How do we explore ethical issues and values?

Explore ethical issues and stakeholders’ values

What is the result of this step?

This step results in a list of harms and benefits that the technology is expected to produce for each (direct and indirect) stakeholder.

Why?

Harms and benefits function as important identifiers of the values of these stakeholders. It is these values that need to be taken into account in the value-sensitive design of the technology.


Harms and benefits frequently raise questions about what is the right or good thing to do. They raise questions about values. In daily life we will usually try to avoid harms and realize benefits. So far, there’s no problem. But in some situations, realizing benefits for one person means that one will ignore the benefits for someone else, or even harm that person. In these situations when values conflict, people may doubt what is the best thing to do. When this happens, ethical questions arise. Ethical questions are related to what a person or group of people consider important in life.


Usually values underlie benefits and harms. Many lists of values circulate, because contexts differ in which they are discussed. In the agricultural digital innovation project Internet of Food & Farm 2020 a specific list of values has been developed (see box 3). Some values form the core of any value-list about digital technology; such as, privacy, autonomy or well-being/ doing no harm (see box 2: Friedman and Kahn’s list of 12 values). Other values are perhaps more specific to digital farming applications, such as environmental sustainability or ownership.

How?

There are two ways to explore values of stakeholders. One is low-key and demands colleagues who are developing a technology to play a card game. The other demands to conduct more encompassing empirical research by means of interviews or a round table conversation with stakeholders, which is explained in the next step, step 4.

Do: play the values
card game

One way to explore and map the values of direct and indirect stakeholders related to the technology design, is by playing the card game “Review Break” (download card gamedownload game rules). This game can be played with colleague-developers within the company and without involving stakeholders (see box 4).

What is the result? 

The card game invites participants to imagine what values are important for different stakeholders. The result is in a set of reviews of the design or prototype from the perspectives of these stakeholders. (see box 5).

Box 4: Do

Review Break

Find values related to the applied technology

Play game

Box 5: Example

Review 

Using GPS and temperature Sensor tracking during wine transport

Example

Two other ways to explore and examine the values of the direct and indirect stakeholders is by doing interviews, or by inviting them for a round table discussion.

1. Interview stakeholders individually

The agri tech company will interview the stakeholders (or commission others to interview stakeholders, e.g. researchers) to find out what values they consider most important. During these interviews, it is important to (a) present the idea for the technology, (b) ask what this stakeholder things the possible harms and benefits are and (c) explore the values that are important for the various stakeholders. For step c it can be helpful to use the lists of values (Box 2 and 3).

2. Round table discussion with stakeholders

The company sits down with stakeholders and discusses which values play a role in technology design. In a round table discussion there is more space for reflexive exchange between the participants, which can help to identify and map possible conflicting values. During the workshop it is important to (a) present the idea for the technology, (b) ask participants to note the anticipated pros and cons of this technology for them and explain them and discuss them with the group, and (c) explore the values by allowing participants to choose their top 3 values related to the technology and discuss that in the group again.

Go to step 4