Rationalizations 1

This is an interactive story. It is fiction, but based on ethical challenges faced every day in real workplaces. Because it is an interactive story, you will be asked to make choices, and the choices you make affect how the story unfolds. But this is a story, not a test. There are no right or wrong answers -- just choices that make the story unfold in different ways. At the end, you’ll be given the chance to go back to the beginning, and to see how the story unfolds if you make different choices. Go ahead and click to [[start the story....|Start1]] <hr> © Copyright Choice Point Solutions, Inc.

Some days are harder than others. For several months now, you've been working at Harris Consulting. It's a small market research firm working primarily in the personal computing sector. You spend your day making phone calls, extracting data from various companies in the sector so that you can aggregate the data, which Harris then sells as ‘insights.’ It’s a six-month contract, but if it goes well you’re pretty sure you could get hired on full-time. [[Next...|1.The ask]]

Late one Tuesday afternoon, you’re sitting at your cubicle when your supervisor, Devon, taps you on the shoulder. You turn in your chair and smile at Devon. “Hey there!” says Devon, with a friendly smile. “How’s data collection for the Callanish report going?” “Not bad,” you say proudly. “I’m about half done. I’ve made a bunch of calls, and gathered ten data points, but we really need twenty if we’re going to have a useable result. You know how it is, getting people to answer. Not easy. I’ve got to make five calls just to get one usable data point. It’s going to take me a few more days.” Devon makes a face. “Ewww, I’m afraid I need it sooner than that. I want to submit the report to Callanish by Friday, and Vera’s got to integrate your numbers into the report before that. Look, you’ve got ten, and you know the next ten are just going to tell you more of the same, so just fill in the numbers yourself.” You say: [[“OK, sure, no problem.”...|2a. No problem]] or... [[“Um, I’m not comfortable doing that.”...|2b. Not comfortable]]

Continuing, you say: [[“I mean, yeah…after all, no one is really going to be hurt.”|3. You rationalized]] or... [[“I mean, yeah…after all, you’re the boss. And if you say it's OK, then OK.”|3. You rationalized]] or... [[“I mean, yeah…after all, it’s just a little white lie, and everybody does that.”|3. You rationalized]]

Devon gives you a skeptical look. “C’mon, seriously? Everybody fudges data once in a while. It’s practically standard practice in this business.” You say [[“Yeah, OK I guess.”|2a. No problem]] or... [[“No, I just can’t.”|6. Defend yourself]]

Devon smiles, “Yes, exactly. No big deal right? So, get going. Flesh out those data points, and get the numbers over to Vera so she can integrate them into the report.” [[Next...|4. Talk to Vera]]

Once you’ve filled in the other ten numbers —making up numbers that seem reasonable, and in line with the ten data points you’ve already got — you walk across the office to Vera’s cubicle, and hand her a printout and a USB key. “Here you go!” you tell her, “Here are the numbers I’ve been working on.” Very takes the printed copy and glances at the numbers. “Whoah,” she says. “Are these numbers for real? These last few seem too consistent to be true. They should be a bit more random than that. And the last four numbers — 9987 — those are just the last four digits of our phone number.” You gulp. “Uh, yeah,” you say. “I kind of…improvised a bit there.” “You what?” Vera asks, her eyes wide. You say: [[“Look, it’s no big deal.”|5a. Rationalizing to Vera]]

Vera stares, eyes wide. "No big deal?!" she asks. You respond: [[“Yeah, it’s no big deal. After all, it's not like anyone is going to be hurt.”|3. Vera Not Impressed 1]] or... [[“Yeah, it’s no big deal. Besides, Devon said to do it, and Devon is the boss.”|3. Vera Not Impressed 2]] or... [[“Yeah, it’s no big deal. I mean, everybody fudges the numbers now and then.” |3. Vera Not Impressed 3]]

Vera looks unimpressed. “What do you mean ‘no one is getting hurt’? Clients pay good money for the insight we sell. If the numbers are phony, we’re committing fraud.” You're off-balance now, but try hard to make sense of it all. You respond: [["Look, it's technically not fraud. Not in the criminal sense."|7. Sad Vera]] or... [["I know it's not ideal. But I'm just trying to get by here."|7. Sad Vera]] or... [["Look, I'm not happy with it either. But I'm stuck...what do I do?"|7. Vera helps]]

