Lesson 1.1: What Are Ethical Blind Spots?

Lesson Summary:
This lesson introduces the foundational concept of ethical blind spots and explores why even ethical, competent leaders can fail to perceive unethical behaviors. The lesson draws from behavioral ethics and cognitive science to explain how selective attention, overconfidence, and situational pressures can impair ethical awareness.

Objectives:

• Define ethical blind spots and understand their psychological foundations

• Recognize how and why ethical oversights happen in leadership

• Understand the early warning signs of ethical disengagement

Content Highlights:

• The psychology of moral blindness: inattentional blindness, self-serving bias

• Examples from corporate and nonprofit ethics failures

• How ethical violations occur in high-performing environments

Tools and Activities:

• Self-Assessment: "Blind Spot Inventory" – identifies areas of personal ethical vulnerability

• Interactive Explainer: “The Invisible Ethics Trap” – animation with examples

• Discussion Prompt: “Have you seen ethical issues go unnoticed in your workplace?”

• Case Timeline: Annotated case study (e.g., Wells Fargo or SNC-Lavalin)