ethics and technology in the university. Leading into the right

What are the ethical problems in university technologies? Nothing. It is not the technology that has ethics, but the people around these electronic gadgets. People make the decisions to know if copying a compact disk or downloading a copyrighted piece of music is a good or bad choice. This is an ethical dilemma that needs an ethical, technologically savvy leader to show the correct path.

When assessing an ethical dilemma, one needs to consider both the emotional and intellectual aspects of a situation. Moral values, which are based on emotion, need to be part of a solid, ethical leader.

In both my personal and professional lives I find that I mix both my emotions and my mind in developing a final thought. I have found that over the years I have developed a balance between gut instinct and common sense.

There is truth in the saying “it feels right”. This is a nod to the empathic aspect of an ethical decision. On several occasions in my life, I have been offered what seemed a fabulous employment position. One position had a fantastic salary, good working locations, and fabulous benefits. The problem was: it didn’t feel right. The person offering me the position, for lack of a better descriptor, didn’t have the right attitude.

This instinctive sense that something was askew led me to spend more time looking into the company. It turned out that the company was overextended and had a poor reputation in the industry. Six months after refusing them, the company went bankrupt.

Leadership is based on both empathic and learned skills. Without the ability to emotionally connect to an environment, a leader’s growth is stunted, perhaps without them realizing the situation. Nurturing empathetic tendencies is hard in this technological world. I find that I have a better grasp on a situation when dealing with them face-to-face. This allows for an overall judgment by examining body motion as well as verbal or written cues. A good mixture of heart needs to be stirred into this modern age of sterile communications. With out it, the human aspect of ethical codes can be lost.