Overview and Review of Rushworth Kidder's Ethical decision making process checkpoints.

1. Ethical Checkpoints
by Rushworth M. Kidder

2. Rushworth M. Kidder
(May 8, 1944 – March 5, 2012)
Biography
 Rushworth Moulton Kidder was born in Amherst,
Massachusetts in 1944.
 Rushworth M. Kidder was the founder of the Institute for
Global Ethics.
 Kidder was a professor of English at Wichita State University
for ten years before he became an award-winning columnist
and editor at the Christian Science Monitor.
 Kidder earned a doctorate from Columbia University in
English and comparative literature.

3. Rushworth M. Kidder
(May 8, 1944 – March 5, 2012)
 Rushworth Kidder was the author of ten books on subjects
ranging from international ethics to the global future.
 Kidder was the author of Moral Courage: Ethics in Action and
How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the
Dilemmas of Ethical Living.
 In the book, Moral Courage, Kidder states that he believes
our decision making is driven by values, morals and integrity.
He places decision making into two categories: Moral
Temptations and Ethical Decisions.

4. The Ethical Decision Making Process
Kidder collects his ideas from the field of Moral Philosophy to
describe three contrasting ways of thinking about ethical decision
making.
 Ends Based: Also known as “utilitarianism”, this principle is best
known by deciding to do whatever provides the greatest good for
the greatest number.
 Rules Based: Sticking to the rules and your principles. Rules
exist for a purpose because they promote order and justice and
should be followed.
 Care Based: Putting love for others first. Following the Golden
Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

5. ♦ Once it is determined that the problem is not a
right vs. wrong, that indeed an ethical dilemma
exists.
♦ Then you must examine the situation and begin
to try and resolve the dilemma.
♦ Kidder laid out nine (9) checkpoints for ethical
decision making.
The Ethical Decision Making Process

6. 1. Recognize there is a ethical/moral issue
 Identify issues needing attention and decide if it’s an
ethical issue or just a social conflict or poor manners.
2. Determine the actor
 Whose dilemma is it? Who is responsible?
3. Gather the relevant facts
 Distinguish the facts from assumptions
4. Test for right vs. wrong issues
 Was it against the law? Does it go against your moral
principles?
The Ethical Decision Making Process

7. 5. Test for right vs. right paradigms
 The paradigms describe ethical problems and are presented
as an “either/or”, such as Truth vs. Loyalty, or Justice vs.
Mercy.
6. Apply the resolution principles:
 Ends-based, Rules-based, or Care-based?
7. Investigate the “trilemma” option
 Look for common ground or compromise
8. Make the decision
 It is important to come to a conclusion, decide, and act.
9. Revisit and reflect on the decision
The Ethical Decision Making Process

8. Pros and/or Advantages
 This decision making process allows an administrator to put
aside personal feelings and interests.
 This process forces an administrator to consider all the
angles of a decision and also the impact that the decision will
have on individuals, as well as groups, involved.
 The Ethical Decision Making Process carefully examines the
outcomes, benefits, and consequences of the decisions to be
made.
The Ethical Decision Making Process

9. Cons and/or Disadvantages
 With this decision making process it may be difficult for the
administrator to determine all of the possible outcomes
which may lead to unanticipated consequences.
 Another disadvantage would the administrator would not be
able to determine or predict consequences to the community
or to programs already in place.
 The facts are not always available, or there may not be
enough time to gather them and this would be a
disadvantage to the decision making process.
The Ethical Decision Making Process

10. Implications Towards Education Leadership
 Using the Ethical Decision Making Process in
educational leadership begins with one’s
individual morals, values, and ethics.
 An educational leader must consider the morals
or principles of what they believe to be right or
wrong.
 An educational leader must use these morals and
values to determine what will be best for the
greater good.
 Ethics incorporates ones morals and values to
present a set of principles that guide the actions
of individuals or groups. An educational leader
must follow these principles and rules in the
ethical decision making process.

11. Implications Towards Education Leadership
 An educational leader must use professional ethics
when making ethical decisions.
 Educational leaders must act with professional integrity
– following the professional code of conduct, when
faced with moral and ethical dilemmas in their school.
 In an education ethics decision making process this
means putting the needs of students and parents
before our own personal needs.
 The educational leader must put his/her love for others
first and “do unto others as you would have them do
unto you.”

12. Implications Towards Education Leadership
 The Ethical Decision Making Process focuses on the
importance of the educational leader maintaining the
respect and confidence of his/her staff, students,
parents, and of other members of the community.
 The educational leader must always strive to achieve
and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct and
this can be achieved by using Kidder’s Ethical Decision
Making Process.

13. Bibliography
DeVore, S., & Martin, B. N. (2008). Ethical Decision-Making: Practices of Female and Male
Superintendents. Advancing Women In Leadership, 281.
Frame, M. W., & Williams, C. B. (2005). A Model of Ethical Decision Making From a Multicultural
Perspective. Counseling & Values, 49(3), 165-179.
Johnson, C. E. (2012). Ethical decision making and behavior. Meeting the Ethical Challenges of
Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow (4th ed.). Retrieved from
http://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/39590_Chapter7.pdf
Kidder, R. M. (2005). Moral Courage, Digital Distrust: Ethics in a Troubled World. Business & Society
Review (00453609), 110(4), 485-505. doi:10.1111/j.0045-3609.2005.00026.x
Rebore, R. W. (2014). The Ethics of Educational Leadership (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill
Prentice Hall.
Roubanis, J. L., Garner, S. F., & Purcell, R. S. (2008). Professionalism: Ethical Decision Making as a
Foundation for Professional Practice. Journal Of Family & Consumer Sciences Education,
26(2), 44-59.
Saunders, S., & Butts, J. L. (2011). Teaching integrity. New Directions For Student Services, (135), 67-
77. doi:10.1002/ss.405