Human Values & Ethics

Prepared by Dr. Chetna Karnani

Assistant Prof., JIMS Greater Noida

Values- An individual’s set of principles and ideals that create their accepted/desired

standards of behavior. Our value systems help us make decisions and priority-based

judgments. What you prioritize is what your values are. We derive our values from the

environment of our society that we observe.

Morality– Based on their value system, individuals create a belief system that helps them

make a judgment about what kind of a decision is good or bad. Deferring to authority may

be bravery for some (like revolution), but may be a violent act for others (like terrorism).

Also see examples of Ravan, Nathuram Godse etc. Since morals are our own, they often

have a gray zone.

Ethics– They are guiding principles of every community or institution that create a

structure or code of conduct. Unlike morals, ethics are more community-based and have a

clear demarcation between right/wrong and white/black. They follow uniformity for all

members, are more specific and legal.

Work ethics– The code of conduct interwoven between the institution (or industry) and

society is known as our work ethic. Labor work, utilization of resources and controlled

investments are examples of work ethics that governs motivational orientations at

hygiene, welfare, security and CSR.

Integrity- Based upon our value system and an ethical and moral understanding of the

society, the unity of our thought, word and action makes us a person who has integrity.

(contd. later with Spirituality)

Moral & Ethical Challenges at a Workplace:

(explain these better with examples of your own)

1. Receiving a counter offer from other companies (leverage example)

2. When a credit monger steals our hard-worked projects

3. Unwilling obligation to a crime/felony (remember the bounty example)

4. Misuse of company resources– stationery, time, etc.

5. Becoming an unwilling witness to abuse (remember the harassment example)

6. Leaking information (in exchange of personal benefits)

Spirituality:

An individual’s belief in a supernatural element or energy that is greater than them, that

guides the world and its happenings, is known as Spirituality. When our mind and body are

at the center of everything that we have to do, it makes us spiritual beings.

There is a huge difference between spirituality and religion– while religion largely

means worshiping an idol, spirituality is mainly philosophical– where the individual

manifests (as opposed to praying) to an unimagined entity.

differently and uniquely), respect and sensitivity, communication, tolerance, responsibility

and vision.

Spirituality at the Workplace:

Because suppressing creativity leads to destructive intents of employees, it is important for

both the superior and subordinate employees to practice spirituality to become efficient

resources/assets to the company. Various way of spiritual development can be doing

activities like meditating, journaling, taking walks and practicing yoga. Practicing these will

make us better humans and more ethical professionals. Practicing spirituality at the

workplace can give:

- More energy, flexibility and diversity (inclusivity) among members

- Better ability to think and act (both ethically and morally)

- Increased sense of accountability/answerability

And as a leader, it is important to lead your employees to be spiritually inclined through the

following ways:

- Understanding them as not only resources but also humans, learning about their

goals

- Also respecting them VERBALLY

- Stating your ethics with them to align them in a unified goal

- CSR, it helps in an integrated value system of the organization

Service Learning:
Service learning refers to voluntary services that individuals of the society or employees of

an organization provide to the society while also learning. It involves learning new policies,

norms and procedures of service, instead of only learning technical trade practices. In

order to become more enriched human beings and more resourceful employees,

volunteering for a service while learning is an essential part of every work ethic. It also

helps us in ethical interaction with our colleagues, and in developing our engagement with

the society.

One can volunteer for many services like helping in old-age homes, providing service

meals, experiential education, and addressing basic human and community needs.

The learning outcomes of such service learning are increased awareness of the world

around us, the ability to take new initiatives (since we will overcome the problem of

intolerance and learn patience), develop intellectually and spiritually, and increase our

commitment and collaboration abilities.

Variety of Moral Issues:

In order to better understand the ethics of engineering and to learn why certain engineers

commit immoral actions, it is necessary to see why people do such things. There are 3

types of moral issues that can be categorized for engineers to see what leads to their

unethical actions:

1. Resource Crunch- Manipulation of available resources and compromising the

quality of the project because of shortage of resources

a. Put their interest over the company’s interest

b. Focus on short term goals over long term goals

c. Work in an environment where there is no empowerment or CSR to ethically

enhance themselves

3. Working Attitude- Employees working under extreme conditions and pressure tend

to give up courtesy and sincerity towards the company’s progress. Besides, lack of

transparency, zero recognition for hard work, no grievance redressal system can

also discourage employees’ attitude.

Moral Dilemma:

The confusion an individual faces between two solutions or decisions, that could impact

their morality, is known as a moral dilemma. It complicates our decision making power

because reason/rationality comes into conflict. Usually the moral dilemma is between

safeguarding either out of truth and loyalty, individual and community, short term and long

term goals, and justice and virtue.

While a moral dilemma is often caused because of our rights, responsibilities and duties, it

can also be resolved by creating an organized and well defined system of priorities.

Situations leading to moral dilemmas: (include examples as per your novelty)

(i) Vagueness: Inability to differentiate between good and bad, or right and wrong

(ii) Conflicting reasons: Inability to choose between two viable and equally good solutions
(iii) Disagreement: Working in an organization’s team or community can lead to

disagreements between members over varying moral solutions

Moral Autonomy:

Moral autonomy is a social experimentation which is defined as, ‘decisions and actions

exercised on the basis of moral concern for other people and recognition of good moral

reasons.’ When we use our freedom of choice to be fair with others, we practice moral

autonomy.

People hold moral beliefs and attitudes based on their ‘critical reflection’ rather than on the

age-old conventions of the society or their profession. Moral autonomy may also be defined

as the practice of thinking consciously and rationally about issues that no code of ethics

follows but is still of moral concern to them.

(Remember examples of: coffee beans, organic foods, paper straws, labor laws/ blind CVs

etc.)

Skills needed to practice moral autonomy (for individual/community):

1. The ability to first spot the problem with traditional immoral methods

2. Ability to suggest viable solutions and make changes based on facts rather than emotion

or preferences (remember examples of veganism and non-vegetarianism)

3. The ability to make moral judgments (based on facts) that may cause trouble in our

lifestyle or in the lives of others

For references on The Challenger, watch documentaries and interviews of Allan McDonald

(available on Youtube) and formulate your understanding of engineering ethics.