Professional Engineering Practice Liaison Program, "Nine Basic Steps to Personal Ethical Decision Making"
Notable for requiring review of previous cases, for requiring the development of ethical awareness before trying to make decisions, and for trying to identify the choice that "does the most good for the right reasons"
SOURCE FOR THE PROCEDURE
Rogers, William J. "Nine Basic Steps to Personal Ethical Decision Making." 1997. http://www.engr.washington.edu/~uw-epp/Pepl/Ethics/ethics4.html (9 Jun. 1999).
These are the guidelines recommended by the Applied Ethics Case of the Month Club,
College of Engineering, University of Washington.
THE PROCEDURE ITSELF
- Practice ethical behavior actively.
- Initial a personal ethical awareness training program.
- Define your personal worldview.
- Review core ethical values (integrity, honesty, fidelity, charity, responsibility, self-discipline).
- Beware of "new ethics" programs.
- Define the ethical problem when it arises.
- Formulate alternatives.
- Evaluate the alternatives.
- Seek additional assistance, as appropriate.
- Review previous cases.
- Consult with peers.
- Rely on personal experience and prayer.
- Choose best ethical alternative.
- Which ones do the most good?
- Of these, which one does the most good for all the right reasons?
- Implement the best alternative.
- Monitor.
- Assess the outcome.
- Improve the next time.
WALT'S CHECKLIST
The same checklist was applied to all procedures.
- This method is most useful when the DECISION-MAKER ...
- cultivates personal virtues [step 1]
- has easy access to advisors, consultants or role-players [step 6b]
- has high initial sensitivity to relevant ethical "features" [step 3]
- has plenty of time for investigation and analysis [step 6]
- is skilled in case-based, precedent-based or example-based reasoning [step 6a]
- This method is most useful in a SITUATION ...
- that will change little over time
- This method is most useful when STAKEHOLDERS ...
