The Epistle of Q — Chapter Twenty-Nine

Why do I go to the AGM & Conference of APPE (Association of Practical and Professional Ethics)?

Once again, a single session validated why I will travel half way across the continent, giving up some really good ski days, to attend a series of meetings and presentations on the subject of ethics. Today, in the late afternoon no less, I went to hear some people I did not know, talk about moral reasoning as a factor in the hiring process. The title intrigued me because it hit close to home. Ever since I completed my doctorate some 39 years ago (a PhD in Educational Administration that focused on ethics and leadership) I have found precious few individuals who truly were interested in linking moral reasoning to the world of managment and thus to leadership. In fact, for the longest time, unless it was a Department of Philosophy or a Faculty of Theology, no one really cared about ethics. Today that all changed.

There is a small university in Indiana called De Pauw (not the same as De Paul University which is located in Chicago). This university has an incredible music faculty so you might have seen it on the resume of members of your local orchestra or perhaps a guest artist that came to your symphony. Today I realized that it has some serious dudes working in the area of research into applied ethics. They made a presentation which I will address in more detail later this month on the role and value of moral reasoning in the work of HR Specialists (Human Resources personnel) responsible for hiring in most firms, institutions, and organizations.

The presentation was sharp, well thought out and very insightful. They have done a good deal of research into the value of including questions related to moral reasoning in the hiring process, whether at corporations, not-for-profits, educational institutions, or the public service. Their findings indicate that not only do Human Resources (HR) personnel want to know the degree to which a potential recruit might be able to respond to moral dilemmas but they also want to gain some insight into the capacity of the individual to recognize the moment of critical choice and address it at the highest possible levels of moral reasoning. Furthermore, the group presenting was more than eager to enter into conversations with all of us in the room as to how we might help them improve their research and expand their range of interests. It was a most enjoyable and energetic discussion.

I will write more on this topic. For now I am basking in the knowledge that my trip to Dallas has more than paid for itself. The group from DePauw spent considerable time with me afterwards talking about areas of mutual interest as well as requesting access to my own research along with some of my course guides. They also were thrilled to be connected with the Ethics Unwrapped work at the University of Texas. It was a really neat moment. But everything was then capped off with the announcement that this university, as small as it might be, is to be the new home of APPE: a marriage of practical and professional ethics with an institution that not only espouses a belief in such, but actually practices it and researches ways to make practical applications more solid and more useful.

It was a very good day…more to follow…

g.w.