Right vs Right: Ethical Leadership in Indonesia’s Complex Professional Landscape
Key insights from preliminary research by YADEMA, Globethics and the Faculty of Theology at Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW). February 2026.
What Are “Right vs Right” Ethical Dilemmas?
Preliminary research from a collaboration between the Faculty of Theology at Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW), YADEMA, and Globethics reveals that Indonesian professionals are frequently caught in right-versus-right ethical dilemmas — situations where two valid moral values collide.
Unlike simple cases of right versus wrong, these dilemmas require deeper ethical decision-making, moral courage, and reflective leadership.
As Indonesia’s economy expands — particularly in infrastructure, healthcare, and digital entrepreneurship — ethical leadership in Indonesia is becoming a critical development issue.
Ethics in Indonesia: Beyond Politeness and Etiquette
A Focus Group Discussion in Yogyakarta as part of this research revealed a common misconception: many participants initially equated ethics with politeness.
But ethics is not etiquette.
Ethics concerns moral judgment — how professionals navigate tensions between honesty, loyalty, justice, compassion, and responsibility.
This shift from surface-level compliance to deeper moral reasoning is central to YADEMA’s work in strengthening professional ethics in Indonesia.
Four Common Ethical Dilemmas in Indonesia
The study adopted Rushworth Kidder’s ethical decision-making framework as its primary analytical lens. Kidder identifies four core paradigms of ethical dilemmas:
- Truth vs. Loyalty: The conflict between honesty and allegiance to individuals or institutions.
- Individual vs. Community: The tension between personal interests and the greater good.
- Short-Term vs. Long-Term: The dilemma between immediate outcomes and future consequences.
- Justice vs. Mercy: The balancing act between fairness and compassion.
The Focus Group Discussions identified these four recurring “right vs right” value tensions during the conversation, offering insights into how ethical leadership challenges may be framed and understood in Indonesia.
1. Truth vs Loyalty
Tension arises between speaking uncomfortable truths and maintaining loyalty to superiors, institutions, clients, or relationships.
2. Individual vs Community
Indonesia’s strong communal culture can generate friction between personal conscience and group harmony. Speaking up may risk social exclusion or relational consequences.
3. Short-Term vs Long-Term
Pressure for immediate results, including informal shortcuts or quiet compromises, can undermine long-term integrity and sustainability.
4. Justice vs Mercy
Difficult choices emerge between applying rules consistently and exercising compassion shaped by relational and cultural considerations.
These dilemmas illustrate that ethics in Indonesia is rarely abstract — it is lived daily under real pressure.
Cultural Silence, Hierarchy, and Regulatory Ambiguity
Ethical challenges in Indonesia are intensified by:
- Hierarchical workplace culture
- Reluctance to openly challenge authority
- Overlapping or inconsistent regulations
- The persistence of informal practices, including gift-giving or unofficial payments that blur the boundary between courtesy and corruption
When regulatory frameworks are unclear, ethical responsibility shifts from institutions to individuals — increasing moral risk and psychological pressure.
From Compliance to Reflective Ethical Leadership
The findings highlight a critical insight: strengthening integrity requires more than rules.
It requires:
- Reflective ethical reasoning
- Practical decision-making frameworks
- Safe spaces for ethical dialogue
- Contextualised ethics training
- Applied ethics tools that are accessible and easily operationalised in everyday context
YADEMA, as Globethics’ Indonesian affiliate, works to bridge global ethical frameworks with local realities — building moral courage in high-stakes sectors.
As Indonesia continues to grow, the challenge is not only economic development, but ethical development.
Right-versus-right dilemmas will not disappear. But with the right tools, professionals can learn to navigate them with integrity.
About the Researchers
This research is a collaboration between the Faculty of Theology at Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW) and YADEMA/Globethics. The team includes Project Leader Rev. August Corneles Tamawiwy (MST), Ribka Ninaris Barus (The Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies - Gadjah Mada University), Hanny Nadhirah (YADEMA), and Eky Zupaldry (UKDW).
Published study coming soon.
