Introduction
The present-day technological advances alongside the evolving needs for diversity determine the existence of complications emerging as a result of these processes. The task of managing these areas is attributed to leaders within organizations; however, not all businesses have well-established practices, allowing them to deal with accompanying challenges. In this case, the risks are higher than when the appropriate mechanisms are applied, and they are connected to the ethical aspect of the matter. Moreover, the human factor is essential for solving problems in the digitalization of regular operations of companies, and managers’ attention to the necessity to hire diverse staff increases the probability of further successes. Therefore, leaders may encounter numerous obstacles on the way to the effectiveness of organizations, and the elaboration of measures aimed at technology management and personnel’s needs is desirable for a positive outcome of implemented projects.
Potential Ethical Issues
Technology
The main aspect of the matter is technological progress leading to the emergence of ethical concerns of the affected persons and entities. It is linked to the ongoing digital transformation, implying the modification of all procedures through the adoption of corresponding solutions, resulting in faster paces of work. Thus, for example, the increased use of artificial intelligence solutions, social media, machine learning tools, and big data correspond to this trend (Cortellazzo et al., 2019). Nevertheless, despite the overall benefits of these innovative approaches to business tasks, their adoption means a threat to the leadership. It is conditional upon the expansion of required skillsets for performing jobs and the need for greater flexibility to keep up with progress (Cortellazzo et al., 2019). Therefore, employees’ responses to these new conditions can be negative in the case when leaders do not suggest effective methods for addressing the gaps in organizational resources.
The failure to do so might be the reason why people are unwilling to readjust efforts, and, from this perspective, the problem is of an ethical nature. Thus, managing the technology of businesses should be leaders’ responsibility as their involvement in the process positively correlates with individuals’ trust in the developed procedures and fair treatment (Ng et al., 2021). Also, the described issue is accompanied by the growing competition between the companies in a field, implying more tasks for employees to keep up with the market conditions. In this case, the ethics are reflected by the necessity to distribute duties in such a manner that no one would feel deprived of the benefits on the basis of their contributions in the process of adopting innovative approaches.
Diversity
The mentioned considerations are complemented by diversity, which adds to the complexity of leaders’ work within organizations by emphasizing the varying conditions for people employed in a company. The development and the use of technological advances determining the necessity for them to acquire the skills allowing to benefit from these solutions might be unethical when the managers neglect their differences. For example, specific factors, including gender or age in the first place, should be taken into account since they mean inequality of workers’ conditions in terms of their ability to readjust to new work modes (Manoharan & Singal, 2017). Hence, ethical leaders are required to pay attention to these factors while applying an individualized approach to such innovations.
In addition, the existence of varying conditions for people working for present-day businesses is accompanied by their difference in responses to shifts in the environment. For instance, in the construction industry, women are put into a less favorable situation than their male colleagues when it comes to adopting new ways of performing tasks due to their already disadvantaged position (Sunindijo & Kamardeen, 2017). They are reported to suffer more from anxiety, stress, excessive workload, and discrimination, which means that leaders should not ignore these circumstances when suggesting the adoption of technological means for increasing productivity (Sunindijo & Kamardeen, 2017). This requirement corresponds to the general ethics which should be present in an organization as the lack of balance in terms of personnels’ gender results in worse performance (Moreno-Gómez et al., 2018). In other words, the described aspects of ethical leadership complement each other in promoting shifts in the office setting as per the market needs.
Strategies to Mitigate Ethical Issues
Technology
The presented ethical issues leaders may encounter in managing technology and diversity in an organization suggests the necessity to elaborate efficient mechanisms of mitigating risks. They should be applied separately to the mentioned aspects of the matter in order to ensure their suitability for long-term goals. Thus, innovations, including artificial intelligence, social media, and other digital instruments, should be introduced together with educational initiatives on improving people’s literacy in these areas (Ng et al., 2021). The previous research shows that this strategy is optimal for guaranteeing the lack of ethical challenges since the involved individuals become accountable for the outcomes through the understanding of the feasibility of changes (Ng et al., 2021). Their willingness to cooperate is also enhanced by mitigating the risks related to gender and race (Ng et al., 2021). In addition, big data analytics should be included with respect to the need for applying expertise (Pang & Zhang, 2021). It means that people should feel that their qualifications are valued, and the machines cannot substitute them completely.
Diversity
The considerations of diversity should be incorporated in the strategic course of leaders in order to comply with the principles of organizational ethics. This part of the projects should be presented by the emphasis on the inclusion of all participants regardless of their personal characteristics. For instance, employees’ innovative behavior can be promoted through the use of “perceived organizational support (POS) as a mediator” (Qi et al., 2019, p.1). This practice was confirmed to be advantageous for establishing positive communication between leaders and workers, which means that, in this situation, the former’s conduct can be seen as ethical (Qi et al., 2019). Moreover, this strategic approach should be complemented by the expansion of the list of characteristics by including cultural factors, which can potentially prevent individuals from equal participation (Manoharan & Singal, 2017). This technique will help leaders efficiently underpin their efforts by the evidence received through previous examinations by scholars.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the potential ethical issues leaders may encounter in managing technology and diversity in an organization are related to people’s perceptions. They include the latter’s possible unwillingness to cooperate due to their lack of understanding of the feasibility of measures, implying the acquisition of new skills and the risks of ensuring fair treatment. In other words, employees should see that their needs are equally addressed, and personal characteristics are taken into consideration when introducing technological changes. For this purpose, managers should use a strategy consisting of improving individual literacy concerning innovative solutions and expanding the scope of cultural factors adversely affecting the desire of workers to collaborate in shifting conditions.
References
Cortellazzo, L., Bruni, E., & Zampieri, R. (2019). The role of leadership in a digitalized world: A review. Frontiers in pPsychology, 10, 1938.
Manoharan, A., & Singal, M. (2017). A systematic literature review of research on diversity and diversity management in the hospitality literature. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 66, 77-91.
Moreno-Gómez, J., Lafuente, E., & Vaillant, Y. (2018). Gender diversity in the board, women’s leadership, and business performance. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 33(2), 104-122.
Ng, D. T. K., Leung, J. K. L., Chu, K. W. S., & Qiao, M. S. (2021). AI literacy: Definition, teaching, evaluation, and ethical issues. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 58(1), 504-509.
Pang, D., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Ethical principles of virtual leadership construction in artificial intelligence environment. E3S Web of Conferences, 251, 02023.
Qi, L., Liu, B., Wei, X., & Hu, Y. (2019). Impact of inclusive leadership on employee innovative behavior: Perceived organizational support as a mediator. PloS One, 14(2), e0212091.
Sunindijo, R. Y., & Kamardeen, I. (2017). Work stress is a threat to gender diversity in the construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(10), 04017073.