1. The Three Level of Moral Dilemmas
I. Introduction
This Lesson reinforces your understanding of moral dilemmas. After
understanding the meaning of moral dilemmas, let us now illustrate the
three levels of moral dilemma. In this Lesson, we are expected to give
examples of the three levels of moral dilemmas.
II. Discussion
Moral dilemmas come in three levels – individual,organizational and
structure.
Definition
A. Individual
This refers to personal dilemmas. It is an individual’s damn-if-you-do-and-
damn-if-you-don’t situation.
B. Organizational
An organizational dilemma is a puzzle possed by the dual necessities of a
social organization and member’s self-interest. It may exist between personal
interests and organizational welfare or between group interests and
organizational well-being. Organizational dilemmas may likewise occur in
business, medical, and public sector.
C. Structural
A structural dilemma is a conflict of perspective of sectors, groups and
institutions that may be affected by the decisions. Below are more examples
of structural dilemma.
Differentation Versus Integration in Structural Dilemma
2. Different divisions have their own different culture and so coordination
between divisons or bringing them together for becomes more difficult. With
decentralization, local governments have become more empowered to
address their problems or are given opportunity in localize the given
curriculum.
In effect, local governments and schools have likewise bcome more
differentiated and so it becomes more difficult to integrate them for a unified
structure. Local governance and schools curricula have become more
complex. There is need for more costly coordination strategies.
Any attempt to introduce reform in society or government creates structural
dilemma. For instance, promoting or introducing universal health care, which
is tantamount to socialized health care, gives rise to a structural dilemma,
that is, a conflict of perspective of sectors, groups and institutions that may
be affected by the decision. Why would those who contribute less to the
social fund enjoy the same benefits as those who contributed big amounts
premium? In a study on the prices of medicines in the Phlippines, it was
established that “patients are buying medicines from the private sector at
many times their international prices”. If the government intervenes by
introducing price control, the drug strores may lose so much that they may
close shop. If the government does not do anything at all, the patients will
continue to suffer beacause they may not be able to afford the high prices
of medicines.
Gap Versus Overlap
There may be gaps and overlaps in roles and responsibilities. If key
responsibilities are not clearly assigned, there may be gaps or overlaps, in
important tasks. If there are gaps, organizations end up with no one doing the
responsibility. If there are overlaps, things become unclear and may lead to
more confusion and even conflict and worse wasted effort and perhaps
even resources because of the unintended overlap.
3. To illustrate further the consequence of gap and overlap, here is a story to
show that happens when there is a gap or overlap. A boy wnates his pants
shorter. So he went to his mother to ask hims to shorten it. His mother was busy
computing grades and told her son to ask his sister to do it. His sister was busy
reviewing for the final exams and asked her brother to ask their elder brother
to do it. But his older brother was also busy with his school project and so
could not also attend to it. The boy highly frustrated went to sleep. His pants
were beside him. After finishing her grades, Mother peeped into her son’s
room, saw the pants and remembered her son’s request. So she took a pair
of scissors and shortened them. Before she ewnt to bed, the sister also
remembered her brothe’s request. Full of remorse she went to her younger
brother’s room, saw the pants, got a pair of scissors and shortened them, too.
The older brother finally completed his school project and suddenly
remembered his brother’s asking for a help to shorten the pants. So he went
his younger brother’s room,got a pair of scissors and cut them, too. When the
younger brother woke up, he was surprised to see a pair of extremely short
shorts. The pants which he wanted to make just a little bit short to him!
That his what happens when there are gaps or overlaps in an organization.
The gaps leave an important thing in an organization undone. The overlap
results in unnecessary and counterproductive, redundant procedures which
ultimately lead to waste of resources.
Lack of Clarity Versus Lack of Creativity
If employees are unclear about what they are supposed to do, they often
tailor their roles around personal preferences instead of system wide goals,
frequently leading to trouble. Most McDonald’s customers are not seeking
novelty and surprise in their burgers and fries. But when responsibilities are
over defined, people conform to prescribed roles and protocols in
“bureaucratic” ways. They rigidly follow job descriptions regardless of how
much the service or product suffers and so end up uncreative.
4. Here is an example: “You lost my bag!” an angry passenger shouted,
confronting an airline manager. The manager’s response was to inquire,
“How was the flight?” “I asked about my bag,” the passenger said . “That’s
not my job,” the manager replied. “See someone in baggage claim.” The
passenger did not leave as a happy airline customer. The job of the manager
was overdefined and made the manager uncreative and inefficient. Her job
in relation to the airline system wide goals was neither clear and so ended up
giving the wrong answer that turned off the airline passenger.
Flexibility Versus Strict Adherence to Rules
You accommodate by bending rules to help someone or you stick strictly to
rules no matter what and so unable to help someone who is thrown into a
helpless situation. Or you may become being too accommodating that all
rules are no more. Your jobs are defined so clearly that you will stick to them
even if circumstances are such that by sticking to your job description the
service or product that your organizations providers suffers.
Excessive Autonomy Versus Excessive Interdependence
This refers to being too isolated versus to much coordination. Structural
dilemma is the dilemma arising from conflicting concerns among various
sectors of society, In the first instance of differentiation versus integration, the
dilemma is how to enforce a decision,policy, or rule intended for everybody
among many different or unique groups or indivduals. In the second, the
dilemma arises because of either gaps or overlaps in the procedure of
implementation of certain projects or policies among involved agencies like
the FBI and CIA in the U.S.A or like the NBI and INP in the Philippines. GAPS
creates serious consequences. Read about the unforgettable Mamasapano
massacre in Mindanao, Philippines.
