Title: THE NON-CONSCIOUS ASPECTS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR: NOT EVERYTHING IN THE "GOOD" ORGANIZATION IS DELIBERATE AND INTENTIONAL
Abstract: With regard to the ethical organization, it is generally understood that “good” organizations 1) establish ethical standards; 2) regularly make those standards salient; 3) monitor behavior; and 4) reward and punish accordingly. While it is typical to think of these processes as occurring at conscious levels, I will discuss research that suggests that each process can, and does, occur at non-conscious levels—that an ethical culture exists and influences employees in ways that neither management nor employees likely recognize. Then I will discuss the expectations that should circumscribe a “good” organization. I. INTRODUCTION When organizational leaders and policy makers seek to improve the ethical behavior of individuals within an organization, they tend to focus on the organization’s formal structures. The underlying belief that fosters such efforts is that formal organizational structures (e.g., codes of conduct, ethics hotlines, ethics training programs) have the most direct impact on individual day-to-day behavior and thus have the most influence in shaping the ethical decisions that individuals make. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines 1
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 3
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