Worksheet for Gathering and Analyzing the Facts

INSTRUCTIONS

When deciding what course of action to take to resolve an ethical dilemma, start by examining the
facts and defining the problem accurately. Use this worksheet to gather and analyze facts related to
an ethical dilemma you’re facing.

Part 1: Identifying the Dilemma

1. What is the ethical dilemma you are facing? Example: “I’ve just learned that I’ll need to lay off several of
my employees in a couple of months. My manager has asked me to keep the news confidential. One of
the affected employees is considering buying a home and has asked for my advice on purchasing real
estate. I don’t know whether to tell him about the impending layoff.”

Part 2: Define the Problem Accurately

2. List all relevant facts. Use neutral rather than emotionally loaded language. Example: “My employee is
considering buying a home,” not “Is he crazy, taking out a mortgage when the company’s not doing
well?”

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3. List types of facts that you can’t be certain of at this time. Example: “I don’t know yet when the layoff will
happen, how firm my employee’s real estate plans are, or whether the employee has financial resources
in addition to his pay.”

Part 3: Consider the Problem from Others’ Perspective

4. List the people potentially affected by the dilemma. Example: “The employee himself. The rest of my
team. My company. Shareholders. Customers.”

5. State the facts regarding your dilemma from the viewpoint of the various stakeholders you’ve identified.
Example: “Employees considering making a major financial commitment want to know that they have a
stable income.”

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© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School
Part 4: Trace the Problem’s Origin and History

6. Describe how this dilemma came about. Example: “Information about the company’s performance wasn’t
shared with employees, so employees have not been expecting layoffs.”

7. Describe courses of action that have been taken in the past to address this kind of situation. Example:
"This is the first time the company has planned a layoff, so we don’t have any precedent to draw on.”

Part 5: Identify Conflicting Loyalties

8. List all the people and organizations you feel loyalty toward in this dilemma. Example: “Each of my
employees. My team overall. The company itself. My own values.”

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© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School
9. Describe all the ways in which these loyalties clash as you seek to resolve this dilemma. Example: “My
loyalty toward my employee causes me to feel that it would be right to tell him about the impending
layoff. But my loyalty toward my entire team causes me to worry that doing so would result in
widespread stress as people learn about the layoff before the company is ready to announce it.”

Part 6: Identify Potential Courses of Action

10. Drawing on the facts you’ve gathered, list possible ways you could resolve the dilemma. Example: (1)
Say nothing about the layoff to the employee. (2) Tell him about the layoff, then let him make his own
decision. (3) Tell him, but insist that he not share the information with anyone else. (4) Find another way
to discourage him from taking out a mortgage; for instance, by pointing out the advantages of renting. (5)
Hint at the company’s financial challenges, and let him draw his own conclusions.

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© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School