Moral Reasoning: A Practical Guide for Leaders

Sandra J. Sucher

Background Note | HBS Case Collection | October 2003 (Revised April 2006)

Moral Reasoning: A Practical Guide for Leaders

Abstract

We encounter moral or ethical challenges in our professional lives, in our close relationships, and as members of the broader communities that we are part of. This methodology demonstrates how moral reasoning works and how it can be integrated into a problem-solving format. It is meant to supplement problem-solving skills that you already have with a systematic approach to use with moral or ethical problems. The methodology provides a structure for addressing issues and lays out some criteria to augment others you would ordinarily rely on for decision making, action planning, and implementation.

Keywords: Decision Making; Moral Sensibility; Management Systems; Problems and Challenges; Civil Society or Community;

Format: Print

11 pages

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Citation:

Sucher, Sandra J. "Moral Reasoning: A Practical Guide for Leaders." Harvard Business School Background Note 604-054, October 2003. (Revised April 2006.)

Article | Harvard Business Review | May–June 2018

Layoffs That Don't Break Your Company: Better Approaches to Workforce Transition

Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta

Today layoffs have become companies’ default response to the challenges created by advances in technology and global competition. Yet research shows that job cuts rarely help senior leaders achieve their goals. Too often, they’re done for short-term gain, but the cost savings are overshadowed by bad publicity, loss of knowledge, weakened engagement, higher voluntary turnover, and lower innovation, which hurt profits in the long run. This article looks at better ways to handle changing workforce needs that make sparing use of staff reductions and ensure that if they do happen, the process feels fair and the affected parties have a soft landing. Most successful approaches begin with a philosophy that spells out a firm’s commitments and priorities, establish methods for exploring layoff alternatives (such as furloughs, retraining, and reassignments), and determine options for three scenarios: a healthy present, short-term volatility, and an uncertain future. As firms like AT&T, Michelin, Honeywell, and Nokia have learned, thoughtful planning helps organizations address workforce transitions and cope with a shifting economic landscape far better than layoffs do.

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Employees; Transition; Strategic Planning;

Citation:

Sucher, Sandra J., and Shalene Gupta. "Layoffs That Don't Break Your Company: Better Approaches to Workforce Transition." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 3 (May–June 2018): 122–129. View Details

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Moral Reasoning: A Practical Guide for Leaders

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