Good People, Bad Choices.

Good People, Bad Choices, Video, 2006, Vivid Edge Productions, $795.

Support: leader guide, participant materials.

Preview this video online: see Product Preview/Demo link in the left column.

Many people have been disappointed (or worse) by the recent ethical failures of prominent business leaders. It's no wonder organizations have a renewed concern about the ethics of their employees, especially since such serious ethical violations fracture public trust and result in increased cynicism and disengagement.

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The greatest impact on individual ethical decisions occurs when an organization aligns its principles and mission with a call to commitment for doing "the right thing." Good People, Bad Choices: A Guide to Ethical Decision Making is a step in the right direction because it asks viewers to do the reflective work necessary for making difficult decisions in the midst of ethical dilemmas.

Inside the box

The 24-minute DVD includes the following:

* A narrative with vignettes interspersed as examples

* Separate vignette tracks to be used as discussion prompts

* A PDF leader's guide on a separate CD

The leader's guide is especially good and includes:

* Worksheets for reproduction

* Discussion suggestions and verbal prompts

* Key points

* Questions for consideration

* Methods for integrating individual organizational policies to customize the training

Key strengths

This program has several notable strengths and no major downsides:

The content and language of the video are easy to understand and accessible, but they aren't too simplistic. Suggestions for personal reflection and assessment when faced with a dilemma could have wide audience appeal.

Although the stated audience is both managers and employees, the program seems more suitable for employee ethics training or new employee orientation. It does offer guidance and some good questions for reflection, but it does not really offer managers strategies for dealing with ethical dilemmas specific to their managerial roles--but as employees themselves, they can benefit.

The point of view is that of a young business school student who goes to her grandfather and a friend of his for advice about business ethics. She gets to ask the questions, and the former CEO and CFO offer their wisdom about dealing with ethical situations. The "old guys" offer good advice and insight, and it doesn't come across as preachy. The tone may appeal more to a younger, less experienced business audience rather than an audience of seasoned managers, whose paradigm often is shaped by their propensity for problem-solving, i.e., Okay, what am I supposed to do about this?

Recommendation

If you're hiring younger workers and want to involve them in considering the definition of workplace ethics and their discussing their ethical responsibilities, you should preview Good People, Bad Choices. If you want to create discussion of ethical dilemmas and have managers assess situations and consider responses to them, you could use the Leader's Guide in combination with just the vignette section of the video.

Review by Libby Wagner

Product Ratings

Good People, Bad Choices

Holds user interest  ***
Acting/presenting    *** 1/2
Diversity            *** 1/2
Production quality   *** 1/2
Documentation        *** 1/2
Value of Content     ***
Instructional Value  ** 1/2
Value for the money  *** 1/2
Overall rating       ***