Intro

The HBR article presents a case study on Susan, a Zantech intern tasked with an ethically and morally dubious mission from her manager. On one hand, following orders would allow her the opportunity to advance in her career. On the other hand, she would feel quite bad about effectively spying on competitors. The question is a matter of whether she should compromise her values for her job—should she do it?

Decision, Decisions

Honestly, if it were me, I would not be willing to compromise my values for a job. I think it is easier to recover one’s career than it is to recover one’s integrity. Of course, speaking up to one’s boss can result in consequences to your career prospects—you may be deemed insubordinate and unwilling to complete assigned tasks, which is not something a job wants to see in its employees. On the other hand, accepting an ethically dubious task makes me feel bad. Of course, each individual has their own circumstances to consider. I can foresee a situation where someone’s livelihood depends on their job, in which case they would be more willing to sacrifice their values to secure that livelihood. For such an intern/employee, the offered 3-step framework may prove useful:

• Acknowledge the difficulty: get into the mindset that speaking up is hard but that doing so is worthwhile.
• Lessen the social threat: clarify that the intent is not to attack your superior’s character or assume ill intent; reassure that you both are ultimately working toward the same goal.
• Make a plan: simulate how speaking to your boss may go so that you can prepare for different paths the conversation can go down.

Admittedly, pushing back against your superior can be hard, but this framework gives a realistic approach to speaking up.