Espoused Ethics vs. Ethics-in-use

I thought the discussion on ethical decision-making behaviors was interesting. I was leading a small group last year when the topic of “pro-life” came up. The members all said they were clearly “pro-life,” which to them, meant preserving life from conception to natural death. According to the authors of our book, this pro-life stance was the groups “espoused ethics.” 

There was a shocked silence when one group member said that she would abort a baby that wasn’t completely healthy. This would be what the authors called “ethics-in-use.” A discussion ensued in which the other group members tried to diplomatically point out to the one member that to them “pro-life” meant all life, with no exceptions. The group members articulated the pro-life principle they shared that governed their lives, and then encouraged the individual member to, as the authors also wrote, “review (her) actions, decisions, and solutions to determine how well those behaviors align with the original or espoused set of ethical principles.” I could see each member also applying this to him or herself. I was frankly so relieved when that session was over!

Guidelines for providing observer feedback

The overriding guideline for providing observer feedback on the group process is to provide feedback that is helpful to the group. To do this, an observer must do the following:

1. Avoid generalizations by sharing specific feedback such as, “I could see that group members really respect each other because they regularly participate in active listening.” This tells the group what behavior they should continue.

2. Focus on the behaviors that can be changed. “It will help you understand each other if only one person speaks at a time.” This gives the group an action item that can be accomplished.

3. Provide observations, insights and opinions, but don’t argue or debate. “This is what I observed; you may or may not agree.” Getting into an argument is not conducive to changing behavior.

4. Don’t micromanage. “I saw three things that could be done to help you function better as a group. They are…” And let the group take care of the other things. No one likes to be micromanaged.

5. Keep your evaluator role in mind. “I am here to facilitate and help you develop better ways of doing things. This is what I noticed…” Whether you like something or not is not important as enhancing the group process.

6. Let the group know what they are doing right. “There are a couple of things that I will suggest you do differently; however, on the whole your group functions very well, especially when you....” People respond better to critique when it’s sugar coated with something positive.

7. Give specific suggestions for improvement. “I’m going to leave you with three suggestions that will help you be more effective as a group. They are…” Following a suggestion is a lot easier when the desired action is specifically stated.

8. Always present ideas clearly and concisely. “I suggest that a timekeeper is appointed for each meeting to make sure the times on your agenda are adhered to.” Same as above; it’s easy to follow a suggestion when it is clearly stated.

9. Criticize only in private and compliment in public. Pull aside the president to tell him or her, “It might be helpful for you and the group members if more attention is paid to keeping to the agenda. Compliment him or her in the meeting, “You, as president, accomplish so much at each meeting!” No one wants to be criticized in front of another person, but people tend to enjoy being complimented in front of others.

10. Don’t find fault or criticize; help the group develop and improve. “This is the way I, as an observer, sees this issue. How do you see it? What do you think the group might do to improve the issue?” You will likely be asked back as an evaluator if you develop a positive relationship when giving feedback.

Importance for a small group of a consultant or an observer

In my opinion, the main reason why a consultant or an observer might be used for a small group is that they are detached from the group and therefore more objective. Whether running the group or evaluating the group, an objective person can help improve results because he or she is free of any attachment to the group that might inhibit honest evaluation of the group.

Additionally, if a person is participating in the group itself, it’s hard to step back from the work to evaluate how the work is going. Then, according to the authors of our book, if a group member does evaluate, “we may give off nonverbal signals that lead other members to think we are not interested or are critical of the, the group, or the process,” thus negatively affecting the cohesiveness of the group.

An objective person also brings a new viewpoints and insights to the group, which can help the group look at itself with new eyes, leading to improvements in the group process.

Diversity & SJSU

The authors of our book write about diversity: “Beyond tolerance, it is the willingness to seek out, listen to, and appreciate difference that will be our greatest asset as we participate in diverse small groups.”

Finally, I have words that I can use to try to explain how I feel about San José State’s being recognized for its diversity. Yes, there is a lot of diversity here at SJSU, that’s true. However, I feel we are still on the surface level of tolerating diversity and, as a whole, have not gone below the surface to embrace it by seeking out, listening to, or appreciating our differences. If we were to do so, I believe diversity could become our greatest asset in the classroom and among faculty, staff and administrators, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near that point yet. I do have hope that someday we will be since we do have a Diversity Master Plan that states SJSU “…is fully committed to making diversity central to its institutional and educational mission and practices…(that) outlines ways in which the university can more fully embrace and celebrate its diversity.”

White Privelege

To me, “white men of privilege” means the sense of entitlement that empowers “white men” to use themselves as a yardstick against which everyone else is measured. They tend to accept as their due their higher cultural, social and economic positions such as the fact that they are paid at higher wages because that the way it’s always been; it’s the norm. Helping to enable this sense of white privilege is the fact that Hollywood has historically made white men the heroes in stories and chosen white women as its heroines. Sadly, as research shows, people worldwide have accepted Hollywood’s values and even tend to choose avatars that have the “white” Hollywood-determined qualities of handsomeness or beauty.

So I agree with the concept, but would prefer to talk about “white privilege” than “white men of privilege,” because I think it applies to women, too, although to a lesser extent. The sad thing is that most white people don’t recognize that they are privileged, they accept it as their due and don’t think about having the privilege at the expense of others. I remember being in a class in which this was brought up and discussed. Two white men never budged one inch from their belief that there was no such thing as white privilege and they claimed to have earned every privilege they had. Sadly to me, they never understood the concept, much less applied it to themselves.

Valuing Diversity in Small Groups

Valuing diversity often does not come easily. Our values and how we define and understand the world are formed from very early in childhood. We are most comfortable with people who are similar to us because we feel we can best predict their behavior and know how to respond to them. In addition, whether a person admits it or not, he or she tends to use his or her own looks, manner of speaking and behavior as a yardstick against which to measure and value other people. So people who are different than oneself are looked upon as the “other” people. From early childhood we start to categorize these “other people” and develop assumptions, stereotypes and prejudices about them so that, in our own minds, we are more comfortable dealing with “them.” All of this leads to difficulty valuing diversity. It’s so much easier to value ourselves and people like us rather than “others,” who are different.

One of my suggestions for enhancing a group’s ability to value diversity would be to have a potluck for which everyone brings a dish from their culture. People who eat together tend to be more relaxed with each other, and conversations about food are easy ones that lead to questions about the different food, which in turn may very well lead to additional conversation about other cultural topics and people will discover differences as well as similarities.

An additional suggestion for enhancing a group’s ability to value diversity is to take some time to share stories about family traditions with each other. This often leads to questions that delve into each other’s cultures.