To reiterate what I'm sure I've said in this class and others, the Air Force's primary statement of ethical conduct is publicly captured in the core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do (U.S. Air Force, n.d.). This value set applies to all personnel, be it a junior enlisted fresh out of basic, or a general with over 30 years of service. How these values are portrayed may vary from circumstance to circumstance, but for the most part it is portrayed by our conduct on and off duty, at work and at home.
To use the presentations as a guide, I can say I've seen examples of behavior that would fit well within Dr. Weinstein's and Mr. Gallagher's ideas of ethical and unethical conduct. Weinstein, for instance, touched upon the idea of constructive criticism, and this is an every day occurrence for our organization. Most everywhere I've gone, particularly in my current role as a relatively young officer, I very regularly receive some measure of feedback from my superiors of what I've done well on, and where I need to improve. Usually this is given very objectively and in a reasonably private setting, and is usually capped off with a reminder that I'm making progress. I've only had one leadership experience where the supervision in question tended to "editorialize," but by and large our leadership culture is very good about doing building up our people's confidence and skill sets in an ethical manner. The fact that this is the norm also facilitates Weinstein's note about ethical behavior being beneficial for everyone's morale and productivity, and it is to the organization's benefit to be ethical.
Unfortunately, thinking about Gallagher's description of the slippery slope, I can also very readily see areas where as an organization we regularly find ourselves entertaining an ethical grey area. Every year without fail, we have to deal with the challenge of our budget...not so much in not having enough money, but spending it to justify maintaining our level of unit funding. Although this shouldn't be the case technically, a culture has been formed over the years where the rule of thumb dictates that not only does any leftover money get redistributed to other needs, but those units that don't spend all of their funding are liable to find themselves with less money during the next fiscal year. Frugality goes unrewarded, and while we might find ourselves able to fund last minute business trips, it is not uncommon to find ourselves with a bunch of fancy office supplies, display monitors, and new furniture that we didn't really need. Although "everyone does it," it is still unsettling that this still occurs when the service is being faced with massive cuts and there is increased emphasis on fiscal responsibility. The Air Force has, unfortunately, been no stranger to spending scandals in the past, and one can only wonder about the fine line that it seems to regularly ride upon.
To use the presentations as a guide, I can say I've seen examples of behavior that would fit well within Dr. Weinstein's and Mr. Gallagher's ideas of ethical and unethical conduct. Weinstein, for instance, touched upon the idea of constructive criticism, and this is an every day occurrence for our organization. Most everywhere I've gone, particularly in my current role as a relatively young officer, I very regularly receive some measure of feedback from my superiors of what I've done well on, and where I need to improve. Usually this is given very objectively and in a reasonably private setting, and is usually capped off with a reminder that I'm making progress. I've only had one leadership experience where the supervision in question tended to "editorialize," but by and large our leadership culture is very good about doing building up our people's confidence and skill sets in an ethical manner. The fact that this is the norm also facilitates Weinstein's note about ethical behavior being beneficial for everyone's morale and productivity, and it is to the organization's benefit to be ethical.
Unfortunately, thinking about Gallagher's description of the slippery slope, I can also very readily see areas where as an organization we regularly find ourselves entertaining an ethical grey area. Every year without fail, we have to deal with the challenge of our budget...not so much in not having enough money, but spending it to justify maintaining our level of unit funding. Although this shouldn't be the case technically, a culture has been formed over the years where the rule of thumb dictates that not only does any leftover money get redistributed to other needs, but those units that don't spend all of their funding are liable to find themselves with less money during the next fiscal year. Frugality goes unrewarded, and while we might find ourselves able to fund last minute business trips, it is not uncommon to find ourselves with a bunch of fancy office supplies, display monitors, and new furniture that we didn't really need. Although "everyone does it," it is still unsettling that this still occurs when the service is being faced with massive cuts and there is increased emphasis on fiscal responsibility. The Air Force has, unfortunately, been no stranger to spending scandals in the past, and one can only wonder about the fine line that it seems to regularly ride upon.
Additional Resources
US Air Force, Our Values (n.d.). In U.S. Air Force. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/our-values/
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