Editors' Introduction Ethics in Contemporary Human Resources Management

Abstract

Administrative Ethics: In Theory Ethical considerations are both at the core and on the surface of contemporary human resources management. Important decisions almost always require a human resources manager to contemplate his or her ethical orientation. Personnel decisions are undoubtedly affected by a public manager's ethical orientation. Distinctions between teleological and deontological ethics might be dismissed as useless academic differentiation. But, it matters a great deal whether a human resources manager bases actions on teleological reasoning, in which the ends justify the means, as opposed to deontological reasoning, in which decisions are based upon principle. The public setting of government seems to mandate the latter orientation. The Pendleton Act of 1883, the birth of the modern personnel system, was based upon the principles of merit, appointment, and promotion. As a result of implementation of the federal civil service system and similar state and local level systems, patronage personnel policies were slowly rooted out and this contributed to the decline of political machines. The social movements of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, challenged the traditional administrative values of efficiency and economy. The so-called New Public Administration argued for the recognition of a social conscience in public administration, and the institution of the principle of equity. Reforms in American public administration are replete with references to principles such as competence, efficiency, fairness, equality, equity, and democracy. Some principles of public administration are in conflict. For example, to make selection and hiring decisions based on merit principles could possibly interfere with the goals of equity and fairness. Ralph Clark Chandler explores such considerations in Deontological Dimensions of Administrative Ethics, Revisited. Chandler applies theoretical ethical orientations to actual examples of dilemmas faced by public administrators. In The Morally Mute Manager: Fact or Fiction?, Donald. C. Menzel suggests that New Public Management produces an environment that encourages public managers to be silent on matters of ethics. Menzel discusses the consequences of such circumstances, and their implications for administrators. Contemporary Ethical Issues in Human Resources Administration Political events and technological advancements have altered the context of personnel management. Watergate, the Iran-Contra scandal, the savings and loan scandal, the HUD scandal, the Ill-Winds procurement scandal, and additional political transgressions have contributed to a general decline in trust in government institutions. While these scandals were primarily the work of elected or politically appointed actors, administrative agencies have unfortunately been deeply affected. Bureaucrat bashing is now a standard part of political campaigns. Human resources administrators must now maneuver through an unfriendly political environment. In addition to the changing nature of American politics, technology has altered the tasks of the human resources manager. Advancements in telecommunications, computing technology, and management techniques have combined to make the job of the human resources manager both simpler and more complex. Besides technological changes and the implications of political events, the nature of personnel administration has been altered by legal and statutory measures instituted to ensure the rights and liberties of public employees. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the student movement of the 1970s, and the women's movement of the 1970s culminating in the Equal Rights Amendment, all contributed to the increasingly complex web of protective statutory law. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, the Vocational Rehabilitation act of 1972, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1974 are only a few examples of the congressional measures enacted to prohibit various types of discrimination in employment. …