Effects of organization leadership behavior on learning ethics: A study of professional paramedics

David M. Sine, MA; Norvell Northcutt, PhD

doi:10.5055/jem.2009.0040

Authors

David M. Sine, MA
Norvell Northcutt, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2009.0040

Keywords:

ethics, EMS, leadership, newcomers, ethics instruction, paramedics

Abstract

A review of the methods of ethics instruction reveals that demonstrated ethical behavior by leadership, although not central-most to introducing an organization’s newcomers to a normative approach to ethical decision making and behavior, is ubiquitous and highly placed in contemporary ethics pedagogy. Similarly, a review of ethics assessment tools finds that nearly all probe perceptions by group members of the ethical behavior of those who provide group supervision and leadership.This article asks if ethical behavior by senior Emergency Medical Service (EMS) leaders is of sufficient strength to convey to newcomers (in this case, newly hired fire department paramedics) the ethics of that organization. This research was conducted in an urban fire academy and compared, using a standardized assessment tool, an ethics culture survey of academy instructors, and then a class of paramedics both before and after their academy experience. The authors find that EMS newcomers do not absorb ethics osmotically and that EMS leaders must anticipate that instruction in ethics is necessary to ensure that moral actions taken by newcomers will be those desired by the organization.

Author Biographies

David M. Sine, MA

SafetyLogic Systems, Austin, Texas.

Norvell Northcutt, PhD

University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

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