Introduction
Reflectively, ethics are influenced by internal and external factors which when improperly aligned, resulting in an ethical dilemma. The main contributory factors to ethical dilemmas in decision environments include personal feelings and thoughts that are improper, especially on self-concept, motivation, attitudes, emotions, and perceptions. Ethical dilemmas may also arise from making decisions or taking actions that are against the expectations of the norms of an institution or expectations. This reflective treatise attempts to present reasons for my proposed actions to deal with the Ferguson Missouri incident as the interim Chief of Police in the region. The incident involved the shooting of an African American by a police officer.
The Ferguson Missouri Incident: Ethical Dilemma Perspective
A police officer shot a black youth in Ferguson Missouri and the police in charge did not include the stakeholders such as the local community, religious groups, and the politicians in releasing information or investigations into the matter. Besides, the police department did not organize itself well to counter the protests or manage the situation with a lot of restraint. For instance, the police placed barricades and minimized the activities of the protestors, which is against their basic human rights enshrined in the constitution. In addition, the police department resorted to delay tactics and irregular release of information to the public. This incident occurred early in the year when I was in my early adulthood (USA Today, par. 5).
Alternative Approach: Personal Decision Making
The process of decision-making is dependent on heuristic since it provides assumptions, integration of options, and ethical control. The decision environment often experiences dynamics and swings which create a short and long-term effect on chances of survival for two alternatives to solve a problem. When faced with the Missouri incident decision dilemma that required critical assessment, I resorted to analytical tools that ensured competitive positioning advantage in the police activity acceptance among the local community. I assigned each option a quadrant with predetermined response strategies and ‘follow-ups’ upon implementation (Gottschalk 21).
An ethical decision can be defined as a decision with a moral and legal appeal to the wider community. The aspect of commitment is a crucial element in examining the ethicality of a decision. In precision, for these decisions to hold and be positively assimilated into the market environment, a series of tests are carried out by gathering facts and incorporating them in defined issues surrounding ethics to test the consciousness in the application.
The aspect of competency is critical in separating the premises from assumptions in making ethical decisions. As the interim Chief of Police in the Ferguson Missouri region, I opted to counter the decision of the previous police head by rolling out a comprehensive police-public information release program. Besides, I included the stakeholders such as religious groups, politicians, and local community organizations in the investigations. Lastly, I provided enough security to the protesters and the local business holdings. In the provision of security, I ensured that the majority of the police protecting the protest were blacks as a restrain strategy. These suggestions are ethical since they consider the moral value of inclusive decision-making (Gottschalk 27).
The dual pillar approach to ethical leadership comprises a combination of moral being and moral management skills. The combination of the two aspects is critical in building an ethical leadership reputation since leadership responsibility functions on moral codes that promote proactive leadership. Besides, it is the responsibility of the team leader to give the direction that is consistent with the expectations of stakeholders. In the case of the shooting incident, the decision to include the stakeholders in the investigation process was informed by the need to create an environment of community participation in the justice system. Besides, getting the support of the stakeholders would guarantee community satisfaction with the investigation results (Gottschalk 42).
Personal reflection
If I was to make a decision again over the Ferguson Missouri incident, I would not change the resolution I made. The decision addressed the previous ethical concerns raised in the strategies police adopted to deal with the public fallout after the shooting incident. My decision embraced the element of integrity and inclusiveness. The aspect of integrity is critical in separating the premises from assumptions in making ethical decisions.
Ethical leadership comprises a combination of moral being and moral management skills through practicing integrity. The combination of the two aspects is critical in building an ethical leadership reputation since executive responsibility functions on moral codes that promote proactive leadership. Exercising integrity in the police decision environment is characterized by accuracy in reporting information and inclusion of all the stakeholders.
Conclusion
Exercising integrity is possible through setting good examples by conforming to the shared values of a team as indicated in my decisions. Indeed, my decisions visualized the future through the achievement of pleasant and excellent possibilities. This was within reach through interaction with various stakeholder matrices to achieve common objectives. In my opinion, the decision I made over the Ferguson Missouri incident was the best for my life today since it has moral and legal appeal to the wider community.
Works Cited
Gottschalk, Peter. Police management professional integrity in policing. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2010. Print.
USA Today. Timeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo. 2014. Web.