Worksheet for Testing Your Decision

INSTRUCTIONS

When deciding what course of action to take to resolve an ethical dilemma, test the soundness of
the decision you are considering along several dimensions. Use this worksheet to test a decision
related to an ethical dilemma you’re facing.

Part 1: Identify the Dilemma and Proposed Course of Action

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.”

2. What course of action are you leaning toward taking? Example: “I’m now leaning toward not telling him
about the layoff, because I’ve learned that he’s not intent on becoming a homeowner right away and that
he has additional sources of income.”

Page 1 of 4
d
© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School
 Part 2: Test Long-Term Validity

3. List ways in which the dilemma’s circumstances could change. Example: “My employee could suddenly
become serious about taking on a mortgage or lose his extra sources of income.”

4. Determine whether the course of action you’re considering now would seem unethical if any of the
circumstances you identified above came to pass. Example: “If my employee became serious about
buying a home, not telling him about the impending layoff would seem unethical to me.”

Part 3: Test Your “Qualm Meter”

5. List the individuals you respect most. Example: “These individuals include my spouse, my parents, my
manager and peers, my best friend, and members of our surrounding community.”

Page 2 of 4
d
© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School
6. Could you disclose your decision to the individuals you listed above without any qualms? Example: “For
most of these individuals, I could disclose my decision without qualms. For the few who have lost their
jobs in the past, I’d feel a bit uncomfortable about disclosing my decision.”

Part 4: Test Perceptions of Your Intent

7. Describe any ways in which your intent could be misperceived. Example: “Some people might view my
decision not to warn my employee about the impending layoff as motivated by a desire to protect my
company more than my employee.”

Part 5: Test Your Openness to Exceptions

8. List any conditions under which you’d be willing to make an exception to corporate values and to
“change the rules” about how to resolve this type of ethical dilemma. Example: “I can’t think of any
conditions that would cause me to develop new rules about how to handle this type of situation.”

Page 3 of 4
d
© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School
Part 6: Affirm or Revisit Your Decision

9. Drawing on your responses to the above questions, document your thoughts about the ethical
soundness of the course of action you’re considering. Example: “Overall, I think my decision is ethically
sound.”

Page 4 of 4
d
© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School