Recent trends in ethics “represent attempts to broaden the domain of professional ethics beyond dilemmas and decision-making requiring rational judgement (ethics as individual decision-making) and beyond conformity to codes of ethics and rules of ethical conduct (ethics as external regulation). Instead, a situated ethics is proposed, that places dilemmas and decisions in a broader social, political and cultural context and sees responsibility in a wider, more relational sense, beyond the isolated individual decision-maker.” (Banks, p. 35-36)
The list of ethical dimensions very useful. Each dimension made me think of how I can relate it to my profession and my positionality. I read more about the dimensions I found most relatable or important for my project.
“(1) Framing work—identifying and focusing on the ethically salient features of a situ-ation; placing oneself and the situations encountered in political and social contexts; negotiating/co-constructing frames with others (including service users and colleagues);
(2) Role work—playing a role in relation to others (advocate, carer, critic); taking a position (partial/impartial; close/distant); negotiating roles; responding to role expectations.
(3) Emotion work—being caring, compassionate and empathic; managing emotions; building trust; responding to emotions of others.
(4) Identity work—working on one’s ethical self; creating an identity as an ethically good professional; negotiating professional identity; maintaining professional integrity.
(5) Reason work—making and justifying moral judgements and decisions; deliberation with others on ethical evaluations and tactics; working out strategies for ethical action.
(6) Relationship work—engaging in dialogue with others; working on relationships through emotion, identity and reason work (dialogue work)
(7) Performance work—making visible aspects of this work to others; demonstrating oneself at work (accountability work).” (Banks, p. 37)
I focused on role, identity and relationship work. I think they all are closely related, and they made me focus on my role within the University, Library and my Team more.
Role work: “involves judging what roles to take with particular people in particular circumstances, how and when to shift between roles, when a degree of professional closeness or greater distance is right and negotiating roles with service users and others. (…) Ethical dimensions are highlighted when conscious dilemmas and choices over role positions arise—for example, between carer and controller; educator or advisor; ‘friend’ or professional.” p.41.
In my role as librarian, I need to negotiate my role at the service point (Information desk), 1-2-1, group, face to face sessions with students and staff (teaching part of my role), as well as supporting library users in our space – both technically (when they print, use software or need to find the books) and very often emotionally (when they are stressed before deadlines).
Identity work: “is the work people do through talk, interaction and demeanour to construct and negotiate who they are—their personal and social identities. (…) ‘Ethical identity work’ (identity work in the ethical sphere) involves practitioners working specifically on their ethical selves—for example, as morally good social workers, caring professionals, committed practitioners or fair-minded people.” p.42-43.
These words speak to me strongly. This is a motif within ethics and generally action research area that engages me with my studies and work. I feel that it is closely related to compassionate pedagogy that I got interested in during our first unit on the course.
Relationship work: this term is used “to cover the work of engaging with others, building relationships of trust, getting to know people and caring for and about them over time. The relationships may be with service users, colleagues, officials or members of the public. (…) Relationship work is a key feature of the ethics of care, which highlights the importance of attentiveness (noticing the need for care), responsibility (taking care of others) and responsiveness (of others to the care given).” p.44