Centralized Versus Decentralized Decision Making
In decentralized decision making, organizations can respons to change more
rapidly and effectively because the decision makers are the people closest
5. the situation. However, top managers may lose some control. This is the
dilemma of tight overcentralization or diffusing authority whuch is loose.
Structural Dilemma in a World Organization Like the UN
Succinctly put, a structural dilemma in a world organization like UN is the
problem of the balance between world order and national sovereignty re-
stated as the balance between the measures of international authotity
essential to the establishment of an organized common peace and the
continued freedom of action of the separate members of the world
community or thr balance between interdependence and independence.
Resolving Moral Dilemmas
This following offer some techniques in resolving moral dilemma: One way is
to think of available alternative options revealing that the dilemma does not
really exist. This happens where there are available alternative options. For
instance one is experiencing a dilemma between stealing or not stealing
otherwise his family will either die of hunger or survive. The creative moral
agent will try to think of other alternatives, like “alternative means of income
or support as social safety net, charity, etc.” Another way is “choosing the
greater good and lesser evil or …,”or one may apply the situation ethics
approach, following the rule, one must, do only what he can where he is. Do
not resort extraordinary or supernatural means.
Joseph Fletcher offers some principles in resolving moral dilemma . He uses
Kant’s “ought implies I can” rule. If I ought to do something, then I can do it.
By contraposition, if I cannot do something, then I cannot be obliged to do it.
Or by implication, either I cannot be obliged to do something or I can do it. In
other words, one is only obliged to do something if and only if he can do it. So
Fletcher says, “do what you can where you are.” Or quoting St. Agustine’s,
“Diligie, et quod vis fac” (love and do what you wil). The extent of one’s
obligation and responsibility is the extent of one’s ability and the measure of
the “extent” is one’s capacity for love.
6. Here is a situation: You are a father of seven children. On your support, seven
children plus your wife depend. You work in the mines and receive only a
minimum wage. After working like a “carabao” in the mines, you need to
ease your pains with a bottle of gin before you lie down to rest and sleep.
You also need to eat food sufficient enough to replace your wasted energy.
Hence, you spend for wine, food and cigarette. Minus these expenses, the
balance of your wage is just enough for the food of your children. Nothing is
left for their education, and other expenses. Question: Should you be faulted
for not being able to sacrifice enough by giving up your needs, so that your
dependents can have something left for their education? You love your
family, but you have a need you cannot give up.
Enumeration
Three Levels of Moral Dilemmas – individual, organizational and
structural.
Individual dilemmas concern dilemmas that individual person face.
Organizational refer to dilemmas between organizational benefits
versus individual member’s welfare.
Structural dilemmas concern dilemmas faced by groups or individuals
as a result of structural relationships.
A world organization like the United Nations is usually faced with this
dilemma: sovereignty of nations versus world order.
In confronted with a moral dilemma, choose the greater good and
lesser evil or…,” do only what you can where you are (Fletcher) or
“love and do what you will” (St. Agustine) The extent of one’s
obligation and responsibility is the extent of one’s ability and the
measure of the “extent” is one’s capacity for love.
Examples
A. Individual Dilemma
7. Heinz’s wife was dying from particular type of of cancer. Doctors said a new
drug might save her. The drug had been discovered by a local chemist, and
Heinz tried desperately to buy some, but the chemist was charging tem times
the money it cost to make the drug, and this was much more than Heinz
could afford. Heinz could only raise half the money, even after help from
family and friends. He explained to the chemist that his wife was dying and
asked if he could have the drug cheaper or pay the rest of the money later.
The chemist refused, saying that he had discovered the drug and was going
to make money from it. The husband was desperate to save his wife, so later
that night he broke into the chemist’s laboratory and stole the drug.
The case of Heinz as given is one of the best known individual
dilemma’s of Kohlberg’s (1958). Kohlberg’s dilemma questions were as
follows: “Should Heinz have stolen the drug”. If he did not steal the drug
that would mean his wife’s death. He was torn between stealing the
drug and saving his wife. The dilemma is faced by an individual who is
torn betweem 2 obligations – to save the wife or obey the law. So this is
an example of an individual dilemma.
B. Organizational Dilemma
The mission of Catholic School is to serve the poor by giving quality
education. It is torn between the obligation to charge the low tuition to help
the poor and to pay better salaries to keep quality teachers.
The example of the Catholic School shows the dilemma between the
goal of the school to give quality education for the poor and so must
charge the lowest tuition fee possible and yet to keep quality the
school must raise their salary and consequently, must rsise tuition.
C. Structural Dilemma
A principal ought to welcome and encourage parents and community
participation in school affairs. Based on her experience, parents and
8. community are passive and so the principal always ends up deciding and
doing things just the same. She is obliged to observe paents’s and community
participation which do not give any input at all at the same time she is
obliged to accomplish things on time
The case of the principal whether to be participatory or non-
participatory in school affairs but due to her not so favourable
experience of attempting to be participatory ended up to one-woman
rule is an example of structural dilemma.
Learnings/Insights
o Dilemmas are not about making one-off decisions. Therefore it is
important to consider situations, any decions made and subsequent
changes over a period of time. The dilemma and attempts to resolve it
may have an impact on the family dynamics and on social individual
relationships. Similarly, the resolution of the dilemma may have
contributed towards a different situation which will gradually unfold
and may lead to other issues which will affect people’s lives. It may be
helpfulto reflect on these issues and their implications and especially
with hindsight to learn from experience, bearing in mind that you did
your best.
III. Activity
Based on what we discussed, choose one among the three levels of moral
dilemmas and provide one situation. Then explain why you choose that
dilemma.
