respect for authority
Professionals as Engineers have the obligation to respect the legitimate authority of their employees. An authority offers a way to identify areas of personal responsibility and accountability.
Expert authority:
To avoid problems in institutional authority. expert AUTHORITY is the possession of special knowledge, skills or competences to make some decisions or give good advice. For example, doctors are authorities in health matters, civil engineers are authorities in building structures and aesthetics, lawyers are authorities in legal matters, and computer scientists are authorities in software, hardware, etc.
Expert Authority is called “Leadership Authority” as it involves the Experience of Effectively Leading Others. In most cases, engineers will have expert authority on technology-related matters, while institutional authority will be provided by line managers who handle the day-to-day activities of the organization.
Institutional authority:
Refers to authority within the organization. For example, the account manager is authorized with some limitations to sanction financial commitments within his institution. If the Authority is granted to qualified personnel, the objectives of the organization will be facilitated.
Authority versus power:
Ineffective people cannot command power if they lack leadership, they cannot inspire and motivate employees, even if they are authorized to do so. In other words, people who are effective can acquire great power or influence; power goes far beyond the authority of the position they occupy. Charismatic leaders often have influence outside their domains of authority, and well-respected engineers of proven integrity can have power in an organization that explicitly exceeds the rights of its institutions.
Morally Justified Authority:
Engineers may have an institutional duty to obey the job to do morally unjustified. Thus, Institutional Rights and Duties cannot be Applied in the Same Sense as Morally Justified Rights and Duties.
Institutional authority is morally justified only when the ends of the institution are morally permissible or morally desirable and the way in which it is exercised does not violate other moral duties.
Acceptance Authority:
Employees mostly accept guidance and obey their employer, they rarely disobey for moral reasons. Every employee in an organization has something called “zone acceptance” that shows his interest in accepting the authority of his employees. Most of the time, employees expand their zone of acceptance without looking at whether or not authority requires moral acts. This reveals that employees lack moral integrity. Therefore, employer directives must be carefully evaluated by employees for justifications before accepting the directive.
Thus, Engineering Professionals must weigh their obligation to the public, their employees, their Colleagues and Others when conflicts arise between such ties. Simple prioritization is not always possible, no exceptions.
