THE QUESTION: Your colleagues in the innovation technology (IT) department are setting up a betting pool for the upcoming Super Bowl, and they ask you to participate. “Come on Dave! Which team is your money on?” You know that betting pools are against company policy, and you are tempted to decline or even report them. However, the department’s performance has been outstanding, and people will probably not be as engaged in projects you work on with them if you’re not a “team player.”

 

 

WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER?

A. You remind everyone about the company policy and tell them that they should not put a football pool together.

B. You participate in the football pool this one time, but make it clear that you are making an exception.

C. You decline to participate, but let them put the pool together. After all, it’s not that big of a deal, and the department’s work performance is high.

D. You send an anonymous note to the IT department manager to alert him about the football pool.

 

WHAT’S MY ANSWER?

I picked A: You remind everyone about the company policy and tell them that they should not put a football pool together.

 

Generally speaking, I believe policies are in place with good intention. Now, if the policy should be changed or challenged (which I also fully support) you should do so before you break it. In this case, the IT department should’ve talked to their managers to better understanding the purpose of the policy and challenge it.

 

Well, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know your answer and why in the comments below.

 

Click here to read an evaluation of this Dilemma from Fulvio Di Blasi, a world-renown scholar in the field of applied philosophy and business ethics.

 

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