Authors
Michael Gonin
Publication date
2015
Journal
Academy of Management Proceedings
Volume
2015
Issue
1
Pages
11069
Publisher
Academy of Management
Description
Many answers have been given to the question'Why do organizational members behave unethically?'Each answer has induced its own set of solutions to tackle unethical behavior. Among others, two streams focus on the individual actor by either proposing control and sanction mechanisms to frame the manager’s self-interested attitude or by aiming at educating people into moral agents capable of recognizing ethical issues and of acting accordingly. Two further streams focus on the actor’s context. They target organizational culture and codes of conduct or the broader institutional framework's influence. While these four streams are most often held separate, I argue that they all show specific strengths and weaknesses that can be combined to address at best the diverse situations and to frame the various actors' attitudes. A framework that integrates the four approaches of unethical behavior might therefore represent the most efficient approach to unethical behavior by covering multiple time frames, situations, and organizational member personalities. This article discusses such a framework and the specific contributions each approach can make to the other three within it. Implications for management and business ethics are also exposed in the light of various ethical issues in business.
Total citations
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