Currently, the topic of ethical behavior in organizations is enjoying a surge in
popularity among organizational researchers and the corporate world. The reason for the
attention is that companies now truly believe in substantive benefits, which can be gained
by facilitating an ethical culture in the organization. However, by examining the
negative consequences of unethical behavior as well as the benefits of the ethical ones, a
layman can also determine what is important. Despite the interest, concern and number
of published prescriptions to deal with unethical behavior, there are only few
empirical investigations conducted in this area. The paucity of research in this field is not
surprising, because the area of ethical behavior is delicate and complex in nature. Managers
are not likely to allow their ethical behavior to be directly observed or assessed.
The interest and focus in ethical behavior suggest a number of questions that
range from the meaning, antecedents to the resulting impairment in the performance
of organizations due to ethical or unethical behavior. Formally defined, ethical behavior
is behavior which is morally accepted as good and right as opposed to bad and wrong
in a particular setting. It is difficult to define ethical behavior because standards that
constitute ethical behavior lie in a gray zone, where clear-cut, right-wrong answers may not
always exist. Additionally, another individual or group may view differently what one person or
group may find unethical. |
