Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in the Tech Industry (Coursera)

The goal of this course is to understand how things can go wrong and how those ethical mistakes affect one’s team, the company, and the society at large. These possible errors are not easily seen and sometimes, for leaders and managers, appear without warning. Stopping them is, many times, a function of ethical awareness and the courage to act.

This course is part of the Ethical Decision-Making in the Tech Industry Specialization.

What you'll learn

- Understand “the gray” where ethical managers often find themselves.

- Understand rational thinking as it relates to ethical decision making.

- Understand the danger of gradual descent on the slippery slope.

Syllabus

Managing Where “Right” and “Wrong” Become Blurred

Module 1

This module addresses the difficulties that technical leaders may have with ethical situations – the areas of work where the ethical path is not clearly defined, what may be termed “The Gray”. When operating in such conditions, it is easy to rationalize any path – this too is considered and discussed. Lastly, we discuss how one may find the correct ethical path even in the midst of “The Gray”.

What Drives Us: Rational Thinking or Intuition?

Module 2

This module compares and contrasts rational thinking and intuition with the goal of determining which is better to use in ethical decision making.

The Deliberate Infliction of a Negative Act?

Module 3

This module addresses the motivations of the leader and some of the ways that they may fall prey to ethical difficulties.