Collateral Damage

 

When an individual makes a decision to do something, whether positive or negative, the effects will impact more than just the individual. This is called Collateral Damage. It is the damage that is done to other people or things. The military frequently uses this term when referring to the destruction of civilian property and non-combatant casualties, during war. A Human Service Leader’s decisions have the ability to impact the lives of their employees and their clients, and the effect can be either positive or negative.  

The articles that I found discuss the impact and problems when a leader makes an unethical decision. The article Collateral Damage points out that, “A young scientist’s reputation is tethered to the successes and failures of his or her adviser, and when that adviser is accused of misconduct, trainees can also be viewed with suspicion” (2010, p. 1). In fact, Elizabeth Wallace explains the turmoil she faced this way, “I was informed initially by the institute executive that my analyst was under “professional review,” that I would not receive credit for my analysis during that time, and that for reasons of confidentiality and legal pressures I could speak to no one about my knowledge of the investigation” (2010, p.249). The incident happened in 2001; however, Elizabeth Wallace explains that her viewpoint of the situation has changed. I feel she did a good job explaining her initial feelings to defend her boss, and the internal conflict that she had to work through to improve her ethical decisions.      

I know that we live in a society where people run around, like chickens with their heads cut off, because time is money. But, it might be best to pause and think about the decisions that are being made; in fact, it might be good to ask- What are the long term consequences? Is there collateral damage?

References

Collateral damage. (2010). Nature, 466(7310), 1023. doi:10.1038/4661023a