ENGINEERING ETHICS

4 Precisely how far the public policy exception extends is still being formulated by the courts, but it
includes such things as a
1. Refusal to break the law
2. Performing an important public obligation
3. Exercising a clear legal right
4. And protecting the public from a clear threat to health and safety.
6 There is a natural conflict between management and professionals because of their differences in
1. Educational Background
2. Socialization
3. Values
4. Vocational Interests
5. Work Habits
6. Outlook
2 Engineers must first have some understanding of the organization in which they are employed. This
knowledge helps engineers to understand
1. How they and their managers tend to frame issues under the influence of the organization and
2. How one can act in the organization effectively, safely, and in a morally responsible way.
3 Three Types of Organizational Culture
1. Engineer-Oriented Companies
2. Customer-Oriented Companies
3. Finance-Oriented Companies

8 Some additional suggestions that should make acting ethically easier and less harmful to the
employee.
1. Engineers and other employees should be encouraged to report bad news.
2. Companies and their employees should adopt a position of critical loyalty rather than uncritical
or blind loyalty.
3. When making criticisms and suggestions, employees should focus on issues rather than
personalities
4. Written records should be kept of suggestions and especially of complaints.
5. Complaints should be kept as confidential as possible for the protection of both the individuals
involved and the firm.
6. Provisions should be made for neutral participants from outside the organization when the
dispute requires it.
7. Explicit provision for protection from retaliation should be made, with mechanisms for complaint
if an employee believes he or she has experienced retaliation.
8. The process for handling organizational disobedience should proceed as quickly as possible.

3 Three distinct areas in which responsible engineers might be involved in organizational disobedience:
1. Disobedience by contrary action, which is engaging in activities contrary to the interests of the
company, as perceived by management.
2. Disobedience by nonparticipation, which is refusing to carry out an assignment because of moral
or professional objections.

3. Disobedience by protest, which is actively and openly protesting a policy or action of an

organization.
2 This suggests two characteristics of whistleblowing:
1. One reveals information that the organization does not want revealed to the public or some
authority, and
2. One does this out of approved channels.

3 Whistleblowing is morally permissible if

1. The harm that will be done by the product to the public is serious and considerable
2. The employees report their concern to their superiors, and;
3. Getting no satisfaction from their immediate superiors, they exhaust the channels available
within the organization.

6 You are morally required to reveal what you know to the public (or to a suitable agent or representative
of it) when
(C1) what you will reveal derives from your work for an organization;
(C2) you are a voluntary member of that organization;
(C3) you believe that the organization, though legitimate, is engaged in a serious moral wrong;
(C4) you believe that your work for that organization will contribute (more or less directly) to the
wrong if (but not only if) you do not publicly reveal what you know;
(C5) you are justified in beliefs C3 and C4; and
(C6) beliefs C3 and C4 are true

1. There is a natural conflict between management and professionals because of their differences
in educational background, socialization, values, vocational interests, work habits, and
outlook
2. Engineers they are also obligated to hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public
3. The qualities of the organization we have in mind here often fall into the category of
organizational culture.
4. Some writers use the term organizational scripts or schemas to refer to the way an
organization conditions its members to view the world in a certain way, seeing some things and
not seeing others
5. Decision making is similar to that of engineer oriented firms, but with four significant differences.

6. Many large corporations have ombudsmen and ethics officers, who can promote ethical
behavior as well as serve as a conduit for complaints.
7. Uncritical loyalty to the employer is placing the interests of the employer, as the employer
defines those interests, above every other consideration. By contrast, critical loyalty is giving

due regard to the interests of the employer but only insofar as this is possible within the
constraints of the employees personal and professional ethics.
8. The primary function of engineers within an organization is to use their technical knowledge
and training to create structures, products, and processes that are of value to the organization
and its customers
9. A decision that should be made by engineers or from an engineering perspective, and what we
call a proper management decision
10. whistleblower as one who reveals wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those
in positions of authority.
11. Internal whistleblowing, the alarm about wrongdoing stays within the organization, although
the whistleblower may bypass his immediate superiors, especially if they are involved in the
wrongdoing. In external whistleblowing, the whistleblower goes outside the organization,
alerting a regulatory organization or the press.

ENGINEERING ETHICS

6 There is a natural conflict between management and professionals because of their

differences in

3 Three distinct areas in which responsible engineers might be involved in organizational

disobedience:

2 Engineers must first have some understanding of the organization in which they are
employed. This knowledge helps engineers to understand

6 You are morally required to reveal what you know to the public (or to a suitable agent or
representative of it) when

2 This suggests two characteristics of whistleblowing:

8 Some additional suggestions that should make acting ethically easier and less harmful to the
employee.

3 Three Types of Organizational Culture

3 Whistleblowing is morally permissible if

4 Precisely how far the public policy exception extends is still being formulated by the courts,
but it includes such things as a

1. Engineers they are also obligated to hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public
2. The qualities of the organization we have in mind here often fall into the category of
organizational culture.
3. There is a natural conflict between management and professionals because of their differences
in educational background, socialization, values, vocational interests, work habits, and
outlook
4. Some writers use the term organizational scripts or schemas to refer to the way an
organization conditions its members to view the world in a certain way, seeing some things and
not seeing others
5. Decision making is similar to that of engineer oriented firms, but with four significant differences.
6. Many large corporations have ombudsmen and ethics officers, who can promote ethical
behavior as well as serve as a conduit for complaints.
7. Uncritical loyalty to the employer is placing the interests of the employer, as the employer
defines those interests, above every other consideration. By contrast, critical loyalty is giving
due regard to the interests of the employer but only insofar as this is possible within the
constraints of the employees personal and professional ethics.
8. The primary function of engineers within an organization is to use their technical knowledge
and training to create structures, products, and processes that are of value to the organization
and its customers
9. whistleblower as one who reveals wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those
in positions of authority.
10. A decision that should be made by engineers or from an engineering perspective, and what we
call a proper management decision
11. Internal whistleblowing, the alarm about wrongdoing stays within the organization, although
the whistleblower may bypass his immediate superiors, especially if they are involved in the
wrongdoing. In external whistleblowing, the whistleblower goes outside the organization,
alerting a regulatory organization or the press.