, 16.2 Case in Point: Kronos Uses Science to Find the Ideal Employee, 16.3 The Changing Role of Strategic Human Resource Management in Principles of Management, 16.5 Effective Selection and Placement Strategies, 16.6 The Roles of Pay Structure and Pay for Performance, 16.7 Designing a High-Performance Work System, 16.8 Tying It All Together—Using the HR Balanced Scorecard to Gauge and Manage Human Capital, Including Your Own. Such wide access means that network administrators could face a variety of ethical issues in the course of their work. Virtuous networking consists of acting in good faith, sharing honest goals, and participating in legitimate activities. Exploring the practice of networking from an ethical perspective, and more specifically from a virtue-ethics perspective, is the aim of this article. Social Networks, 27, 107–117. Let us look more closely at these issues, exploring in each case the ways in which they affect the public reactions to this technological change. Given technology today this data could be readily converted into a social network map showing who corresponded with whom and the length of such correspondence. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 39(3), 337–349. Your online transactions, emails, and social networking profiles are scanned, thus invading your online privacy. Suggest why ignoring social networks may be unethical. Ethical utilitarian networking is ensuring that your networking is not wasting the other person’s time, making it to be well thought-out, strategic, and useful. This type of social network mapping has more obvious ethical implications because participants of the map may never know that they are actually being mapped! None of these forms exclude the others; rather, they should be practiced together. Utilitarian networking can be defined by asking yourself “how much of my networking is designed as a true utility for my consumer?”. “It is dangerous, however, because of the powerful emotions it engenders in a group setting and this can put the researcher in the position of practicing therapy without a license (Borghatti & Molina, 2005).”. It can also be used in conjunction with a more theoretical book, Ethics in the First Person: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Practical Ethics (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007) that I wrote. 1To foster creativity, 3M encourages technical staff members to spend up to 15% of their time on projects of their own choosing. These could rise from the tasks they are asked to perform or simply as a result of viewing all the sensitive … Of course, we should refresh your memory on the general ethical decision-making guidelines before delving into more SNA-specific ones. Networking Ethics. Recognize there is an issue 2. 2015;17(11):1009-1018. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.11.peer1-1511. The two remaining ethical issues are somewhat related. As Moor pertinently observed, the role of ethics begins to be taken by technology or the answers to technical challenges of technology rely on technology as well.†(Moor, 2005) First of all, we need to take into account that ethics has a dynamic character. We close this section with some discussion of why it might actually be unethical to neglect the organization’s social network. pattern for future social networking laws. implications for personal integrity and character, Consider the effects of your actions. A List of Ethical Issues for Human Resource Management. Internet privacy is a major concern today. As social network researchers Steve Borgatti and Jose-Luis Molina note, “This introduces dangers for the respondents because management may make job or personnel changes (e.g., firing non-central workers) based on the network analysis. How would you feel if your actions were reported tomorrow in the. What are you being asked to do? Assess the situation. These are (1) full disclosure, (2) anonymization and opt-out options, and (3) participant training and feedback. It has raised certain ethical issues. What​should we do? For example, utilitarian networking does not waste the other person’s time with lies or false advertising about the networking meeting.