Scenario: Why Reinvent the Wheel

Group Size: 4-15

Scenario

“Of course, I was going to call you tonight. Besides, I want to thank you again. You guessed it right. So far, we’ve been given the same tests that you had. The notes you took when you attended this course are great, especially your summaries. They are worth their weight in gold. They’re all I’ve needed to do really well in the course up to now.”

Warrant Officer (WO) Michel Maillette has just called his wife, who is also a WO in his trade. He’s about halfway through a long course that is necessary for his next promotion. WO Maillette is thrilled that his wife is not only a meticulous notetaker but that she made copies of some of the course material that participants were supposed to hand back to the training staff and not keep. She knew that he expected to get on this course and that he hates classroom work and studying for tests. He’s the first one to admit to anyone that he’s never been much of a student.

The next day, two of his classmates are talking about the course load during a coffee break. “I thought this course was supposed to be a little easier than it is,” explains WO Barb Rinaldo. “But the workload is killing me. And what’s with Maillette? He’s acing everything on this course. I’ve been on courses with him before and he’s not that strong.”

“Well, Barb, there’s a good reason for that,” explains WO Helen Chatham. “Maillette’s wife attended the course last year and was the top candidate. I overheard him talking to her last night, thanking her for her notes.” Surprised, WO Rinaldo says, “That’s not fair, Helen! He should have to do the same work as everyone.” “Well, it’s not like Maillette is outright cheating. He still has to do the assignments and study for the tests,” says WO Chatham.

“But Helen, he’s got a clear advantage over everyone else. Someone should do something.”

“Well, I’m not getting involved Barb. I just want to get through this course and get back to my job,” says WO Chatham.

WO Rinaldo thinks about this for the next few days and is clearly bothered. Although she doesn’t feel comfortable talking to the directing staff, since she doesn’t want to be perceived as a ‘rat,’ she believes that what WO Maillette is doing is unfair.

Categories

• Principles: Serve Canada before Self, Obey and Support Lawful Authority
• Values: Integrity, Courage
• Cultural themes: Service, Identity, Leadership, Teamwork
• Misconduct types: General Misconduct
• GBA Plus themes: Not Specific
• Audience: Canadian Armed Forces

Facilitator’s Guide

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the ethical obligations of “Serve Canada Before Self” and “Obey and Support Lawful Authority” in this situation.
• Discuss the ethical values of integrity and courage in a military school setting.

Facilitation Questions

1. What would you do in this situation? What are the considerations?
   • Allow open discussion from the group.
   • Ethical concerns: According to QR&O 5.01, all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members are legally obligated* to report a wrongdoing in the workplace with no fear of repercussions. *Note: For sexual misconduct specifically, different rules now apply. Members are required to support the affected person and their decision regarding reporting.
   • Personal factors: It would take courage for WO Rinaldo to approach WO Maillette directly. It would take courage for WO Maillette to take responsibility for his actions.
   • Environmental factors: Allowing WO Maillette to continue cheating on the course could have serious repercussions in the future if a key concept or process was missed while using his wife’s notes. It could even cause an injury or death.
2. What is the ethical dilemma in this situation?
   • This is an ethical dilemma about reporting a wrongdoing.
   • WO Rinaldo needs to realize that not reporting this behaviour is the same as covering up and, ultimately, it harms the institution that he serves. Avoiding the situation does the CAF and CAF members a disservice.
3. What are some potential courses of action that could be taken in this scenario?
   • WO Rinaldo could decide to do nothing and ignore the situation as WO Chatham has done.
   • Address the issue directly with WO Maillette and confront him with what she overheard while he was talking to his wife.
   • Report the situation to the Directing Staff (DS) as a suspicion, in which case they should look into the allegations.
   • Approach the course senior who should act on the information provided and deal with the situation appropriately (which may include informing the DS).