Collegiality and Loyalty

COLLEGIALITY AND LOYALTY:

Collegiality is a kind of connectedness grounded in respect for professional expertise and in a commitment to the goals and values of the profession and as such, collegiality includes a disposition to support and co-operate with one‘s colleagues‟.- Craig Ihara. The central elements of collegiality are respect, commitment, connectedness and cooperation.

Respect: Acknowledge the worth of other engineers engaged in producing socially useful and safe products.

Commitment: Share a devotion to the moral ideals inherent in the practice of engineering. Connectedness: Aware of being part of a co-operative undertaking created by shared commitments and expertise. Collegiality, like most virtues, can be misused and distorted. It should not be reduced to „group interest‟ but should be a shared devotion for public good. It is not defaming colleagues, but it does not close the eyes to unethical practices of the co-professionals, either.

Classifications of Loyalty

·        Agency-Loyalty

·        Fulfill one‟s contractual duties to an employer.

·        Duties are particular tasks for which one is paid

·        Co-operating with colleagues

·        Following legitimate authority within the organization.

·        Identification-Loyalty:

·        It has to do with attitudes, emotions and a sense of personal identity.

·        Seeks to meet one‟s moral duties with personal attachment and affirmation.

·        It is against detesting their employers and companies, and do work reluctantly and horribly (this is construed as disloyalty)

This means

·        Avoid conflicts of interest,

·        Inform employers of any possible conflicts of interest,

·        Protect confidential information,

·        Be honest in making estimates,

·        Admit one‟s errors, etc.

Loyalty - Obligation of Engineers

·        Agency-Loyalty

·        Engineers are hired to do their duties.

·        Hence obligated to employers within proper limits

·        Identification-Loyalty

·        Obligatory on two conditions;

1. When some important goals are met by and through a group in which the engineers participate

2. When employees are treated fairly, receiving the share of benefits and burdens.

But clearly, identification-loyalty is a virtue and not strictly an obligation.