The Role of HR Leader/Manager in the Problem of Ethics

Globalization, technological innovation, and the quickening pace of business change resulted to several ethical problems in the corporate world. According to Vickers (2005), ethics is a moving target. Social values change over time as influenced by a composite web of factors. One of the most common ethical problems in business is conflict of interest. Thus, what is the role of the HR manager in resolving such nuisances?

The HR leader/manager is the key person that upholds the welfare, matters of concerns, as well as conditions of the entire workforce. With this given intricate set of tasks, the need to identify its overall role is imperative as it determines the scope of its managerial functions and power. Business and HR leaders can model behaviors and create corporate practices that reduce unethical business practices even while making their firms more competitive in the marketplace (Vickers 2005). The role of the HR leader/manager is to identify, plan, organize, direct, coordinate, and control the emerging circumstances of the problem.

To address ethics problems, managers first have to recognize that conflicts of interest exist. After identifying the presence of the problem, planning follows. The presence of strategic planning in management minimizes the potential pitfalls of the said process such as uncertainty (Matthews & Scott 1995, p. 34; Roney 2004, p. 8). In ethics, planning will provide the necessary measures and precautions needed in the whole process. Organizing is next in line. It is crucial in developing inputs to eventually determine the causations and effects of the problem (Morgenstern 1998, p. 25). Then, the manager is encouraged to adapt participative approaches to directing/leading in order to elicit useful characteristics and elements that are useful in the case solving. The integrating and establishing of linkages to diverse sections of the organization is the next step. Communication between and among the members of the organization is prioritized and the intervening factors such as personal indifferences, cultural pluralism, and behavioral diversity among members of the group (Trebing 1996, p. 561) is discussed. And finally, HR leaders/managers administer by controlling and limiting the efforts of those below them (Witzel 2003, p. 18).

Primarily, the above is the most fundamental role of HR leaders/mangers in dealing with the intricacies of ethics. Again, the immediate acknowledgement of the ethical problems in the business is the most instant and could be the best solution in managing ethical dilemmas. HR leaders/managers are expected to deal with these inevitable situations in the competitive workplace and come out victorious in the end.

Reference

Matthews, CH & Scott, SG 1995, “Uncertainty and Planning in Small and Entrepreneurial Firms: An Empirical Assessment,” Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 34+.

Morgenstern, J 1998, Organizing from the Inside Out, Owl Books, New York.

Roney, CW 2004, Strategic Management Methodology: Generally Accepted

Principles for Practitioners, Praeger, Westport, CT.

Trebing, HM 1996, “Achieving Coordination in Public Utility Industries: A

Critique of Troublesome Options,” Journal of Economic Issues, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 561+.

Vickers, MR 2005, “Business Ethics and the HR Role: Past, Present, and

Future,” Human Resource Planning, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 26+.

Witzel, M 2003, Fifty Key Figures in Management, Routledge, New York.

Note: The highlighted entry is the critiqued article.