Building houses on rocks: The role of the ethical infrastructure in organizations (original) (raw)

A Conceptual Framework for Ethical Decision Making in Organizations

Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management, 2015

This chapter addresses the lack of a framework that allows the generation of mechanisms and processes that benefit ethical decision making in organizations in order to promote civic virtue in its members. The authors explore how constructing spaces promote an honest and open dialogue among citizens, associations, business, and various levels of government. These spaces encourage the development of mechanisms and processes for social and personal benefit among its participants. The conceptual framework discussed is created by De la Cruz and Sasia (2013), named the Ethical Triangle Model. This model proposes at least three dimensions in an organization: legitimacy, motivation, and capacity. The proposed conceptual framework is dynamic and it is applicable to any organization. Future research must be made for testing the framework proposed here.

Ethics in organizations: A framework for theory and research

Journal of Business Ethics, 1994

In a climate of increasing interest and activity within the field of business ethics, as yet there exists no coherent conceptual framework for organizational theory and research. From a review of current thinking and previous writings a framework of concepts is suggested to help set an agenda for empirical research. The elements of this are, first, a taxonomy of “ethical domains”: the foci of organizations' and their agents' ethical concerns and conduct. Second, it is considered how “ethical functioning” might be analysed in terms of causal relationships between expressive forms, voluntary action and instituted forms. Third is discussed “ethical process”, the means by which ethical awareness is aroused. Fourth and last, the paper examines how normative evaluations might apply to the “ethical condition” of organizations and their agents, meaning change or stability in reputation and integrity. At each stage of the argument possible objectives for research are developed.

The challenge of ethical behavior in organizations

Journal of Business Ethics, 1992

This paper is designed to do three things while discussing the challenge of ethical behavior in organization. First, it discusses some reasons why unethical behavior occurs in organization. Secondly, the paper highlights the importance of organizational culture in establishing an ethical climate within an organization. Finally, the paper presents some suggestions for creating and maintaining an ethically-oriented culture.

Establishing Organizational Ethical Climates: How Do Managerial Practices Work?

2010

Over the past two decades, Victor and Cullen's (Adm Sci Q 33:101-125, 1988) typology of ethical climates has been employed by many academics in research on issues of ethical climates. However, little is known about how managerial practices such as communication and empowerment influence ethical climates, especially from a functional perspective. The current study used a survey of employees from Taiwan's top 100 patent-owning companies to examine how communication and empowerment affect organizational ethical climates. The results confirm the relationship between these two managerial practices and organizational ethical climates. We discuss our results and their implications for both future academic research and practice.

Organizational Factors in the Individual Ethical Behaviour. The Notion of the “Organizational Moral Structure”

Humanistic Management Journal

Various organizational factors reported in the hitherto literature affect individual (mis)behaviour within a company. In this paper, we conduct a literature review thereof, and propose a notion of the “Organizational Moral Structure” defined as a comprehensive framework of interrelated organizational factors that condition, incite or influence good or bad moral behaviour of individuals within the organization. Drawing from a wide bibliographical review and our own reflection on recent business scandals, we identify seven constituents of the “Organizational Moral Structure”: 1) leader’s values and character, 2) vision and exercise of power, 3) corporate control systems, 4) internal network of influence, 5) organizational culture, 6) internal and competitive pressures, and 7) external influences. The “Organizational Moral Structure” is proposed as a reflective framework for humanistic management and as an invitation to further research in this field. We provide recommendations on how ...

Ethical behaviours in organizations: Directed by the formal or informal systems

Journal of Business Ethics, 1995

Past research has focused on individual culpability with the assumption that individuals will further their own self interest over that of the organization, given an appropriate opportunity. In contrast, this research shifts the focus from individual motivation to the influence of the formal and informal control systems of organizations on ethical behaviours. An open-ended interview approach was used to collect data. It was found that pressures within the informal system were the dominant influence in the resolution of ethical issues. The dominance of the informal system, however, varies according to the economic position of the organization.

Implementing Ethics in Business Organizations

Journal of Business Ethics, 2000

In view of the scope and scale of the latest scandals, e.g. Enron's maximum breaking bankruptcy, the re-discovery of ethics in business has received an impressive boost. By now even car salesmen have written ethics, ''a Code of Conduct'', e.g. in the USA or Poland. But there is no clear aim of the role ethics obtains in organizational settings as we may show in some small cases of practical approaches to deal with ethics in organizations. We discuss how ethics is the prerequisite to conduct any business and what advantages may be realized if a clear set of ethics is followed. We will discuss three practical examples. In cases of ethics-based valuesadded management of Siemens (Germany), Boeing (U.S.) and SAP (Germany) we explain the mechanisms of ethics in management to strengthen organizational success. We emphasize the importance of clear ethics-related communication processes in organizations. We explain the use of communication theories inside organizational processes to clarify communication about such an abstract topic as ethics. Finally, we point out how a management of ethical ideas and cultural values should be designed in business enterprises.

Using accountability to create a more ethical climate

Human Resource Management Review, 2004

According to Jones (1991) ethics influence judgments used to make decisions that are legal or morally acceptable to the larger community [Ethical decision-making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model. Academy of Management Review, vol. 16(2) (pp. 366-395).]. Poor ethical decision-making costs industry billions of dollars a year and damages the images of corporations. Thus, ethics is an organizational and managerial issue. This paper describes how ethical decision-making is a multi-dimensional process; one that includes the individual, the ethical issues and the organizational context. It then shows how organizations can use accountability mechanisms to help control organizational misconduct, such as enforced codes of ethics and the creation of a values-based organization with top management support and strong ethical social consensus.