The Inadequacy of a Deontological Analysis of Peer Relations in Organizations

The Inadequacy of a Deontological Analysis of Peer Relations in Organizations

Robert M. Martin

Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 10, Nomber 2

https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383616

Source: WeLib

Robert M. Martin’s 1991 article, The Inadequacy of a Deontological Analysis of Peer Relations in Organizations, explores whether deontological ethics is enough to explain ethical issues that arise between coworkers in the workplace. Deontological ethics is a moral approach that focuses on duties, rules, and obligations. It emphasizes what people ought to do, regardless of the consequences. For example, if a rule says “always tell the truth,” then a deontologist would argue that truth-telling is required even if it leads to negative outcomes.

Martin argues that this strict, rule-based approach does not fully capture the complexity of peer relationships in organizations. Workplace interactions are shaped by many social factors, such as loyalty to colleagues, mutual support, the balance of power, and informal expectations that are not written down as rules. These elements often influence how people behave and what is considered ethical in practice.

The article points out that situations among peers often require judgment, flexibility, and sensitivity to relationships. Ethical dilemmas in these contexts cannot always be solved by simply applying fixed moral rules. For instance, deciding whether to support a colleague in a difficult situation may involve weighing loyalty, fairness, and organizational expectations, which go beyond a simple duty-based framework.

The article concludes that while deontological ethics provides a useful foundation, it is inadequate on its own for understanding peer relations in organizations. A broader perspective is needed, one that takes into account social context, human interaction, and the relational aspects of workplace life. In simple terms, the article shows that rules and duties are important, but they are not enough to explain the full range of ethical challenges people face when working closely with others.

So basically, artikel ini ngomongin soal etika deontologis (ethics based on rules and duties gitu deh) dan apa approach ini make sense  kalau dipake buat ngejelasin hubungan antar temen kerja di kantor.

Deontologis itu apaan sih?
Well... ini tuh sistem moral yang super fokus sama rules, obligations, dan duties. Jadi intinya lo harus ngikutin aturan, period. Gak peduli hasilnya gimana. Contohnya kayak "harus jujur no matter what" - even though kejujuran lo bakal bikin orang lain sakit hati atau rugi. Se-black and white itu konsepnya.

Terus penulis artikel ini bilang, "eh wait, di tempat kerja ternyata gak sesimple itu bro." Hubungan sama peer atau temen sekantor tuh way more complex dari sekedar ngikutin rules. Ada banyak faktor yang main:
- Loyalty sama colleagues
- Mutual support 
- Power dynamics (siapa yang lebih berkuasa)
- Unwritten rules yang gak ada di buku panduan manapun
- Social context yang super nuanced

At least, setidaknya dalam real life, lo sering stuck di situasi grey area. Misalnya, temen lo lagi dalam masalah di kantor - haruskah lo dukung dia walau lo tau ada kemungkinan dia yang salah? Atau lo ikutin aturan perusahaan strictly? Exactly, that's the point - hal seperti ini gak bisa dijawab cuma pake "gw cuma ikutin aturan" doang.

Martin ngasih tau kita bahwa ethical dilemmas among peers itu butuh judgment, flexibility, dan sensitivity terhadap relationships. Lo harus bisa baca situasi, understand the context, dan sometimes aturan kaku justru bikin everything worse.

Kesimpulannya?
Deontological ethics itu berguna, yes, tapi inadequate banget kalau dipake sendirian buat ngerti peer relations di organisasi. We need a broader perspective yang consider:
- Social context
- Human interactions yang organic
- Relational aspects of workplace life

Intinya: rules and duties are important, but they're not enough. Workplace ethics, especially sama peers, lebih nuanced dan butuh approach yang lebih holistik. You can't just be like "oh ada rule ini, gue ikutin deh" - sometimes you gotta read the room, understand the relationships, and make decisions yang lebih human.

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