2014_1112_Ethics Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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true more of politicians than of regular people, because politicians succeed on the basis of their interpersonal skills, not on the basis of their intrapersonal skills. That is, they tend to lack a strong awareness of their own emotional states and inotivations. Below is a list of the blind spots that affect the responsible handlinb of conflict situations. It is important to try to get officials to recognize that they have blind spots so that these personal limitations do not act as obstacles to their acting responsibl�- or to their trying to prevent their colleagues from acting irresponsibly. Aclrnowledging that one has blind spots is an important step toward seekinb ethics advice. Teaching about blind spots should be an important part of bovernment ethics training. The Bias Blind S�ot - We believe that others act for selfish reasons, but that we do not. This blind spot exists because we can look into our minds (or think we can), but not into others' . And we have trouble putting ourselves in others' shoes. This difference in perception forms a major obstacle to seeldng ethics advice, accepting ethics enforcement, and supporting the creation of an effective government ethics program. Sense of Entitlement - Failure to responsiUly handle a conflict situation often comes not out of selfishness, but rather out of mistaken beliefs. These mistaken beliefs are less about content (is this right or wrong?) than they are about scope (does this maral obligation apply to me, to us, to them?). High-level officials do things thev would not approve of others doing, because they believe they are different in many ways. They also tend to justify their actions in the name of a policy goal or a group of people, that is, their circle of officials and party members, their supporters, or the community as a whole (e.g., it's not that the contract helps myr brother, it's that it helps the town). Bounded Awareness - We tend not to see what we need to see in order to make ethical decisions. We exclude important information by placing boundaries around our definition of a problem. We narrow our concept of responsibility (e.g., to our boss rather than to the public). We give in to groupthink, focus on instructions that are given to us, and reject as partisan or self-interested the input we get from those who differ with us. We focus on meeting a deadline. We limit ourselves to our functional boundaries, such as engineering, law, or finance. We focus on the law rather than the ethics. We act (or, more often, fail to act) out of fear of rejection, of being seen as good��-goody, or of the consequences of whistleblowing. 13