S12- Leadership and Ethical Organizational Culture

Question 1

What is organizational culture?

Answer 1

Organizational culture is the intangible and subjective aspect
of the organization, made up of a set of shared values, beliefs, meanings, myths, rituals and symbols that distinguish one company from another.

Organizational culture emerges to influence the behavior of individuals in the organization so that they conform to formal and informal standards.

Question 2

What are the three levels of ethical culture?

Answer 2

1. Organizational artifacts (creating a culture)
   * Organizational ethics practices (training, tools, etc.)
   * Standards (code), policies, process (decision, selection, complaint management, etc.)
   * Structures (ethics committee, ombudsman, VP ethics
   or compliance, etc.)
2. Shared values
   * Values conveyed in organizations
   * Leadership of leaders (example)
   * Reward systems
   * Informal standards, habits
3. Basic assumptions
   * Organizational paradigm, dominant logic, conception of the world

Question 3

What kind of role does social learning play in ethical climate?

Answer 3

Social learning (cf Bandura) plays a HUGE role
* Ethical role modeling (and career mentors)
* The potential to cultivate moral awareness (as during this course!)
* The potential to cultivate moral judgment (Aristotle!)
* The potential to cultivate moral utilization, i.e., “the extent in which they actually utilize their capacity for principled thinking in ethical decision-making”

Question 4

What is the difference between consequentialist ethics (Utilitarians), deontological ethics (Kant), and virtue ethics (Aristotle)?

Answer 4

The basic tenets of a consequentialist account of normative ethics is that what is right or wrong, good or bad, should be derived from a careful analysis of the perceived costs and benefits of a given course of action.

Deontological frameworks, on the other hand, suggest that ethical behaviour should align with a set of universal principles of duty, rights, and justice rather than seeking net social benefit, which may still allow for the marginalization of some groups or individuals.

In comparison, rather than focusing on outcomes, the virtue ethics framework emphasizes the excellence of personal character to define moral behaviour.