Are You Morally Engaged: Moral Influence

Spider-Man

"With great power comes great responsibility" is a quote from Spiderman, but it perfectly explains the moral and ethical boundaries. Rhode (2006) breaks down the power of moral leadership, self-sacrifice and self-interest, managing philanthropy, and moral courage as the key ingredients to good governance. Power can corrupt self-serving individuals; however, leaders are more likely to be guided by their moral compass when they serve a purpose greater than themselves.

"If people have ethical values and those values shape their behavior, it is possible to regulate behavior by appealing to those values; this leads to the possibility of self-regulation, in which people are encouraged to take responsibility for their behavior. They could be encouraged to do so by the leaders of their own organizations, government authorities, or both" (Rhodes, 2006, p. 213). The statement implies that regardless of the purpose, it is possible to appeal to a leader's moral compass and shift back to ethical leadership if things become out of control. However, if unchecked, leadership's power can become a monster if left alone. Leaders have to learn the balance between self-interests and self-sacrifice. Managing that balance may be challenging, but aligning and pursuing the purpose is easier if the organization has a bigger purpose than self-pursuit. Philanthropic-type organizations face other challenges as they strive to make a difference in the world; Rhode (2006) emphasizes the need for accountability. Leaders should always be serving their organizations, employees, and stakeholders. If their decisions are self-serving, they may bring disaster to the organization and its people.

A key takeaway about the morality of leadership comes from Franco Bernabé, former CEO of Eni, "Leadership is fundamentally about humanity. It is about morality. Your primary job as a leader is to see what is good for your organization, and what is good for the people who work for you, and to create something for the well-being of your fellow citizens" (Rhode, 2006, p. 267). It takes courage to lead with morality and not to pursue self-interests; however, Jesus teaches us that leading is serving.

Think about how leading with serving can increase your impact in your industry.

References:

Rhode, D. L. (2006). The Theory and Practice of Power, Judgment, and Policy. Jossey-Bass.

Rule from the shadows: Psychology of power—Part 1. (2014, January 7). [YouTube.com]. Stormcloudsgathering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ERfxWouXs

AYME: Ethical Challenges of A.I. Part Two

Are You Morally Engaged?

Continuing our discussion on moral practices of Artificial Intelligence.

Organizations should be accountable for their products or effects on societies with or without AI. Likewise, organizations cannot ignore the advances of AI. AI can assist their operations and competitive edge. Bossmann (2016) discusses several factors to consider about implementing AI; the first is the availability of jobs and wealth distribution. Living in China is very different from living in the US; for example, in the US, people clean up after themselves in fast food-style restaurants, but in China, if you do that, it isn't very kind and takes someone's job away. The next issue could be humanity vs. dehumanization. The AI bots may seem rigid now, but some AI bots converse with humans more naturally. If the AI is programmed well, it can guard against bias, racism, and silly human error. Ironically, AI programming is by humans and still needs to be overseen (Bostrom & Yudkowsky, 2014). Then, they can add to or infringe on personal security, depending on how much you share.

Most importantly, we must consider what can benefit society can also bring harm under the wrong motives. It is important to remember that AI is a tool and not a master. As leaders, we must ensure that we take moral and ethical measures. We all use some form of AI, from Grammarly-type programs to essential smartphone functions. How can your organization implement AI technologies with moral and ethical practices?

References:

Bossmann, J. (2016, October 21). Top 9 ethical issues in artificial intelligence. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/top-10-ethical-issues-in-artificial-intelligence/

Bostrom, N., & Yudkowsky, E. (2011). The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Cambridge University Press. https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/artificial-intelligence.pdf

ARE YOU MORALLY ENGAGED?: ETHICAL CHALLENGES OF A.I.

Is A.I good or bad?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world we live in. Most people use AI daily through smartphones, search engines, and applications; it is usually not called AI but that is what it is that remembers your searches and predicts your next words. AI abilities are growing and making jobs more accessible and cost-efficient for business owners. However, the question arises about trust and oversight.

The creators of the algorithms that run the applications and software may not be as transparent as we thought. Bostrom and Yudkowsky (2014) consider a plausible future where AI algorithms reject a specific demographic. Could it be from learned behavior, or is it in the original programming? The ethical challenges continue with “Responsibility, transparency, auditability, incorruptibility, predictability, and a tendency to not make innocent victims scream with helpless frustration: all criteria that apply to humans performing social functions; all criteria that must be considered in an algorithm intended to replace human judgment of social functions; all criteria that may not appear in a journal of machine learning considering how an algorithm scales up to more computers” (Bostrom & Yudkowsky, 2011, p. 3). The AI algorithms are not just created to finish the task but compete with social development and human beings.

Ethically, the bottom line is not the only part the machines should meet. The designers and developers of Deep Blue, the chess-playing AI, had to limit the development and keep control or give up control so it could fully develop and compete in the game (Bostrom & Yudkowsky, 2014). The success of AI without oversight is an example of what it could be when creating AI with morals and ethics; otherwise, a person would always be able to manipulate and control the results, making it easy for moral disengagement and dehumanization. Messick says, “People are usually unaware of the factors that bias or skew our ethical judgments, and we suffer from what we might call the illusion of objectivity” (Rhode, 2006, p. 95).

Take some time to think about how AI can help organizations maintain their moral and ethical standards?

Further reading:

Bostrom, N., & Yudkowsky, E. (2014). The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Cambridge University Press. https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/artificial-intelligence.pdf

Rhode, D. L. (2006). The Theory and Practice of Power, Judgment, and Policy. Jossey-Bass.

ARE YOU MORALLY ENGAGED? PART TWO

Ethics of Leadership

The Lord has called us to be leaders of excellence and good stewards of what has been entrusted to us; therefore, in this season, we will continue to look at how ethics play into our leadership. I would like to examine a few theories. Saha (2014) explains that corporate governance is set up to help organizations operate ethically and serve their patrons, stakeholders, employees, and shareholders. The three theories, deontological, teleological, and utilitarian, each serve varying outcomes and rationales.

· The deontological theory supports the intentions of the person behind the act, and even though the outcome may be okay, not all acts are considered right.

· Utilitarian theory is more about numbers, doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

· Lastly, the teleological theory considers the results first to determine if the actions are good or bad. Each theory has a place and season of use, but it is easy to compromise if that is all assessed.

For example, in a disaster, there are different rules for medical workers. It is based on the utilitarian theory of doing the greatest good for the greatest number. However, in a normal workday, medical workers are taught to trust the process and follow protocols; if one breaks the set rules, the outcome is not the first thing everyone looks at, so that would be more like the deontological theory. The example I have witnessed for the teleological theory is less positive, as the leader was corrupt and manipulated others to get the results, and eventually, the scheme caught up to the organization in a disastrous downfall. When the organization focuses only on the outcomes, it opens the door to moral disengagement.

In what ways have you witnessed the ethical theories played out?

FURTHER READING

Saha, B. (2014). The Analytical Study of The Application Of The Ethical Theories In The Business Governance. Scholedge International Journal of Business Policy & Governance, 1(3), 28–31.