Ethical Engineering: Definitions, Theories and Techniques - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 44

This will be illustrated by the example of changing the position of disabled
people, including increasing the percentage of disabled people in senior positions:

1. Single-loop action learning could lead to measures to increase the proportion of
disabled people recruited to senior positions, for instance, due to fear of legal
action on the grounds of disability discrimination, without any increase in
awareness of the ethical responsibility to recruit more disabled people or the
need for a change in values.
2. Double-loop action could lead to a change in ethical values on the part of some
individuals in the organisation with a recognition of the ethical responsibility not
to discriminate against disabled people, in addition to practical measures. This
ethical commitment is likely to make the practical measures more effective than
they would be otherwise.
3. Triple-loop action could lead to a change in the ethos of the organisation with a
recognition of the value to the organisation and the ethical responsibility to
employ more disabled people at a senior level. This could be accompanied by
measures to overcome structural barriers and make the organisation attractive as
a place of employment for disabled people.
4. Quadruple-loop action could lead to a change in the ethos of the wider society
with an ethical commitment to the value of diversity in society and ensuring
equality and lack of discrimination for the diverse population. Disabled people
would be considered one of many of the diverse groups which enrich society.
Furthermore measures would be taken to remove structural barriers and make
all environments attractive and accessible to the whole population, of which
disabled people are a part.

The descriptions of the methods in subsections 3.5.2 - 3.5.4 are obtained from
Nielson ( 1996 ), to which readers are referred for further details and examples.

3.5.2 Single-Loop Action Learning

Single-loop action learning methods have been divided into win-win and win-lose.
In win-win methods, there are net benefi ts to everyone. This is not the case in win-
lose methods, and therefore pressure of some type is required to implement them.
Win-lose methods include the following:

1. Bottom-up forcing methods, such as whistleblowing (see Sect. 4.5 ), refusal to
cover-up unethical behaviour and avoiding the implementation of unethical
policies and orders.
2. Top-down forcing methods, such as the boss producing and imposing ethical
policies without consultation. However, this is ethically questionable, for
instance, in terms of normative ethics and the maintenance of autonomy.
3. Win-lose negotiations, such as leverage building, good guy-bad guy and making
extreme demands in order to then achieve a 'compromise'. However, these
methods may themselves be unethical, depending on how they are applied. For
instance, leverage building could have some similarities to blackmail.