Using the textbook and your own past experiences, what do you communicate to your immediate supervisor and when/if to jump the chain of command and under what circumstances? How does this topic fit into public ethics? (1 Page)
Textbook:
Cooper, T. (2012). The responsible administrator: An approach to ethics for the administrative role (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
PLEASE EXPLAIN WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH MY CLASSMATE ANSWER TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND WHY?
There are a few things that jumped out at me in the reading. According to Cooper (2012), the buck up the chain of command because you do not want to bear your obligation for deciding is just as irresponsible as acting when you are not authorized to do so or allowing subordinates to engage in misconduct (p. 77).
This is something I occasionally see in the fire service. Because we work and live together in the firehouse for 24-hour shifts, I sometime witness supervisors not enforcing rules because they don't want to rock the boat or be the bad guy. Instead they ignore the issues and wait for them to be let them be addressed by higher ranks.
A second point that jumped out was regarding information flow. In the reading, it eludes to subordinates twisting information or not passing it on at all (Cooper, 2012). Before I was supervisor, I would never think of misleading my superiors. I believe in always telling the truth. Now that I am a supervisor, I am blown away how guys love to stir stuff up and mislead some of our officers. In my opinion, it is those employees that contribute the least to the organization, that twist or withhold information.
Regarding when and what I convey to my supervisor, I am fortunate to have a great relationship with my current boss. I can go into his office and close the door and be straightforward and honest. I can ask questions like what the heck are you doing or thinking?
We can disagree behind closed doors, but he always knows in public, that I have his back. I can say this because while we may not always agree, he is honest, hardworking and always puts the citizens and our employees above everything else. I don't fore see any time that I would need to go over his head, because ethically and morally I think his compass is on point.
With that being said, I work in a field where the chain of command is very important and must be adhered to. However, there was a time in the past when we had a boss that did not live up to the same ethics and morals that our leader needs to have to be successful.
I along with the 3 other supervisors of equal rank did jump the chain of command and meet with our boss's boss. I am not proud or happy to say we did this, but for the future of the organization, it was necessary and time proved this out.