By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series I looked at the importance of Deep Thinking. In Part 2, we'll be considering the Context. No matter how much effort it takes to understand the context (whether we like it or not) we can't expect to make an ethical decision without it. Understanding the Context Without seeing the context - a broad and sweeping view of the issues we are discussing or trying to resolve - we are describing or trying to solve a SUBSET of the real issue. To use ethical thinking and decision-making, we must always remind ourselves that the SUBSET is not the whole.
Tag: “seeing ethical leadership” “ethical lenses” “managing complexity” “complexity and leadership” “what is ethics”
Ethical Thinking For Challenging Times
By Linda Fisher ThorntonAlbert Einstein said "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Yet many leaders try to unravel increasingly complex issues using the same thinking process they have always used.
Research: Moving Beyond Cause-and-Effect Thinking
By Linda Fisher Thornton The traditional view of research in the U.S. has been that something has to be proven to a statistically significant degree using established research procedures. It should be able to be replicated to confirm that the results are accurate and true. The problem is that established research procedures generally call for isolating one thing at a time to prove cause and effect, but we live in a world of complex, connected systems.
They’re Trying to Tell Us Something
By Linda Fisher ThorntonSince I started researching ethical leadership, I have begun to notice just how many different people are trying to steer us in the right direction. Their ethical messengers cross geographic and time boundaries and professions. The messages they leave are compelling. They are trying to tell us something important.The messages are packaged in a multitude of different ways including books, music, quotes and stories. People who have realized important insights about ethics are leaving a trail for others to follow. But to follow, we have to notice.
Leading in Context 