Vera looks unimpressed. “What do you mean ‘Devon is the boss”? So what? If Devon told you to rob a bank, would you do it, just because Devon is the boss?” You're off-balance now, but try hard to make sense of it all. You respond: [["Look, it's technically not fraud. Not in the criminal sense."|7. Sad Vera]] or... [["I know it's not ideal. But I'm just trying to get by here."|7. Sad Vera]] or... [["Look, I'm not happy with it either. But I'm stuck...what do I do?"|7. Vera helps]]

Vera again looks unimpressed. “What do you mean ‘Everybody does it?’ Just because everyone does it, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.” You're off-balance now, but try hard to make sense of it all. You respond: [["Look, it's technically not fraud. Not in the criminal sense."|7. Sad Vera]] or... [["I know it's not ideal. But I'm just trying to get by here."|7. Sad Vera]] or... [["Look, I'm not happy with it either. But I'm stuck...what do I do?"|7. Vera helps]]

You explain your reluctance: [[“You say everybody does it. But I’m not sure that’s really true.”|6a. Don't be literal]] or... [[“You say everybody does it. But I have higher standards for myself than that.”|6b. Sanctimony]] or... [[“You say everybody does it. But if that’s true, then that’s a bad thing. We should do better.”|6c. Reality]]

Devon shrugs. "OK, whatever. I thought you were a team player." [["Next."|9. Worried ending]]

Vera shakes her head. "Sorry, kiddo," she says. "That attitude is going to take you nowhere." [[Next|10b. Out there alone]]

Vera smiles, knowingly. "Look," she says, "I get the temptation. But let's go talk to Devon together. I've been here a while, and I'm pretty sure I can help." [[Next.|10. New ally]]

Devon cringes, "Don't be so literal. Not everybody. I'm just saying it's a common thing. It's not weird. It's OK." You say: You say: [["OK, OK, I don't like it but I'll do it."|3. You rationalized]] or... [["No. And that's final."|8a. No Team Player]]

Devon cringes, "Don't be such a goodie-goodie. You're not better than the rest of us. This isn't kindergarten, it's business." You say: [["OK, OK, I don't like it but I'll do it."|3. You rationalized]] or... [["No. And that's final."|8a. No Team Player]]

Devon cringes, "Look, when it's your company, you can aim for 'doing better.' Right now, we've got deadlines and budgets and sales targets to achieve. Get with the program!" You say: [["OK, OK, I don't like it but I'll do it."|3. You rationalized]] or... [["No. And that's final."|8a. No Team Player]]

"OK," you say, "I'm going off to finish making calls, to get those final data points." Devon walks away, without saying a word. You've stood up for yourself, for now, and for what you believe in, but you wonder whether it was worth it, and whether your contract is likely to be renewed just a few months from now. [[End|11. End]]

You and Vera head off to talk to Devon. You're happy that you found a way to do the right thing, but you wonder whether it was worth it. You've made a new ally, but still you wonder whether that's enough, and whether your contract is likely to be renewed just a few months from now. [[End|11. End]]

Vera walks away. You're glad that you're getting to be a "team player," as Devon says, but you wonder whether it was worth it. Vera's disapointment isn't something to brush off. The boss is on your side, for now, but still you wonder whether that's enough, and whether your contract is likely to be renewed just a few months from now, and whether you're hoping that it is renewed, or hoping that it isn't. [[End|11. End]]

A lot of bad things happen in the workplace because people engage in rationalizations. That is, they make up little excuses for behaviours that, deep down inside, they know can't be defended. They say things like: "Well, it's not my fault!" "I was just doing my job!" "Everyone does it!" "No one is going to be hurt." These excuses don't hold water, rationally, but they can soothe a troubled conscience. Doing the right thing, in the workplace, often means listening to your conscience, and having the integrity to act according to your own values, even when there's pressure to do the opposite. You can close your browser now, or explore a different path by going back to the [[Start|Start]].